.svg){kind=icon}
Canada’s men’s national team has announced that it will face Argentina in an international friendly match this 24 May at Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The match will be played as part of the bicentenary anniversary of the Revolución de Mayo, the early 19th century “May Revolution” that helped form Argentina into an independent nation. The 24 May match will be the first-ever meeting between the two men’s national teams.
“This is a landmark match for Canadian soccer,” said national coach Stephen Hart. “To be invited to play Argentina in Argentina is a player’s dream. They are simply one of the best teams in world football.”
The Canadian Soccer Association announced today that the Canadian Soccer League has been granted full membership. Applying the provisos of the Canadian Soccer Association’s revised Professional Soccer Standards that were recently ratified by the Association’s Executive Committee, the Canadian Soccer League has been provided with the conditions of membership and a set of transitional benchmarks.
“We are pleased to welcome the Canadian Soccer League as a member of the Canadian Soccer Association,” said Canadian Soccer Association President Dr. Dominic Maestracci. “We look forward to a long and rewarding relationship as the professional game develops in Canada.”
Canada’s women’s national team has announced that it will face Poland in an international friendly match in the lead-up to this year’s 2010 Cyprus Women’s Cup. The two sides will meet on 20 February on neutral ground in Larnaka, Cyprus.
“For us, it is always important to add international games to our schedule,” said national coach Carolina Morace. “Poland is a good, quick team that has improved in the last five to six years.”
L’équipe nationale féminine du Canada a annoncé qu’elle affrontera la Pologne à l’occasion d’un match amical international peu de temps avant l’édition 2010 de la Coupe de Chypre féminine. Les deux côtés se rencontreront le 20 février sur terrain neutre à Larnaca (Chypre).
« Pour nous, il est toujours important d’ajouter des matchs internationaux à notre programme, a dit l’entraîneur national Carolina Morace. La Pologne est une bonne équipe douée de vitesse qui s’est améliorée considérablement depuis les cinq ou six dernières années. »
The fourth phase of ticket sales for the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ is underway at FIFA.com. Fans can purchase tickets to the world’s biggest tournament in this fourth sales phase from 9 February to 7 April.
During this phase, applications can be made via the FIFA website (FIFA.com) or at First National Bank (FNB) branches. This fourth phase will run for 58 days through 7 April and will be available on a “first come, first served, subject to availability basis. All ticketing enquiries should be directed to fifa.com where fans will find an extensive list of frequently asked questions. Fans can also ask specific questions via enquiries@2010fwctc.com.
The Canadian Soccer Association and its three top professional clubs – Impact de Montréal, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC – announced the schedule today for the 2010 Nutrilite Canadian Championship. The three-team, six-match tournament runs six consecutive Wednesday nights from 28 April to 2 June. The 2010 winner will advance to represent Canada in the 2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League season.
“The pride of Canada will be on the line during the 2010 Nutrilite Canadian Championship,” said Canadian Soccer Association President Dr. Dominique Maestracci. “Only the best will move forward to represent our nation in 2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League and hopefully the FIFA Club World Cup 2011. It should be another thrilling championship between the Impact, Toronto FC and Whitecaps FC.”
Canada’s men’s national team has started the year ranked fifth amongst CONCACAF nations on the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking. Canada has 567 points and is ranked 57th on the world ranking. Canada trails USA, Mexico, Honduras and Costa Rica within its own confederation.
The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Rankings looks at each country’s international results from the last four years. The ranking takes into account the result, the importance of the match, the strength of the opponent, the regional strength, the time period, and the number of matches per year.
Canada’s men’s national team completed its two-week January camp on Sunday evening following an 0:1 loss to Jamaica in an international friendly match. Canada’s opening match of the 2010 season followed the opening leg of the January camp which ran from 18 January to 29 January in Sunrise, FL, USA. The camp and match officially opened Stephen Hart’s campaign as the men’s national coach.
For Hart the camp was the beginning of what will be a long road to the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ Brazil 2014. “We had the opportunity to see many young players in a number of situations,” said Hart. “We are going through a building phase. When we play games of course we want to win, but the most important thing will be to win when it is important to win.”
Canada’s Stephen Hart officially begins his campaign as the men’s national coach this Sunday 31 January. Hart will lead Canada in an international friendly match against Jamaica at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. Hart, who previously served as an assistant coach and twice before as the “interim head coach”, is now fully in charge as Canada begins preparations for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil.
While Hart is just at the beginning of what will be the long road to the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ Brazil 2014, he already has the attention of a nation. On Friday, he was mentioned amongst those “poised to make an impact on the country’s sporting scene in 2010” as part of The Globe & Mail’s Power50.
