Young Oakville fans watch Canadian practice

Oakville’s young football hopefuls took in Canada’s first practice this afternoon at Allan Lamport Stadium in downtown Toronto. The club received a special invitation from BMO, one of the Canadian Soccer Association’s leading soccer partners. The young girls watched the practice and then came down to the pitch to meet the players and get autographs.



Canada’s women’s national team is in town this week to prepare for Monday’s international friendly match against USA. The Canada-USA match, presented by Winners, kicks off at 19.00 at BMO Field on Monday 25 May. Tickets to the match are available at Ticketmaster (ticketmaster.ca / 416.872.5000).



Canada’s first session featured 16 players on the artificial turf field. The remaining five players arrive in Toronto tonight and tomorrow morning. The full team has two sessions a day on Thursday and Friday in Vaughan, all at Vaughan Grove (10.00 and 15.00).



On Saturday morning, the team will visit the Winners College Park store in Toronto (444 Yonge Street). The team will be on hand to meet fans and players starting at 10.00. The first 200 fans will receive a collectible women’s national team card while the first 75 will also receive an adidas soccer ball.



Canada, whose title sponsor is Winners and whose presenting sponsor is Teck, has one of the best women’s programs in the world. In 2009, Canada has started its season with two wins, one draw and one loss, finishing second at the 2009 Cyprus Women’s Cup in March. Canada’s all-time home record is 26 wins, 5 draws and 16 losses. Canada currently has a six-game unbeaten record (3-3-0) at home.