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Women's U-20
Canada’s current camp in Cyprus features several young players, four of whom are still 22 years or younger. Defender Eddy Sidra (20) and forward Tosaint Ricketts (21), both from Edmonton, are taking part in their first national camp. They are the two youngest players on the team. Mississauga forward Simeon Jackson and Pickering midfielder Jaime Peters have been up with the national team before, but they are not much older at 22 years of age.
Sidra, of course, is just 10 weeks removed from playing on Canada’s youth team at the recent 2009 CONCACAF Men’s Under-20 Championship in March. He was a late call-in to camp, leaving his club FC Energie Cottbus who is currently in relegation zone in Germany. Sidra will rejoin his club after this week in Cyprus.
Listen to Sidra, Ricketts, Jackson and Peters
Canada’s current camp in Cyprus features several young players, four of whom are still 22 years or younger. Defender Eddy Sidra (20) and forward Tosaint Ricketts (21), both from Edmonton, are taking part in their first national camp. They are the two youngest players on the team. Mississauga forward Simeon Jackson and Pickering midfielder Jaime Peters have been up with the national team before, but they are not much older at 22 years of age.
Sidra, of course, is just 10 weeks removed from playing on Canada’s youth team at the recent 2009 CONCACAF Men’s Under-20 Championship in March. He was a late call-in to camp, leaving his club FC Energie Cottbus who is currently in relegation zone in Germany. Sidra will rejoin his club after this week in Cyprus.
Both Sidra and Ricketts came through the Canadian Soccer Association’s National Training Centres program. Sidra won a Canadian Interuniversity Sport championship with the University of Alberta in 2006 before turning pro with FC Energie Cottbus. Ricketts, meanwhile, played college soccer at University of Wisconsin-Green Bay before turning pro.
Ricketts is in his first season with Myllykosken Pallo 47 in Finland. His team is only eight games into the 2009 season, so there will be plenty of club football when he returns from his trip in Cyprus. Two years ago, Ricketts was a scoring star with Canada’s youth team in the lead up to the FIFA U-20 World Cup Canada 2007.
Both Jackson and Peters were part of the Canadian squad at that same FIFA U-20 World Cup. Both have also just finished their club seasons in England, Peters a few weeks back with Ipswich Town FC in the Football League Championship and Jackson last weekend with Gillingham FC in Football League Two.
Jackson, in fact, helped Gillingham FC earn a promotion to Football League One for the 2009-10 season. In the final weekend, Jackson scored the winning goal to help Gillingham FC win its championship trophy.
Jackson is taking part in his second national camp, having taken part in the last FIFA World Cup Qualifiers camp in Jamaica last November. Peters, meanwhile, has been in and out of national camps since 2004. Peters has made 15 appearances for the national team, 13 of which have come as a substitution. He scored his first goal with the national team last 4 June 2008 against Panama.
All four players are hoping to impress head coach Stephen Hart and his staff. Starting next week after the 30 May international friendly match against Cyprus, coach Hart will start to form his roster for the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The confederation championship runs 3-26 July in 13 cities across North America.
For more information on Cyprus, please visit www.visitcyprus.com
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