Listen to coach Stephen Hart

Canada's men's national team enjoyed another day of training today in Larnaka, Cyprus. The team is three days into its preparations for this coming Saturday's international friendly match against Cyprus. The match will be Canada's first of the 2009 season.

"We took the intensity down a little because we have been going pretty hard," said head coach Stephen Hart. "It was more, for lack of a better word, more tactical. It was positional specific as to what will be required of them."

Coach Hart is pleased with the team's training this thus far. The team will have a lighter session on Friday and then play its match against Cyprus on Saturday night. This marks the first time since 30 October 1984 that Canada's men's national team is playing in Cyprus.

Coach Hart has 18 players in camp, five of which have never made an appearance at the national level. Tyler Hemming, Dominic Imhof, Eddy Sidra and Tosaint Ricketts are all taking part in their first camp; Simeon Jackson is in his second camp, but still trying to make his first appearance.

Sidra is the youngest player on the team at 20 years old; Ricketts is 21 while Jackson and Jaime Peters are both 22 years old. Andrzej Ornoch is 23 while Hemming and Nik Ledgerwood are both 24. Ornoch and Ledgerwood have each made two career appearances with the national team.

"We are still getting them to understand the relationships, how they play together and what qualities they can bring to a team," said Hart.


For more information on Cyprus, please visit www.visitcyprus.com.