.svg){kind=icon}
It was smiles all around today as Canada’s men’s national team joined His Excellency Mr. H.E. Stephen Hallihan, Canada’s High Commissioner to Jamaica, in making a donation of soccer balls to a local soccer team. The August Town Elementary School football team was invited by the High Commission and Canada’s men’s national team to watch Canada’s Saturday training session in Kingston, Jamaica. Following the session, the young team was invited onto the pitch to receive their new equipment and to meet Canada’s international stars.
“A couple of themes that are very important here in Jamaica and tie into the work we do at the High Commission are youth and sports,” said High Commissioner Hallihan. “When we heard that the Canadian national team was coming down to play the national team of Jamaica, we took the opportunity to bring this team from one of the primary schools in inner-city Kingston down to watch how the professionals play. I know the players will take some of the things they saw our guys do on the field today back with them into their season.”
Canada’s men’s national team will enter a new era on Sunday 31 January as Stephen Hart takes charge of his first official match since being named permanent head coach in early December. Hart’s Canadian squad is set to face off with CONCACAF rival Jamaica in an international friendly match. The Canada-Jamaica match is scheduled to kick off at 18.00 ET (15.00 PT) from the Jamaican National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica.
Edmonton Victoria was recognized by the Alberta Soccer Association with both the Golden Shoe and Fair Play awards at this year’s Annual General Meeting. Edmonton Victoria was one of four Golden Shoe winners for winning a national title at the 2009 BMO National Championships. It was Edmonton Victoria’s third Jubilee Trophy in the last six years.
Edmonton Victoria shared the Golden Shoe award with Calgary Foothills Crew U-18 men, Calgary Foothills Athletics U-18 women, and Edmonton Juventus U-14 boys. This marked the second time in three years that Alberta won four national titles at the BMO National Championships.
Canada’s women’s national team has confirmed its participation for the 2010 Cyprus Women’s Cup. Canada will be one of eight teams participating in this year’s event which runs 24 February to 3 March. Canada will play four international games in the tournament in Larnaka and Nicosia, Cyprus.
“It is important that we play in tournaments like this as we prepare for the CONCACAF Gold Cup,” said national head coach Carolina Morace. “It gives us the opportunity to assess our national players in competition against top international opponents.”
L’équipe nationale féminine du Canada a confirmé sa participation pour la Coupe Chypre féminine 2010. Le Canada sera une de huit équipes participant à l’événement de cette année qui aura lieu du 24 février jusqu’au 3 mars. Le Canada disputera quatre matchs internationaux lors de ce tournoi ayant lieu à Larnaca et Nicosie (Chypre).
« Il est important que nous jouons aux tournois comme cela comme nous nous préparons en vue de la Coupe d’Or de la CONCACAF, » a dit l’entraîneur-chef national Carolina Morace. « Il nous donne l’avantage d’évaluer nos joueuses nationales contre les adversaires internationaux supérieurs lors d’une compétition. »
Coach Stephen Hart has asked three players from the recent men’s U-23 (Olympic) camp to stay on for the men’s national camp in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Forward Randy Edwini-Bonsu, midfielder Derek Gaudet and goalkeeper Michal Misiewicz will all train with the big club for the first time following a successful camp under men’s U-23 head coach and national assistant coach Tony Fonseca.
With the new season underway, the Canadian Soccer Association already has four national programs training in this month of January. The men’s U-23 (Olympic), women’s U-20 and women’s U-17 teams have all been in action this week while the men’s national team meets up this weekend to begin its 15-day January camp.
The multiple camps are part of the Association’s renewed dedication to the youth programs. This year, Canada is scheduled to operate 10 national teams from the U-15 through national levels. Canada will also host two home games each for the men’s and women’s national programs in 2010.
Canada’s men’s national soccer team announced its roster today for the upcoming camp in USA and Jamaica. The camp runs 18 January through 1 February and includes the international friendly match against Jamaica on 31 January. Coach Stephen Hart has selected 17 players for this first camp of the 2010 season.
“We brought in many young players for a number of reasons,” said head coach Stephen Hart. “We want them to experience an international senior camp and become familiar with our methods. We also want to observe them in an international match.”
The US Soccer Federation, North American Soccer League (NASL), and United Soccer Leagues (USL) announced this afternoon the formation of a new North American Division 2 professional soccer league to begin play in April of 2010. The US Soccer Federation will oversee the league in 2010 while it develops a long-term solution for the future. The new league will consist of two six-team conferences – the USL Conference and the NASL Conference. Vancouver Whitecaps FC and the Montréal Impact will both play in the NASL Conference.
