Hart Announces Roster for Labour Day Friendly against Jamaica in Montreal

Ottawa, Ontario – Interim Canadian National Team head coach Stephen Hart has announced his 18-player roster for the Jamaica friendly on Monday, September 4 (Labour Day) at 4:00 p.m. in Montreal at the Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard.



The match marks the team’s first appearance in Montreal in over 11 years; the last being a 3:0 loss to Turkey on June 7, 1995.



This will be Hart’s first match in charge of the Canadian National Team since being named interim head coach on July 12, 2006. Hart has been Canada’s Under-17 head coach since December 2001.



Hart’s roster definitely has a Montreal connection as six players are either from the area or are current or past players of the Montreal Impact of the United Soccer League (USL). Current Impact players are goalkeeper Greg Sutton, and defenders Adam Braz, and Gabriel Gervais. Past Impact players are Patrice Bernier who is currently with Tromso in Norway and Sandro Grande playing with Molde also of Norway; both are from Montreal. Forward Olivier Occean, also a native of Montreal, was named 2006 player of the year in Norway while playing for Lillestrom.



Goalkeeper Kenny Stamatopolus (Tromso) will join Sutton on the roster.



Hart has called upon defenders Kevin McKenna (Energie Cottbus, Germany), Chris Pozniak (Haugesund, Norway), Marco Reda (Sogndal, Norway), Paul Stalteri (Tottenham, England), and Josh Simpson (Kaiserslauten, Germany) to join Braz and Gervais on the back line.



Rounding out the midfielders on the roster is Jim Brennan (unattached) who scored the first and eventual winning goal in the 2:0 win over Austria, Julian de Guzman (Deportivo La Coruna, Spain), Iain Hume (Leicester City, England), and Atiba Hutchinson (Copenhagen, Denmark).



Joining Occean up front are strikers Rob Friend (Heerenveen, Holland) and Tomasz Radzinski (Fulham, England).



Canada is currently undefeated since a very respectable 2-1 loss to Spain on September 3rd, 2005. They have not allowed a goal in their last three friendlies since November 16, 2005 with a 1:0 win over Luxembourg, a 0:0 draw with the United States on January 22nd, 2006 in San Diego, California, and most recently a 2:0 win over Austria on March 1st, 2006 in Vienna, Austria.



Against Jamaica, Canada’s is even after 11 encounters with five wins, five losses, and one draw, but the Canucks lead in goals 14-6. In their last encounter on September 2, 1999 in Toronto, Canada won the friendly 1-0.



“I think everyone is looking forward to this game,” said Hart “There has not been a senior national team men’s game in Montreal for many years and that just adds to the anticipation.”



Tickets are priced at $25.00 for the Grandstand seats (Reserved) and $15.00 for the Bleacher and End zones seats (General Admission) plus applicable taxes and are available through Admission at (514) 790-1245 or 1-800-361-4595, online at www.admission.com, or by calling the Montreal Impact ticket office at (514) 328-3668.



The Quebec Soccer Federation and its members are able to purchase General Admission tickets at a special rate of $10.00 by contacting the Quebec Soccer Federation at (450) 975-3355 ext. 3908.



Prior to the match, the squad will assemble in Ottawa for a three day training camp from August 29-31 prior to departing for Montreal where they will make their final preparations.



Joining Hart is Tony Fonseca as Assistant Coach, he is the Technical Director of the Vancouver Whitecaps and former Whitecaps head coach. He played for Benfica and was capped for Portugal.



Following the Labour Day clash, both teams will meat again in Kingston, Jamaica for a second match scheduled for October 8th.



An international friendly is currently being planned for in the fall of 2006 in Europe. Information regarding this match will be released when the details have been finalized.



Canada vs. Jamaica

Monday, September 4 @ 16:00

Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard – 1000, rue Émile-Journault – Montreal, QC.



Stephen Hart – Bio



On December 21, 2001, Stephen Hart was hired as Canada’s U-17 National Team head coach. Hart had been the Technical Director for Soccer Nova Scotia since 1993 and was the Director of the Atlantic Region National Training Centre in Halifax.



Hart was chosen as Interim head coach of the Men’s National team in July following the departure of Frank Yallop in June 2006.



Holder of a CSA “A” License, Hart has been an instructor in the CSA coaching development program since 1992. His coaching experience covers a wide spectrum, having coached at the senior and youth levels, both, male and female. He has coached three Canada Games teams and several provincial teams in the last 11 years. He was an assistant coach with the Canadian Men’s Under-17 Team at the 2001 CONCACAF Qualifying Tournament for the Under-17 World Championships. In 2003, Hart was a member of the U-20 National Team coaching staff that lost in the Quarterfinals of the FIFA World Youth Championships in UAE and most recently was the first assistant with the men’s national team since 2005.



A native of Trinidad and Tobago, Hart played for Texaco in the National Football League and the San Fernando Strikers in the local Premier League. In 1980 he was selected to the Trinidad and Tobago national team. Later that year he moved to Canada to attend St. Mary’s University.



Stephen lives in Halifax with his wife Lynn and daughters Eilish, Keva and Yara.



Roster