Canada Announces Preliminary Roster for World Cup Qualifiers

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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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. 

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. 

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