The '
Canadian men's national soccer team', overseen by the
Canadian Soccer Association, has experienced little international success. During its first and only FIFA World Cup appearance in
1986, the team failed to score a goal and finished at the bottom of a group that included European powerhouses
France and the
Soviet Union. However the team have enjoyed success in the
CONCACAF Gold Cup, winning the tournament in
2000 and finishing third in
2002. However, thoughts that the side was emerging as a
soccer power in the region were discarded with a poor showing in the qualification rounds for the
2006 FIFA World Cup where they failed to reach the final stage of
CONCACAF qualifying. Lack of focus on the sport, due to the strong hockey and lacrosse culture in the country, may contribute to lack of success.
Rebuilding phase
The Canadian team has been in a rebuilding phase since failing to qualify for the 2006 World Cup. Several long-serving veteran players retired from international football following the team's failure to qualify and former head coach
Frank Yallop had been building around younger players in hopes of qualifying for the
2010 World Cup.
On
June 7,
2006, head coach
Frank Yallop resigned for a job with the
Los Angeles Galaxy of
Major League Soccer. Yallop, whose record was 8-9-3 since his hiring on
December 16,
2003, returned to the league where he began his coaching career as an assistant in 1999 with the
Tampa Bay Mutiny. Two years later, the former Canadian international took the reins of the
San Jose Earthquakes and grabbed MLS Cup titles in 2001 and 2003 before returning to Canada. On
May 18,
2007 the CSA named
Dale Mitchell as the new head coach of the senior team. He is currently serving as head coach of the U-20 team and will assume the position following the
U-20 World Cup, to be played in Canada.
Stephen Hart, who has been
interim manager since the resignation of Yallop, will guide the team through the
2007 Gold Cup in June, after which he will become Mitchell's assistant.
The national team is starting to show some favourable results, winning their group and making the semi-finals of the
2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The national team has only been held off the scoresheet once in the last year, against
Hungary in November 2006. Several Canadian players are currently playing for first division clubs in Europe, the most notable being
Paul Stalteri,
Julián de Guzmán,
Ali Gerba, and
Atiba Hutchinson. The team has a record of 4 wins, two losses, and two draws in 2007.
Youth sides
Canada's Under-20 team has qualified for five of the past six FIFA World Youth Championships. In 1997, the team advanced to the 2nd round of the event. Canada also qualified for the 2001, 2003 and 2005 WYC's. In 2003, Iain Hume and Atiba Hutchinson led Canada to a Quarter-Final appearance that ended in a golden goal loss to Spain in extra time. Canada will be hosting the 2007 edition of the WYC in 6 Canadian cities in July 2007.
Canada's Under-20 team continued their recent success by defeating Brazil in the first game of a three game series, winning 2-1 in front of 14,000+ at
Commonwealth Stadium in
Edmonton on
May 19,
2006.
David Edgar and
Will Johnson scored goals and
Stephen Lumley made an amazing slide to kick the ball off the goal line to preserve Canada's first win over Brazil at any level. Canada lost the remaining two matches 3-1.
National Team Profile
As in the United States, the
Canadian women's national soccer team has enjoyed more international success than the men. The
FIFA rankings for
June 2007 have the men's team ranked 56th out of 208 countries, while the women's team is
ranked 10th out of 121 countries as of March 2006. (Note that the men's rankings are updated monthly, while the women's rankings are updated quarterly.) Both national teams languish to a large extent in the shadow of the country's highly successful
national ice hockey teams, as
hockey is Canada's ''de facto'' national sport and most soccer players convert to the more respected sports by high school.
Past members of the national team, including Roger Sportsnet commentator
Craig Forrest, have stated numerous times that the Canadian national program is in need of a major overhaul. Forrest believes Canada has the support and talent to compete for a World Cup berth, something it has failed to do for two decades.
Recent results
Upcoming fixtures
Current national team members
(current through 06/18/07)
According to the official site
[1]
;Goalkeepers
| Player | Date of birth | Club | Caps (clean sheets) | Most Recent Call up |
|---|
| Asmir Begović | 6/20/1987 | Montreal Impact | 0 (0) | v Iceland, August 22, 2007 |
| Roberto Giacomi | 9/01/1986 | KSK Beveren | 0 (0) | 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| Lars Hirschfeld | 10/17/1978 | Montreal Impact | 19 (6) | v Bermuda, March 25, 2007 |
| Pat Onstad | 1/13/1968 | Houston Dynamo | 49 (19) | v Iceland, August 22, 2007 |
| Kenny Stamatopoulos | 8/28/1979 | Toronto F.C. | 5 (2) | v Jamaica, October 8, 2006 |
| Greg Sutton | 4/19/1977 | Toronto F.C. | 11 (4) | 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| Joshua Wagenaar | 2/26/1985 | ADO Den Haag | 1 (0) | v Venezuela, June 1, 2007 |
;Defenders
| Player | Date of birth | Club | Caps (goals) | Most Recent Call up |
|---|
| Adam Braz | 6/7/1981 | Toronto FC | 11 (0) | v Venezuela, June 1, 2007 |
| Gabriel Gervais | 9/18/1976 | Montreal Impact | 11 (0) | v Venezuela, June 1, 2007 |
| Andrew Hainault | 6/17/1986 | FK Siad Most | 7 (0) | v Iceland, August 22, 2007 |
| Ante Jazic | 2/26/1976 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 19 (0) | 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| Michael Klukowski | 5/27/1981 | Club Brugge | 9 (0) | v Iceland, August 22, 2007 |
| Kevin McKenna | 1/21/1980 | FC Köln | 36 (9) | v Bermuda, November 15, 2006 |
| Tony Menezes | 11/24/1974 | Mahindra United | 27 (0) | v Costa Rica September 8, 2004 |
| Nevio Pizzolito | 8/26/1976 | Montreal Impact | 8 (0) | v USA January 20, 2006 |
| Chris Pozniak | 1/10/1981 | Toronto FC | 20 (0) | 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| Marco Reda | 6/22/1977 | Toronto FC | 6 (0) | v Venezuela, June 1, 2007 |
| Josh Simpson | 5/15/1983 | Kaiserslautern | 16 (0) | v Bermuda, March 25, 2007 |
| Paul Stalteri | 10/18/1977 | Tottenham | 59 (7) | v Iceland, August 22, 2007 |
;Midfielders
| Player | Date of birth | Club | Caps (goals) | Most Recent Call up |
|---|
| Patrice Bernier | 9/23/1979 | Kaiserslautern | 24 (0) | v Iceland, August 22, 2007 |
| Jim Brennan | 5/8/1977 | Toronto FC | 43 (6) | v Jamaica, September 4, 2006 |
| Julian de Guzman | 3/25/1981 | Deportivo la Coruña | 23 (2) | v Iceland, August 22, 2007 |
| Dwayne de Rosario | 5/15/1978 | Houston Dynamo | 44 (13) | v 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| Rhian Dodds | 10/3/1979 | Kilmarnock F.C. | 0 (0) | v Iceland, August 22, 2007 |
| Sandro Grande | 9/29/1977 | Molde | 12 (1) | v Jamaica, October 8, 2006 |
| Atiba Hutchinson | 2/8/1983 | F.C. Copenhagen | 28 (3) | v 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| Daniel Imhof | 11/22/1977 | Bochum | 33 (0) | v Iceland, August 22, 2007 |
| Nikolas Ledgerwood | 1/16/1985 | 1860 München | 0 (0) | v Iceland, August 22, 2007 |
| Patrick Leduc | 12/26/1977 | Montreal Impact | 3 (0) | v USA January 20, 2006 |
| Issey Nakajima-Farran | 5/16/1984 | FC Nordsjælland | 6 (0) | v Iceland, August 22, 2007 |
| Martin Nash | 12/27/1975 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 36 (0) | v 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| Jaime Peters | 5/4/1987 | Ipswich | 13 (0) | v Bermuda, March 25, 2007 |
| Rocco Placentino | 2/25/1982 | Massese | 1 (0) | v Spain September 3, 2005 |
| Antonio Ribeiro | 10/8/1980 | Montreal Impact | 1 (0) | v 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| Adrian Serioux | 5/12/1979 | FC Dallas | 12 (0) | v Austria March 1, 2006 |
| Ive Sulentic | 12/24/1979 | FC St. Pauli | 2 (0) | v Luxembourg, November 16, 2005 |
;Strikers
| Player | Date of birth | Club | Caps (goals) | Most Recent Call up |
|---|
| Stephen Ademolu | 11/20/1982 | Tromsø | 2 (0) | v USA January 20, 2006 |
| Rob Friend | 1/23/1981 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 12 (1) | v 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| Ali Gerba | 7/27/1982 | IFK Goteborg | 12 (5) | v Iceland, August 22, 2007 |
| Iain Hume | 10/30/1983 | Leicester City F.C. | 19 (2) | v Iceland, August 22, 2007 |
| Will Johnson | 1/21/1987 | De Graafschap (''on loan from SC Heerenveen'') | 3 (0) | v Austria March 1, 2006 |
| Olivier Occean | 10/23/1981 | Lillestrøm S.K. | 14 (2) | v Iceland, August 22, 2007 |
| Tomasz Radzinski | 12/14/1973 | Skoda Xanthi | 34 (9) | v Iceland, August 22, 2007 |
| Alen Marcina | 1/1/1980 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 0 (0) | No call ups |
| Sébastien Laury | 7/21/1985 | FC Taraz | 21 (14) | v Jamaica, October 8, 2006 |
The following players named for friendly match against
Iceland
[2]
Competitive Record
| World Cup record |
|---|
| Year | Round | GP | W | D
★ | L | GS | GA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | ''Did Not Enter'' | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1934 | ''Did Not Enter'' | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1938 | ''Did Not Enter'' | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1950 | ''Did Not Enter'' | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1954 | ''Did Not Enter'' | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1958 | ''Did Not Qualify'' | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1962 | ''Withdrew'' | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1966 | ''Did Not Enter'' | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1970 | ''Did Not Qualify'' | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1974 | ''Did Not Qualify'' | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1978 | ''Did Not Qualify'' | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1982 | ''Did Not Qualify'' | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1986 | Round 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | |
| 1990 | ''Did Not Qualify'' | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1994 | ''Did Not Qualify'' | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1998 | ''Did Not Qualify'' | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2002 | ''Did Not Qualify'' | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2006 | ''Did Not Qualify'' | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 'Total' | 1/18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | |
|
| Confederations Cup record |
|---|
| Year | Round | GP | W | D
★ | L | GS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | ''Did Not Qualify'' | - | - | - | - | - | - | | 1995 | ''Did Not Qualify'' | - | - | - | - | - | - | | 1997 | ''Did Not Qualify'' | - | - | - | - | - | - | | 1999 | ''Did Not Qualify'' | - | - | - | - | - | - | | 2001 | Round 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | | 2003 | ''Did Not Qualify'' | - | - | - | - | - | - | | 2005 | ''Did Not Qualify'' | - | - | - | - | - | - | | 2009 | ''Did Not Qualify'' | - | - | - | - | - | - | | 'Total' | 1/8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
:''
★ Denotes draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.''
:''
★
★ Silver background color indicates that the tournament was held on home soil. Gold background color indicates that the tournament was won.''
|
| CONCACAF Championship/Gold Cup |
|---|
| Total: 2 Titles | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | GP | W | D
★ | L | GS | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | ''Did Not Qualify'' | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1965 | ''Did Not Qualify'' | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1967 | ''Did Not Qualify'' | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1969 | ''Did Not Qualify'' | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1971 | ''Did Not Qualify'' | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1973 | ''Did Not Qualify'' | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1977 | Fourth place | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 8 |
| 1981 | Fourth place | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| 1985 | 'Champions' | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| 1989 | ''Did Not Qualify'' | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1991 | Round 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 9 |
| 1993 | Round 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 11 |
| 1996 | Round 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| 1998 | ''Withdrew'' | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2000 | 'Champions' | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 3 |
| 2002 | Third place | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 |
| 2003 | Round 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2005 | Round 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 2007 | Semi-Finals | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 5 |
| 'Total' | '2 Titles' | 42 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 54 | 59 |
===
Pan American Games record===
★
1951 - ''Did not enter''
★
1955 - ''Did not enter''
★
1959 - ''Did not enter''
★
1963 - ''Did not enter''
★
1967 - Forth place
★
1971 - Fifth place
★
1975 - Round 2
★
1979 - ''Did not enter''
★
1983 - ''Did not enter''
★
1987 - Round 1
★
1991 - Round 1
★
1995 - ''Did not enter''
★
1999 - Forth place
★
2003 - ''Did not enter''
★
2007 - ''Did not enter''
===
NAFC Championship record===
★
1947 - ''Did not enter''
★
1949 - ''Did not enter''
★
1990 - 'Champions'
★
1991 - Third place
Head coaches
★
Don Petrie 1957
★
Peter Dinsdale 1968
★
Frank Pike 1972-1973
★
Bill McAllister 1973
★
Eckhard Krautzun 1973 - 1975
★ Bill McAllister 1975
★ Eckhard Krautzun 1975 - 1977
★
Barrie Clarke 1979 - 1981
★
Tony Waiters 1981 - 1986 '
★ '(
Bruce Wilson Coached two matches at 1985 President's Cup in South Korea)
★
Bob Bearpark 1986 - 1987
★
Tony Taylor 1988
★
Bob Lenarduzzi 1989 - 1990
★ Tony Waiters 1990 - 1991
★ Bob Lenarduzzi 1992 - 1997
★
Bruce Twamley (Interim) 1998
★
Holger Osieck 1999 - 2003
★
Colin Miller (Interim) Autumn 2003 (Three Friendlies)
★
Frank Yallop 2004 - June 2006
★
Stephen Hart (Interim) July 2006 - June 2007
★
Dale Mitchell June 2007 - Present
Former prominent national team members
Main articles: List of Canadian international soccer players
1920s players with five or more caps
★
George Anderson
★
F. Bowman
★
Fred Dierden
★
Leslie Ford
★
George Forrest
★
Bob Harley
★
Bill Linning
★
Mitch McLean
★
Malcolm Moon
★
Dickie Stobbart
1957 players with three or more caps
★
Buster Cairns
★
Doug Greig
★
Art Hughes
★
Norm McLeod
★
Ken Pears
★
Brian Philley
★
Pat Philley
★
Jack Steele
★
Gogie Stewart
★
Dave Stothard
1968, 1970s players with seven or more caps
1980s players with nine or more caps
1990s players with ten or more caps
2000s players with ten or more caps
Note:
★ denotes player with ten or more total caps but not in any one subsection listed here
Most capped Canadian players
As of
September 2,
2006, the players with the most caps for Canada are:
Top Canadian goalscorers
All-time record against other nations
''As of
June 28,
2007''
| Team | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|
| 13 | 9 | 14 | 48 |
| 7 | 2 | 1 | 23 |
| 7 | 2 | 2 | 23 |
| 6 | 4 | 0 | 22 |
| 6 | 2 | 2 | 20 |
| 6 | 2 | 4 | 20 |
| 5 | 5 | 3 | 20 |
| 5 | 4 | 6 | 19 |
| 4 | 7 | 15 | 19 |
| 4 | 5 | 7 | 17 |
| 4 | 3 | 2 | 15 |
| 4 | 2 | 1 | 14 |
| 3 | 1 | 4 | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
| 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Wales | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Cyprus | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Morocco | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| North Korea | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Hungary | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Algeria | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Argentina | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Belgium | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Cameroon | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Czech Republic | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| England | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Estonia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Finland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| France | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Guadeloupe | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Iraq | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ireland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Italy | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Japan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Malta | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Netherlands | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Saudi Arabia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Soviet Union | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Tunisia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Denmark | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Egypt | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Germany | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Spain | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Turkey | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| East Germany | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Ecuador | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Poland | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Scotland | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
See also
★
Canadian Soccer Association
★
Soccer in Canada
★
Canada women's national soccer team
★
Canada U-20 men's national soccer team
External links
★
Canadian Soccer Association
★
Record International Players
★
International Results until 1999
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