Canada MNT selects 23 for CONCACAF Preliminary Round in June

 

With the next FIFA World Cup qualifying odyssey set to begin for Canada’s Men’s National Team, Head Coach Benito Floro has named his 23-man squad that will look to get things off on the right foot with a home-and-away series against Dominica.

As Canada enters the second CONCACAF Preliminary Round of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ against one of the smaller countries in the region, Floro has included plenty of familiar names for a Canada squad that isn’t short on experience with the likes of Atiba Hutchinson, Julian de Guzman, and the return of midfielder Will Johnson.

One newcomer to the Canadian fold for this camp and games is forward Tesho Akindele, who plays for FC Dallas in Major League Soccer.

“The players and the staff are ready for these official games,” said Floro. “These first eliminatory games will be more important in regards to testing our capacity to remain concentrated on the opposition. It’s very important.”

The team convenes in Orlando on 7 June for a few days of training in Florida prior to flying to Roseau, Dominica, on 10 June. They play at Warner Park in Roseau on 11 June before flying to Toronto the next day to prepare for the second leg at BMO Field in Toronto on Tuesday 16 June (kick off 19.30 local).

The home-and-away series kick-starts a busy summer for the team as the FIFA World Cup qualifiers will lead into July’s 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Should Canada win the series against Dominica, they’ll go into the draw for the third and fourth rounds of qualifying. The draw for those rounds takes place on 25 July 2015, and would see another home-and-away series in the third round in September before entering the fourth round in a four-team round robin competition that would start in November.

“With qualifying starting, our objective now is to win games,” said Floro. “So my objectives are always the same: win the games playing our style. This summer, we want to qualify for the next FIFA World Cup qualifying stage, we want to win the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and we want to qualify for the Olympics, which is very important for Canada Soccer as the Olympic team will look to form the base of the National Team in the future.”

Tickets for the 16 June return leg of the series, to be played at BMO Field in Toronto, ON, are available oncanadasoccer.com/canMNTvDMA.

CANADA
GK- Milan Borjan | SRB / Radnički Nis
GK- Lars Hirschfeld | NOR / Vålerenga
GK- Kenny Stamatopoulos | SWE / AIK
D- Nana Attakora | USA / San Antonio Scorpions
D- Manjrekar James | HUN / Pécsi MFC
D- Dejan Jakovic | JPN / Shimizu S-Pulse
D- Ashtone Morgan | CAN / Toronto FC
D- Karl W. Ouimette | USA / New York Red Bulls
D/M- David Edgar | ENG / Birmingham City FC (on loan at Huddersfield Town)
D/M- Nik Ledgerwood | GER / Energie Cottbus
D/M- Adam Straith | NOR / Fredrikstad FK
D/M- Maxim Tissot | CAN / Impact de Montréal
M- Julian de Guzman | CAN / Ottawa Fury FC
M- Atiba Hutchinson | TUR / Besiktas
M- Will Johnson | USA / Portland Timbers
M- Jonathan Osorio | CAN / Toronto FC
M- Samuel Piette | ESP / Deportivo la Coruña
M- Russell Teibert | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
M/F-Tosaint Ricketts | ISR / Hapoel Haifa
F- Tesho Akindele | USA / FC Dallas
F- Randy Edwini-Bonsu | GER / Stuttgarter Kickers
F- Marcus Haber | ENG / Crewe Alexandra
F- Cyle Larin | USA / Orlando City SC

Watch Dominica vs Canada live stream free online and highlights video WC Qualification CONCACAF match on 12 June 2015 at Windsor Park Stadium. 
Catch Dominica vs Canada live broadcasts here, we make it possible for you to watch WC Qualification CONCACAF live stream from all over the world completely free, stay tuned in here ahead of the start of the football game.

Dominica last 5 matches:

27/03/15 British Virgin Islands 2 – 3 Dominica
29/03/15 Dominica 0 – 0 British Virgin Islands
13/05/15 St. Lucia 1 – 1 Dominica
14/05/15 Grenada 1 – 2 Dominica
17/05/15 St. Vincent 1 – 0 Dominica

Canada last 5 matches:

19/11/14 Panama 0 – 0 Canada
16/01/15 Canada 1 – 2 Iceland
19/01/15 Canada 1 – 1 Iceland
27/03/15 Canada 1 – 0 Guatemala
31/03/15 Puerto Rico 0 – 3 Canada

Canada names squad for WCQs v Dominica

Returning to action after a long-term injury, Will Johnson (pictured) was called up for Canada's World Cup qualifiers against Dominica in June. (Photo courtesy of Canada Soccer)

OTTAWA – With the second round of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup quickly approaching, Canada named Tuesday a 23-man roster for its two-legged series against Dominica.

 Head coach Benito Floro chose a squad that is highlighted by the inclusion of midfielder Will Johnson, who returned to action for the Portland Timbers on May 27 in a 1-0 win over D.C. United.  The 28-year-old, capped 34 times, had been out of action since suffering a fractured tibia and fibula in his right leg on September 27, 2014, against Toronto FC.

“The players and the staff are ready for these official games,” said Floro, a former Real Madrid head coach.  “These first eliminatory games will be more important in regards to testing our capacity to remain concentrated on the opposition.  It’s very important.”

The team will convene in Orlando on June 7 for training and then travel to Dominica for the opener on June 11.  They will contest the second leg at BMO Field in Toronto on June 16.

“With qualifying starting, our objective now is to win games,” Floro continued. “So my objectives are always the same: win the games playing our style.  This summer, we want to qualify for the next FIFA World Cup qualifying stage, we want to win the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and we want to qualify for the Olympics, which is very important for Canada Soccer as the Olympic team will look to form the base of the National Team in the future.”

In the Gold Cup, Canada will face Group B opponents El Salvador (July 8), Jamaica (July 11) and Costa Rica (July 14).

CANADA ROSTER
(World Cup Qualifying, Second Round: away v Dominica, June 11, 2015; home v Dominica, June 16, 2015)

GOALKEEPERS: Milan Borjan (Radnički Nis/Serbia), Lars Hirschfeld (Valerenga/Norway), Kenny Stamatopoulos (AIK/Sweden)

DEFENDERS: Nana Attakora (San Antonio Scorpions/USA), David Edgar (Huddersfield Town/England), Manjrekar James (Pécsi MFC/Hungary), Dejan Jakovic (Shimizu S-Pulse/Japan), Ashtone Morgan (Toronto FC), Karl W. Ouimette (New York Red Bulls/USA), Adam Straith (Fredrikstad/Norway)

MIDFIELDERS: Julian de Guzman (Ottawa Fury FC), Atiba Hutchinson (Besiktas/Turkey), Will Johnson (Portland Timbers/USA), Nik Ledgerwood (Energie Cottbus/Germany), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC), Samuel Piette (Deportivo La Coruña/Spain), Russell Teibert (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Maxim Tissot (Impact de Montreal)

FORWARDS: Tesho Akindele (FC Dallas/USA), Randy Edwini-Bonsu (Stuttgart Kickers/Germany), Marcus Haber (Crewe Alexandra/England), Cyle Larin (Orlando City SC/USA), Tosaint Ricketts (Hapoel Haifa/Israel)