Canada ready for Friday test against Azerbaijan

Canada will face Azerbaijan in an away Men’s International Friendly match this Friday 3 June in Austria. The match is part of a Men’s National Team camp that will help prepare Canada’s players for 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Qualifiers in September, including the all-important final match of this semi-final round at BC Place in Vancouver on 6 September.

The Friday 3 June match will be featured live on migmultidev-canada-soccer.pantheonsite.io at 13.00 ET / 10.00 PT (19.00 local in Rohrbach an der Lafnitz, Austria). The 2016 match, to be played at Stadion Rohrbach an der Lafnitz, marks the first encounter between the two international sides.

This marks Canada’s last chance to get together before the August-September window when Canada faces Honduras away (2 September) and El Salvador at home (6 September). As part of this 10-day June camp, Canada faces Azerbaijan on 3 June and Uzbekistan on 7 June. Both June matches will be broadcast live on migmultidev-canada-soccer.pantheonsite.io and youtube.com/canadasoccertv.

“It is a big week coming up for us with games on Friday and Tuesday,” said Scott Arfield, now into his second camp with Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team. “You take these training sessions and you try to implement what the head coach and his staff want for the games.”

After the June camp, players will return to their professional clubs where they will have less than three months of further individual preparation for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Qualifiers. Canada features a mix of players who are either midway into their 2016 season or will soon be preparing for their 2016-17 season (with training camps to begin in June or July).

“Everything has been spot on in this camp,” said Julian de Guzman, Canada’s all-time leader in appearances. “Our main objective has been to go over the things that need work from our last matches against Mexico. This camp is a great way for us to prepare for the most important matches of our careers (in September).”

Like Canada, Azerbaijan are also preparing for FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. Azerbaijan recently went through a difficult qualifying campaign for the UEFA EURO 2016, gaining just six points through 10 matches with a win, three draws, and six losses. Azerbaijan’s Road to Russia starts in September 2016.

SUPPORT #CANADARED, BE CANADA’S 12th MAN
After an away match against Honduras on 2 September, Canada will come home to face El Salvador in a critical match on 6 September at BC Place in Vancouver. To help build a sea of #CanadaRED supporters, tickets to the match start as low as $25 (plus applicable fees). In addition, a special ‘Me+3’ offer will be available for this match. When purchasing three full price tickets in select sections, fans will receive the fourth one free. This offer is available via Ticketmaster.ca by selecting the ‘Me+3’ offer.

Group discounts will be offered, with groups of 10 or more eligible to receive discounts of up to 30% off regularly priced sections. To request group tickets, complete the group order form indicating the price point and quantity of tickets you are wishing to purchase. Please note that group tickets will be processed on a first come, first served basis. For complete information visit the group ticket section on CanadaSoccer.com/Tickets

BC Place Club Seats offer fans a premium match day experience featuring exclusive entrances, in-seat service, larger comfortable seats, exclusive club lounges with a full-service private bar and heightened food offerings, all from some of the best views in the venue. Fans purchasing club seats will receive a complimentary Canada Soccer scarf (a retail value of $30) upon arrival to their seats on match day.

Canadian Supporters have been allocated a number of dedicated sections in the southwest end of BC Place. Fans wishing to sit in the Canadian supporter sections are encouraged to visit the Voyageurs website for more information and to purchase tickets through thevoyageurs.org. Please note that persistent standing will be permitted in these sections.

Visiting supporters will be located in the northeast corner of BC Place. Fans wishing to sit in these sections should select “El Salvador supporters” from the drop-down menu on the Ticketmaster event page.

Complete ticket information can be found at CanadaSoccer.com/Tickets.