Canada announces preliminary roster

Canada has announced its preliminary roster in advance of its 2012 Centennial Match and FIFA World Cup Qualifiers this June. Canadian head coach Stephen Hart has selected 22 players for the 11-day preparatory camp that runs 21-31 May in USA. The team then travels to Toronto for its 100th anniversary match against USA on 3 June at BMO Field.

Canada faces USA at home on 3 June in Toronto in a Centennial Match (a Men’s International Friendly), Cuba away on 8 June in Havana in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, and Honduras at home on 12 June in Toronto in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. Tickets to Canada’s 2012 home matches are available via ticketmaster.ca or by phone at 1.855.570.7500, with full information available on CanadaSoccer.com. Group discounts are available via marketing@soccercan.ca or 613.237.7678.

CANMNT: June 2012, Roster Unveiling

All 22 players selected by head coach Hart have previous experience with Canada’s national team, including teenager and rookie midfielder Samuel Piette and second-year fullback Ashtone Morgan. Dwayne De Rosario is the most experienced player in the group, having been part of the national program since 1997 and having already made 66 appearances at the international “A” level. De Rosario is also Canada’s all-time co-leader in goals scored with 19.

De Rosario is also Canada’s last tie to its 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup victory, while both he and Kevin McKenna were members of Canada’s FIFA Confederations Cup team at Korea/Japan 2001. De Rosario and McKenna are both taking part in their fourth cycle of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.

Also on the squad are Simeon Jackson and Josh Simpson, currently Canada’s two active leaders in consecutive matches. Jackson has played in 18 consecutive Canada matches since May 2010 while Simpson has played in 16 consecutive Canada matches since September 2010. They are both joined on the Canadian squad by recent Player of the Month winners Atiba Hutchinson (April) and Olivier Occean (February and March), who in fact followed Jackson (January) on the monthly honour list.

From the goal out, Canada’s squad features goalkeepers Milan Borjan, Lars Hirschfeld and Kenny Stamatopoulos, defenders David Edgar, André Hainault, Ante Jazić, Mike Klukowski, Nik Ledgerwood, Kevin McKenna, and Ashtone Morgan, and midfielders/forwards Julian de Guzman, Dwayne De Rosario, Iain Hume, Atiba Hutchinson, Simeon Jackson, Will Johnson, Issey Nakajima-Farran, Olivier Occean, Pedro Pacheco, Samuel Piette, Tosaint Ricketts and Josh Simpson.

For full coverage of Canada’s road to the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™, fans can follow all the news at CanadaSoccer.com. Fans are also encouraged to connect with Canada’s national teams via twitter.com/CanadaSoccerEN, facebook.com/CanadaSoccer, flickr.com/canadasoccer, and youtube.com/CanadaSoccerTV.

CANADA
1- GK- Lars Hirschfeld | NOR / Vålerenga Fotball
2- D- Nik Ledgerwood | GER / SV Wehen Wiesbaden
3- FB- Mike Klukowski | TUR / Manisaspor
4- CB- Kevin McKenna | GER / FC Köln
5- D – André Hainault | USA / Houston Dynamo
6- M – Julian de Guzman | CAN / Toronto FC
7- F- Iain Hume | ENG / Preston North End FC
8- M – Will Johnson | USA / Real Salt Lake
9- F- Tosaint Ricketts | ROM / FC Politehnica Timişoara
10- F- Simeon Jackson | ENG / Norwich City FC
11- M- Josh Simpson | SUI / Berner Sport Club Young Boys
13- M- Atiba Hutchinson | NED / PSV Eindhoven
14- M – Dwayne De Rosario | USA / D.C. United
15- CB- David Edgar | ENG / Burnley FC
16- M- Pedro Pacheco | POR / CD Santa Clara
17- F- Olivier Occean | GER / SpVgg Greuther Fürth
18- GK- Milan Borjan | TUR / Sivasspor
19- LB- Ashtone Morgan | CAN / Toronto FC
20- M- Samuel Piette | Unattached / sans club
21- D – Ante Jazić | USA / Chivas USA
22- GK- Kenny Stamatopoulos | SWE / AIK Fotbol
23- M- Issey Nakajima-Farran | AUS / Brisbane Roar FC

CANADA A-Z
Borjan, Milan | 1987 | Hamilton, ON, CAN | Radnicki JP
de Guzman, Julian | 1981 | Scarborough, ON, CAN | Wexford
De Rosario, Dwayne | 1978 | Scarborough, ON, CAN | Scarborough Blizzard
Edgar, David | 1987 | Kitchener, ON, CAN |
Hainault, André | 1986 | Hudson, QC, CAN |
Hirschfeld, Lars | 1978 | Edmonton, AB, CAN |
Hume, Iain | 1983 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Rexdale
Hutchinson, Atiba | 1983 | Brampton, ON, CAN | Brampton
Jackson, Simeon | 1987 | Mississauga, ON, CAN | Clarkson
Jazić, Ante | 1976 | Bedford, NS, CAN | Bedford Hearts
Johnson, Will | 1987 | Toronto, ON, CAN & Chicago, IL, USA |
Klukowski, Mike | 1981 | Oshawa, ON, CAN | Whitby Boca Juniors
Ledgerwood, Nik | 1985 | Lethbridge, AB, CAN | Lethbridge Cosmos
McKenna, Kevin | 1980 | Calgary, AB, CAN | Calgary
Morgan, Ashtone | 1991 | Toronto, ON, CAN | West End United
Nakajima-Farran, Issey | 1984 | Calgary, AB, CAN |
Occean, Olivier | 1981 | Brossard, QC, CAN | Brossard
Pacheco, Pedro | 1984 | Toronto, ON, CAN | Santa Clara
Piette, Samuel | 1994 | Le Gardeur, QC, CAN | Lionceaux de le Gardeur
Ricketts, Tosaint | 1987 | Edmonton, AB, CAN | Edmonton Juventus
Simpson, Josh | 1983 | Victoria, BC, CAN | South Burnaby Metro Club
Stamatopoulos, Kenny | 1979 | Markham, ON, CAN | Markham Lightning