Canada arrives in Jamaica

Canada’s men’s national team has arrived in Kingston, Jamaica and has begun its final preparations for its 19 November FIFA World Cup™ Qualifiers match. The Wednesday-night match will be the sixth and last in CONCACAF Stage III from which Canada will not advance.



Jamaica still has a chance to advance with a win and some luck in the Mexico-Honduras match (to be played simultaneously). Canada, on the other hand, will be looking to close out its 2008 campaign with a win. Canada has called up a group of young players that has been mixed in with the veterans.



“We have some young guys that are motivated to do well and we have some players that have been with us throughout the campaign that will want to finish with a good showing,” said coach Dale Mitchell.



Canada’s squad is led by captain Paul Stalteri, who is hoping to make his 74th appearance with the national team (third-best all time). Stalteri, 31, is joined by 30-year old veterans Lars Hirschfeld and Charles Gbeke. The youngest players on the team are Asmir Begovic, David Edgar, Simeon Jackson and Will Johnson.



“Sometimes young teams will want to go out and show what they can do to prove themselves for future games and future qualifying rounds, so it’s a good experience for the young players that have come in,” said Stalteri. “With the mix of a few experienced players, we have a competitive team to put out there.”



Most Canadian players arrived in Kingston, Jamaica on Sunday and were available for Monday afternoon’s practice at Edward Seaga Sports Complex. The team trained for roughly 90 minutes under the direction of the coaching staff and under the eye of the local Jamaican football fans.



Canada will have one more training session on Tuesday before Wednesday’s match against Jamaica. Of note, three players are hoping to impress coach Mitchell and earn a first appearance with the national team – Begovic, Edgar and Jackson.