Canada men's national soccer team
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| Canada | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | The Canucks, The Maple Leafs, Les Rouges (The Reds) |
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| Association | Canadian Soccer Association | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Confederation | CONCACAF (North America) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Most caps | Randy Samuel (82) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top scorer | Dale Mitchell (19), John Catliff (19) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home stadium | National Soccer Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIFA code | CAN | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FIFA ranking | 55 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest FIFA ranking | 40 (December 1996) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lowest FIFA ranking | 103 (March 2007) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Elo ranking | 54 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest Elo ranking | 32 (May-June 2000) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lowest Elo ranking | 92 (May 1979) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| First international | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unofficial: (Newark, USA; November 28, 1885) Official: (Brisbane, Australia; June 7, 1924) |
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| Biggest win | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unofficial: (St. Louis, USA; November 16, 1904) Official: (Singapore; August 24, 1986) |
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| Biggest defeat | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(Mexico City, Mexico; June 18, 1993) |
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| World Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 1 (First in 1986) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best result | Round 1, 24th place 1986 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CONCACAF Championship & Gold Cup |
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| Appearances | 11 (First in 1977) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best result | Winners, 1985, 2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Confederations Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Appearances | 1 (First in 2001) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Best result | 1st round, 2001 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Canadian men's national soccer team is overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association and represents Canada in international competitions at the senior men's level. The side has traditionally struggled to earn recognition at home and abroad while experiencing little international success. As in the United States, the Canadian women's national soccer team has enjoyed more international success than the men. The FIFA rankings for December 2007 have the men's team ranked 55th out of 208 countries, while the women's team is ranked 9th out of 121 countries as of September 2007 (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.
- Last game:
South Africa 2-0 Canada
- Durban, South Africa - 20 November 2007. (Friendly)
- Next game:
Canada - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- 14/15 June 2008. (FIFA World Cup 2010 Qualifier)
Soccer was being played in Canada before rules were formalized, and the Dominion Football Association (1877) and the Western Football Association (1880) were precursors to the Canadian Soccer Association. In 1885, the Western Football Association sent a representative team to New Jersey to take on a side put forth by the American Football Association, the then-unofficial governing body of the sport in the United States. In an unofficial friendly, Canada defeated their hosts 1-0 in East Newark, New Jersey. The American team won 3-2 in a return match one year later. In 1888, a team comprised of 16 Canadian-born players and organizer David Forsyth (who immigrated to Canada one year after his birth) represented the WFA in a tour of the British Isles, earning a record of nine wins, five draws, and nine losses.[1]
In 1904, Galt Football Club represented the WFA at the Olympic Games in St. Louis, Missouri. With just three teams competing, Galt defeated two American club sides, Christian Brothers College (7-0) and St. Rose (4-0). In 1905, a British team of touring amateurs named the Pilgrims toured Canada, with their match against Galt billed as the "championship of the world". The match was played in front of almost 4000 fans in Galt (now a suburb of Cambridge) and ended in a 3-3 draw.[1]
The Canadian national team toured Australia in 1924, playing a series of "test" friendlies against their hosts, including their first official match, a 3-2 friendly defeat to Australia in Brisbane on June 24th, 1924. In 1925, Canada played their old rivals the United States in Montreal, winning 1-0 on Ed McLaine's goal. In a return match in November of 1925 in Brooklyn, New York, Canada was defeated 5-1. One year later, Canada lost 6-2 to the USA in the same city, before playing four internationals in a 1927 tour of New Zealand.[1]
Following the lead of British football associations, Canada withdrew from FIFA in 1928 over a dispute regarding broken time payments to amateur players. They rejoined the confederation in 1946, and took part in World Cup qualifying in the North American Football Confederation (a precursor to CONCACAF) for the first time in 1957, the first time they had played as a national team in 30 years. In their first qualifier, Canada defeated the USA in Toronto 5-1, but lost in Mexico twice to their hosts (not playing a home game due to financial reasons) 2-0 and 3-0 before defeating the USA 3-2 in St. Louis. Mexico advanced as group winners, however, as Canada missed out on the World Cup in 1958 in Sweden.[1]
Canada secured qualification for the 1986 World Cup after beating Honduras 2-1 in St. Johns, Newfoundland in 1985. Mexico had qualified as hosts, with Canada earning the remaining CONCACAF spot and the de facto title as CONCACAF champions. At the finals in Mexico in 1986, Canada impressed in a 1-0 loss to France in the first round before losing to both Hungary and the USSR 2-0, finishing at the bottom of the group and (unofficially) in last place in the tournament.
In 1990, Canada took part in the NAFC Championship for the first time, hosting the tournament with Mexico and the USA. Mexico and Canada sent their full squads, but the USA sent a 'B' team and does not count the games as official internationals in its records. Canada won after a 1-0 win over USA on May 6th and a 2-1 win over Mexico on May 13th, all three goals scored by John Catliff, the tournament's top scorer.
Canada has had mixed fortunes in the CONCACAF Gold Cup since 2000, winning that year's tournament after emerging from the first-round on a coin-toss tiebreaker with invited side the Republic of Korea. A quarter-final extra-time upset over Mexico on Richard Hastings' golden goal set the stage for an unprecedented run to the final where Canada defeated Colombia 2-0 at Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.
Canada has enjoyed relative success in the Gold Cup, with third-placed finishes in 2002 and 2007 (with Guadeloupe) on either side of disappointing first round exits in 2003 and 2005. In 2007, under interim coach Stephen Hart, Canada won their group before losing in the semi-final to the USA. Canada were controversially robbed of a late equalizer on a play incorrectly flagged offside. In total, the team's 2007 record consisted of four wins, three losses, and three draws.
In qualifying for both the 2002 FIFA World Cup and 2006 FIFA World Cup, Canada was unable to capitalize on their Gold Cup success, failing to reach the final stage of CONCACAF qualifying on both occasions.
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. The former Canadian international had won MLS Cup titles with the San Jose Earthquakes in 2001 and 2003. On May 18, 2007 the CSA named Dale Mitchell as the new head coach of the senior team. He took over after coaching the under-20 side to three defeats in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada in July of 2007.
| Date | Tournament | Location | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Scorers |
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Canada's Under-20 team has qualified for five of the last six FIFA World Youth Championships. In 1997, the team advanced to the second 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. In 2007, Canada hosted the tournament, and despite an impressive run in friendlies leading up to the competition, went winless in first round play without scoring a goal.
Canada's national stadium is the National Soccer Stadium in Toronto, Ontario, known as BMO Field when local resident Toronto FC of Major League Soccer play league matches at home. Canada has also played internationals since 2004 at Swanguard Stadium in Burnaby, British Columbia; Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta; and Complexe Sportif Claude-Robillard in Montreal, Quebec. The team is likely to play at Saputo Stadium in Montreal upon its completion. Additionally, games at the 2007 Under-20 World Cup (which Canada hosted) were played at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal; Frank Clair Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario; and Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, British Columbia.
(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 | 0 (0) | v Iceland, August 22, 2007 | |
| Roberto Giacomi | 9/01/1986 | 0 (0) | 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup | |
| Lars Hirschfeld | 10/17/1978 | 20 (6) | v South Africa, November 20, 2007 | |
| Pat Onstad | 1/13/1968 | 49 (19) | v Iceland, August 22, 2007 | |
| Kenny Stamatopoulos | 8/28/1979 | 5 (2) | v Costa Rica, September 12, 2007 | |
| Greg Sutton | 4/19/1977 | 11 (4) | 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup | |
| Joshua Wagenaar | 2/26/1985 | 1 (0) | v Venezuela, June 1, 2007 |
- Defenders
- Midfielders
- Strikers
| Player | Date of birth | Club | Caps (goals) | Most Recent Call up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen Ademolu | 11/20/1982 | 2 (0) | v USA January 20, 2006 | |
| Rob Friend | 1/23/1981 | 14 (1) | v Costa Rica, September 12, 2007 | |
| Ali Gerba | 7/27/1982 | 13 (5) | v Costa Rica, September 12, 2007 | |
| Iain Hume | 10/30/1983 | 20 (2) | v South Africa, November 20, 2007 | |
| Will Johnson | 1/21/1987 | 3 (0) | v Austria March 1, 2006 | |
| Olivier Occean | 10/23/1981 | 15 (2) | v South Africa, November 20, 2007 | |
| Tomasz Radzinski | 12/14/1973 | 35 (9) | v South Africa, November 20, 2007 |
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| CONCACAF Championship/Gold Cup | |||||||
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| Total: 2 Titles | |||||||
| Year | Round | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA |
| Did Not Qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Did Not Qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Did Not Qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Did Not Qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Did Not Qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Did Not Qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Fourth place | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 8 | |
| Fourth place | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 6 | |
| 1985 | Champions | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| 1989 | Did Not Qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Round 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 9 | |
| Round 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 11 | |
| Round 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | |
| Withdrew | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Champions | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 3 | |
| Third place | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 | |
| Round 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Round 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |
| Semi-Finals | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 5 | |
| Total | 2 Titles | 42 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 54 | 59 |
- 1951 - Did not enter
- 1955 - Did not enter
- 1959 - Did not enter
- 1963 - Did not enter
- 1967 - Fourth 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 - Fourth place
- 2003 - Did not enter
- 2007 - Did not enter
- 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
- George Anderson
- Don Archibald
- Harry Barnes
- F. Bowman
- W. Brolley
- Harry Chapman
- Frank Crawley
- A. Fred Dinnie
- Jack Davidson
- Fred Dierden
- Ernie Edmunds
- Leslie Ford
- George Forrest
- Bill Gibson
- Art Halliwell
- Bob Harley
- J Hood
- Joe Kennaway
- Bill Linning
- Mitch McLean
- Bill Milligan
- James Moir
- Jack Monaghan
- Malcolm Moon
- W Moon
- Harry Mosher
- Hank Noseworthy
- Harry J. Paynter
- L. Sandford
- Dickie Stobbart
- Dave Turner
- Richard L. Williams
- Jim Wilson