Canada Soccer

Canada Soccer has announced the roster of 14 players who will travel to Costa Rica 15-22 January to play a pair of futsal friendlies on 18 January at 21:00 ET and 20 January at 20:00 ET. The roster will include three players who competed in the 2016 CONCACAF Futsal Championship where Canada met the host country in their opening match, a thrilling 3-2 loss to the three-time federation champions.

“This is a terrific opportunity for us to build on the momentum that started in 2016, early in this 2020 Futsal World Cup cycle, against a premier opponent in our federation,” said Futsal Head Coach Kyriakos (Kyt) Selaidopoulos. “After a year of traveling across the country, holding camps and running clinics and sessions, this group has the opportunity to show that they can play against one of the brightest programs in world futsal.”

One of the returning players from 2016 is the current and first-ever Canada Soccer Futsal Player of the Year Nazim Belguendouz. Two players representing 2017 Futsal Canadian Championship winners Sporting Montreal FC also make the list. The team played in the 2017 CONCACAF Futsal Club Championship in Honduras last August.

“We have some players who gained valuable experience in the top tournaments in our region over the past couple of years,” Selaidopoulos said. “With a mix of experience and newcomers who have been working on their game as the game matures across the country, we have confidence that we can surprise some teams come 2020.”

The matches will be streamed via Costa Rica’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/FEDEFUTBOLCR

#CanFutsal Roster

Player, Club, Home Province

Matthew Rios, Futsal Club Toronto, ON
Nazim Belguendouz, FC Sparte, QC
Reda Agourram, FC Sparte, QC
Maxime Leconte, FC Sparte, QC
Jay Tomchuk, New Generation FC, SK
Nicolas Gonzalez, Calgary Villain FC, AB
Dylan Tooby, Foothills Darts, AB
Khalid Ismail (GK), Montreal United, QC
Diyaeddine Abzi, Sporting Montreal FC, QC
Jacob Orellana, Toronto Idolo Futsal, ON
Aziah Reid, Futsal Club Toronto, ON
Luigi Caruso (GK), Toronto Idolo Futsal, ON
Ousamma Laguel, Sporting Montreal FC, QC
Luis Rocha, Toronto Idolo Futsal, ON
 

A heart-filled performance was not enough as Canada were eliminated on the road to the FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016. In need of a draw or better, Canada stretched themselves in the second half, but ultimately lost 4:7 to an experienced Cuban side at the 2016 CONCACAF Futsal Championship.

Down 3-1 midway through the second half, Canada were caught two more times pressing forward as Cuba celebrated early with a 5-1 lead. Canada came back, though, with Frederico Moojen hitting both posts on one shot before later scoring a brace just 16 seconds apart.

After Vahid Assadpour cut the lead to one with five minutes remaining, however, Cuba scored twice and put the match out of reach. (Read the match summary and report)

Cuba officially qualified for the FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016 two hours later after Curaçao lost their group finale to Costa Rica. It marked the fifth time that Cuba qualified for the FIFA Futsal World Cup, having previously qualified for four straight editions from 1996 to 2008. Cuba are now tied with USA for the most FIFA Futsal World Cup appearances by a CONCACAF nation. 

Costa Rica, Cuba, Panama, and Guatemala are the four CONCACAF nations that have qualified for the FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016. In Group A, the standings featured Panama with nine points, Guatemala with six points, Mexico with three points, and Honduras with no points. In Group B, the standings featured Costa Rica with nine points, Cuba with four points, Canada with three points, and Curaçao with one point.

In 2016, Canada posted three wins, one draw and two losses in international competition. The national team scored 25 goals and conceded 21 goals against in the six matches. At the end of their run, Canada was just one point short of a place at the FIFA Futsal World Cup Colombia 2016.

Futsal is a unique, fast-paced indoor sport played across Canada and around the world. Canada Soccer is committed to the growth and promotion of the game. At the elite club level, Canada Soccer supports domestic competition through the annual Futsal Canadian Championship. Canada Soccer also supports playing opportunities provided by the National Futsal Team in international competitions including the FIFA Futsal World Cup.