Canada-USA to Kickoff 2006

Ottawa, Ontario – The Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) and the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) have agreed to a friendly between Canada’s Men’s National Team and the US Men’s National Team.



The match will take place on January 22, 2006 at Torero Stadium on the campus of the University of San Diego. Kickoff has been set for 5:00pm PT.



Tickets ranging in price levels from $25 to $90 go on sale starting Tuesday, December 6, at 10 a.m. PT on-line at ussoccer.com, at the University of San Diego’s Jenny Craig Pavilion Box Office (Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), and by phone at 619-260-7550 (Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Groups of 15 or more can purchase tickets through the University of San Diego by calling 619-260-7550.



“Anytime you play the US you are guaranteed a difficult game,” said Canadian Head Coach Frank Yallop. “I thought when we played them in the summer (Gold Cup 2005) we did quite well at times and this match will provide us with another opportunity, like the friendlies against Spain and Luxembourg, to see how our squad has been progressing since then.”



Yallop’s men will likely begin camp in early January to prepare for the match. A location for the training camp has yet to be determined.



It is also likely that Yallop will involve many of his North American-based players as well as those players that play in leagues with a winter-break.



“Because of the time of year, the majority of our guys will either be in pre-season or on a winter break, so it will be important for us to get together early. But in the end, this is yet another chance for us to have a look at some of the guys who haven’t featured for Canada in awhile.”



The match on January 22 will mark the 28th time Canada and the United States have met. The overall record currently stands at 8 wins, 11 losses, and 8 draws but recent history has favoured the Americans. Canada has not defeated the US since their friendly on May 6, 1990 in Burnaby, BC when Canada won 1-0. A week later, the Canadians also defeated Mexico 2-1.



The last encounter between the two was in July 2005 when the two sides met in that year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup. The US defeated Canada 2-0 on that day en route to their third Continental championship.