A Canadian Journey: Road to the Promise Land

[bdearaujo]

I previously attempted to do a Canadian National Team story which I enjoyed but my save was corrupted. So this will be my second try. In this story, I will start in the beginning of the 2015 MLS season (don't worry, no MLS story).

The goal of this story is to develop Canada into a football powerhouse like they are in hockey.

---

Canada: A Brief History


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The Canada men's national soccer team represents Canada in international soccer competitions at the senior men's level. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association and compete in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF).


Their most significant achievements are winning the 1985 CONCACAF Championship to qualify for the 1986 FIFA World Cup and winning the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup to qualify for the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup. Canada also won a gold medal in the 1904 Summer Olympics. The 1986 World Cup was their only successful qualification campaign in their history.


Football was being played in Canada with the Dominion Football Association (1877)and Western Football Association(1880) acting as precursors to the modern-day Canadian Soccer Association. In 1885, the WFA 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 are turn match one year later. In 1888, a team represented the Western Football Association in a tour of the British Isles, earning a record of nine wins, five draws,and nine losses. The squad comprised 16 Canadian-born players with the only exception being tour organizer David Forsyth, who had immigrated to Canada one year after his birth.

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In 1904 Galt Football Club represented the WFA at the Olympic Games in St Louis, Missouri. As just one of three teams competing, Galt defeated two American clubs, Christian Brothers College (7–0) and St.Rose (4–0) to win the tournament.


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 the Australian national football team in Brisbane, Queensland on June 7, 1924.


1981 through 1985 saw Canada develop under the guidance of English manager Tony Waiters. So close in 1981, Waiters would see the Maple Leafs through to their first World Cup finals appearance in 1985. A 1–1 away draw to Guatemala was key in allowing them to eliminate Los Chapines in the first round group. The second round was also closely contested, in part as this Canadian squad was strong defensively but had limited ability to score goals. The Canucks managed to eke out a 1–0 away win over Honduras, thanks to a George Pakos winner, hold Costa Rica scoreless in San José, and then in their final game,one they needed to draw to qualify, beat Los Catrachos a second time, 2–1 in St. John's, Newfoundland, with Pakos and Igor Vrablic the goal scorers.

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The victory not only secured their first World Cup finals berth, but also the crown of CONCACAF champions for the first time, although Mexico did not compete, having already qualified automatically for the World Cup as hosts.

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At the 1986 FIFA World Cup, Canada impressed defensively in their first game, allowing few chances and conceding a late Jean-Pierre Papin goal to lose to France 0–1.They lost their next two matches to both Hungary and the USSR 0–2, however, to finish at the bottom of their group.

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The Canadian Soccer Association turned to a German to lead the senior national team in 1999 with the signing of Holger Osieck. Success came rather quickly with Canada winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup in February 2000. After emerging from the first round on a coin-toss tiebreaker with invited side Republic of Korea, the Canucks scored a quarter-final extra-time upset win over Mexico on Richard Hastings' golden goal. The win set the stage for an unprecedented run to the final, where Canada defeated Colombia 2–0 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. Canada swept the awards ceremony, with goalkeeper Craig Forrest winning MVP honours, Carlo Corazzin securing the Golden Boot and Hastings named Rookie of the Tournament.

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Winning the Gold Cup earned Canada a place in the 2001 Confederations Cup, where the highlight was holding Brazil to a 0–0 draw. The Gold Cup victory also won them an invitation to compete in the Copa América 2001.When security concerns prompted the cancellation of the tournament,Canada disbanded their training camp and Canadian players returned to their club teams. The tournament was then reinstated and held on schedule. The Canadian Soccer Association announced they would not be able to participate in the reinstated tournament.

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Stephen Hart's first competitive action as the full-time head coach was a poor showing at the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup, not managing to get out of the group stage.However, during the early stages qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, Canada put up a string of good results. They topped their group in the second round but were eliminated in the third round of CONCACAF qualifying, finishing one point behind Honduras and Panama after losing 8–1 in Honduras on the final match day.

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Soccer-specific stadiums in Canada include BMO Field in Toronto (home to Toronto FC) and Saputo Stadium in Montreal (home to Montreal Impact). Canada played its 2010 World Cup qualification home games at BMO Field, Saputo Stadium, and Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. Since 2011 Canada has played all home games at BMO Field in Toronto except for a friendly against Costa Rica at Commonwealth Stadium. Starting in 2015, the national team will play their games across the nation such as in Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary.

Canada Top 3 Best finishes in Competition

(Bold Years- ​won during story)

Canada National Team
[TABLE="width: 700, align: center"]
[TR]
[TD]FIFA World Cup[/TD]
[TD]Group Stage (1): 1986
Qualified(1): 1986[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]FIFA Confederations Cup[/TD]
[TD]Group Stage (1): 2001
Qualified (1): 2001[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]CONCACAF Championship/CONCACAF Gold Cup[/TD]
[TD]Winner (2): 1985, 2000
3rd Place (2): 2002, 2007
4th Place (2): 1977, 1981
Qualified (14): 1977, 1981, 1985, 1991, 1993, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Copa America[/TD]
[TD]Invited (1): 2001*[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]NAFC Championship/ North American Nations Cup[/TD]
[TD]Winner (1): 1990
3rd Place (1): 1991
Qualified (2): 1990, 1991[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

*withdrew from competition

Canada U23 National Team
[TABLE="width: 700, align: center"]
[TR]
[TD]Olympics Games[/TD]
[TD]Winner (1): 1904
Quarterfinals (1): 1984
Group Stage (1): 1976
Qualified (3): 1904, 1976, 1984[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Pan American Games[/TD]
[TD]4th Place (2): 1967, 1999
5th place (1): 1971
Group Stage (4): 1975, 1987, 1991, 2015
Qualified (7): 1967, 1971, 1975, 1987, 1991, 1999, 2015[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament[/TD]
[TD]Runner-up (2): 1984, 1996
3rd Place (2): 1992, 2008
4th Place (2): 2012, 2015
Qualified (11): 1968, 1972, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2015[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Canada U20 National Team
[TABLE="width: 700, align: center"]
[TR]
[TD]FIFA U-20 World Cup[/TD]
[TD]Quarterfinals (1): 2003
Round of 16 (1): 1997
Group Stage 6: 1979, 1985, 1987, 2001, 2005, 2007
Qualified (8): 1979, 1985, 1987, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]CONCACAF U-20 Championship[/TD]
[TD]Winner (5): 1986, 1996, 2001, 2003, 2005
Runner-up (2): 1978, 1984
3rd Place (2): 1992, 1994
Qualified (20): 1973, 1974, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2011, 2013[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Jeux de la Francophonie (Francophonie Games)[/TD]
[TD]Winner (2): 1989, 1997
Quarterfinals (1): 2001
4th Place (1): 2009
Qualified (7): 1989, 1994, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2013[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

Canada U17 National Team
[TABLE="width: 700, align: center"]
[TR]
[TD]FIFA U-17 World Cup[/TD]
[TD]Group Stage 6: 1987, 1989, 1993, 1995, 2011, 2013
Qualified 6:1987, 1989, 1993, 1995, 2011, 2013[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]CONCACAF U-17 Championship[/TD]
[TD]Runner-up (1): 2011
3rd Place (5): 1985, 1988, 1992, 1994, 2013
4th Place (2): 1996, 2001
Qualified (14): 1985, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]




​

 

[bdearaujo]

View attachment 144470

Canada New Manager Takes the Helms

Jason de Vos hopes to take Canada back to the promise land.

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After a disappointing 8-1 loss to Honduras in the 2014 World Cup qualification stage, the Canadian Soccer Association decided to take a year off to regroup and to figure out its next game plan. After much speculation on the new manager of the country, they finally came to a decision. Former Canadian captain Jason de Vos will take reign with much promises as he did when he captain the country to a 2000 Gold Cup win.


Victor Montagliani, president of the CSA, presented Jason de Vos earlier today at the nation's capital Ottawa with hopes and promises that they are committed to achieve.


"Today is a new beginning for Canadian soccer" said Victor "Today is the day where we put our mark on the map"


Jason de Vos states the he will improve the quality of level the player will play against teams and will be attending many games as possible to scout Canadian regulars and upcoming Canadian nationals.


"I will be speaking with many Canadian clubs in helping to achieve this goal." Said de Vos. Knowing that Canada does not have a soccer league of its own, he will heavily depend on Toronto FC, Montreal Impacts and the Vancouver Whitecaps from the MLS, America's top tier league, and FC Edmonton and Ottawa Fury from NASL, America second-tier league.


Making the World Cup is a difficult goal to achieve as Canada only made the event once in its history in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Canada only achievements in the International stage was a gold medal win in the 1904 Summer Olympics when 16 Canadian-born players known as Galt Football Club won the tournament. Also Canada won 2 Gold Cup Tournaments in 1985 when it was called CONCACAF Championship and in 2000 and won the now defunct North America Nation Cup in 1990.

View attachment 144468

Jason de Vos, a central defender, started his career with London Lasers in the now defunct Canadian Soccer League. After his stint with the club joined Kitchener Kickers before returning to London.


He joined the Montreal Impact in 1993 when they played in the American Professional Soccer League, playing there for 5 season, including the final two at Darlington FC, a third division English team at the time. He joined Dundee United of Scotland and spent the next 3 season with "The Terrors" including captaining in 2000/01 season.


De Vos joined Wigan Athletic in 2001 and captained the side to a First Division promotion in 2002/03 season and was named PFA Division Two Player of the Year. In 2004, he left club on a Bosman transfer and signed with Ipswich Town until his retirement in 2008 where he was captain in 2006.

View attachment 144464

In the national level, Jason de Vos appeared in 49 games, scoring 4 times. He captain the national from 1999 until his retirement, playing the 2000 Gold Cup and 2002 Gold Cup finishing 1st and 3rd respectively including scoring the game winner against Colombia in the 2000 Gold Cup finals.

Jason de Vos will make his national managerial debut on March 27th, 2015 against Jamaica in Noord Zapateer, Curacao.

​

 

[borofan12]

FINALLY. I was hoping for you to give another shot at this. Good luck!

 

[bdearaujo]

Thanks for the follow. Hopefully this will last me until FM17

 

[bdearaujo]

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Canada Announces Six Friendlies

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The Canadian Soccer Association has announced six friendlies that Canada will participate before their opening campaign for the 2018 World Cup Qualifier against El Salvador in November. After their match against Curaçao, they will head to Anguilla before hosting Greece in June. September will see Canada facing South Korea and New Zealand and the final friendlies against Wales and Paraguay in October.

"This is a perfect opportunity to test our new plan" said de Vos "We will be facing tough opponents throughout the friendlies and we will be facing foes that we should be winning easily but can go all wrong with we don't prepare. Victor and I will be closely reviewing our opponents and hopefully we can get a good result."

Canada will be without the service of Doneil Henry when they face Curaçao after he suffered a torn hamstring before Jason de Vos was appointed manager. They will also be without Junior Hoilett after he suffered a knee tendonitis and will be out for 5 months. Hoilett had recently announced his allegiance to the Canadian team after unsuccessfully making the England side.

Many Canadians will hopefully make their debut such as Steven Vitoria, Scott Arfield, and Kofi Opare.

Jason de Vos will make his Canadian management debut against Curaçao on March 27.​

 

[bdearaujo]

View attachment 144332

Canada Announce 23

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Jason de Vos will make his debut against Curaçao in a couple of days. With that, he finally announced his first 23 man squad.

"The players that I picked today is step one of the process that we are trying to achieve." said de Vos "Sure, there are many players that we could picked from and yes, they may have their chance in the future, but the player chosen, are the one that I feel most comfortable using."

Many Canadians were surprised that Scott Arfield was not selected among the 23. Taking his spot was Russell Teibert from the Vancouver Whitecaps. de Vos stated that Arfield hasn't had enough game time to see him getting called to the team but is excited to see what he will do.

Players that may get their debut are Steven Vitoria, Kofi Opare, Gershon Koffie, and Jay Chapman.

Canada will be without Doneil Henry (Torn Hamstring), Junior Hoilett (Knee Tendonitis), Captain Will Johnson (Sprained Ankle), Marcel de Jong (Sprained Ankle), and Adam Straith (Twisted Knee).

The 23 man that were announced:

Goalkeeper: Lars Hirschfeld (KFUM-Kameratene Oslo), Simon Thomas (FK Bodø/Glimt), and Milan Borjan (PFC Ludogorets Razgrad);

Defenders: Atiba Hutchinson (Beşiktaş J.K.), Andre Hainault (1. FC Magdeburg), Karl Ouimette (Toronto FC), Ashtone Morgan (Toronto FC), Steven Vitoria (S.L. Benfica), Kofi Opare (D.C United), and David Edgar (Sheffield United F.C.);

Midfielders: Julian De Guzman (Ottawa Fury FC), Patrice Bernier (Montreal Impact), Nikolas Ledgerwood (FC Edmonton), Gershon Koffie (New England Revolution), Russell Teibert (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Randy Edwini-Bonsu (VfR Aalen), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC), Jay Chapman (Toronto FC), Simeon Jackson (Blackburn Rovers F.C.), and Tosaint Ricketts (Boluspor);

Strikers: Olivier Occean (Odds BK); Cyle Larin (Orlando City SC), and Lucas Cavallini (Centro Atlético Fénix)

Canada will head to Noord Zapateer to face Curaçao in a friendly.​

 

[bdearaujo]

View attachment 144175
Easy win For Canada

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Jason de Vos earned his first victory as manager of the Canadian team after a 3-0 win over 164th ranked Curaçao. Lucas Cavalini, Russell Teibert and Atiba Hutchinson all scored for Canada.

"Great win from the boys" said de Vos "Everything went perfect. Jonathan Osorio had a great game with his excellent passing and creating chance, his hard work even help him get an assist after Hutchinson. With this win, it will help us move forward with our plan."

Steven Vitoria, Jay Chapman, Gershon Koffie, and Kofi Opare all made their debut to the national side and entering during the second half.

Lucas Cavalini scored the first goal of the game and his 1st international goal after a close range finish which was timed impeccably. Karl Ouimette made an excellent play to assist on Cavalini's goal. Russell Teibert made it 2-0 after a close range, where he made a great individual play to score. Atiba Hutchinson scored the final goal of the game to make it 3-0 after a good header from just inside the six yard box where Jonathan Osorio crossed it. Things with from bad to worse for Curaçao after Jeremy de Nooijer got his second yellow of the game after he tripped Cavalini.

Canada will next play in June when they face Anguilla and Greece.​

 

[dporter8999]

Already justified in taking Teibert with you instead of Arfield, though im sure he will get a look in at some point!

Interested to see how this goes, i used to love Marc Bircham despite him being english born, so have always kept an eye on Canada's national team

 

[bdearaujo]

View attachment 143826

de Vos to Takeover Canada U23

View attachment 143825

Canada boss Jason de Vos will manage the Canadian U23 side when they compete in the North American Olympic Qualifying campaign which starts in October 1st, 2015.


The Canadian Soccer Association held a press conference in Edmonton to announce the statement.


"We feel Jason is the perfect candidate to lead our U23 team to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janerio." said Victor Montagliani, CSA President. "As our goal to develop the game of soccer to Canada, I believe de Vos need to be involved as much as possible. de Vos experience in the international stage and his leadership will help shape up our upcoming Canadian star to the senior side."


When ask about their goal for the U23 side, de Vos answered "Our goal with this competition is obviously to qualify to the Olympics but we want to try to win the qualifying tournament."


Canada U23 was drawn in Group B with Cuba U23, Panama U23, and United States U23. Canada first game will be against Panama U23 on October 2nd.

View attachment 143824View attachment 143823

To enter the North American Olympic Qualifier, a total of 8 teams must qualify to play the final stage, where the berths were allocated to three regional zones:

[TABLE="width: 500, align: center"]
[TR]
[TD]Regional Zone[/TD]
[TD]# of qualified[/TD]
[TD]Nations participated[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]North American Zone (NAFU)[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD](3) Canada, Mexico, USA
All qualify automatically[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Central American Zone (UACAF)[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD](7) Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Caribbean Zone (CFU)[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD](17) Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

The North American Olympic qualifier consist of 2 groups of 4 teams and top 2 teams from each group will advance to the Semifinals. The winners of the semifinals will go to the finals and also will qualify to the Olympics.
​

 

[Falkirkyabass]

Poor Arfield. He chose Canada because he couldn't get a game for Scotland and now he's no getting picked for you either.

 

[bdearaujo]

View attachment 143820

Canadian Calling

View attachment 143819

Just days after Jason de Vos was announced as manager of the Canadian U23 team, the Canadian manager has listed the 23 players that will represent Canada in the friendly games against Anguilla and Greece.

Included in the call up was Scott Arfield, who will finally get his opportunity to play for Canada after pledging his allegiances to the Canadian side.

"I'm very excited" said Arfield "Playing for Canada is an honour and I'm happy that de Vos as given me an opportunity to showcase my skills."

Returning to the Canada is Doneil Henry, Marcel de Jong, and Will Johnson. Junior Hoilett is still out with a Knee Tendonitis. Olivier Occean is out with an injury and will be replaced by Tesho Akindele.

The first game will be against Anguilla at James Ronald Webster Park in the Valley, Anguilla.

The second game against Greece will be play at the Tim Horton Field in Hamilton, Canada.

View attachment 143818

The 23 man squad are:

Goalkeepers: Lars Hirschfeld (KFUM-Kameratene Oslo), Simon Thomas (FK Bodø/Glimt), and Milan Borjan (PFC Ludogorets Razgrad);

Defenders: Andre Hainault (1. FC Magdeburg), Ashtone Morgan (Toronto FC), Steven Vitoria (S.L. Benfica), Doneil Henry (West Ham United F.C.), David Edgar (Sheffield United F.C.), and Marcel de Jong (Sporting Kansas City);

Midfielders: Will Johnson (Toronto FC), Julian De Guzman (Ottawa Fury FC), Patrice Bernier (Montreal Impact), Atiba Hutchinson (Beşiktaş J.K.), Nikolas Ledgerwood (FC Edmonton), Russell Teibert (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Randy Edwini-Bonsu (VfR Aalen), Scott Arfield (Burnley F.C.), Kyle Porter (Ottawa Fury FC), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC), and Tosaint Ricketts (Boluspor);

Strikers: Tesho Akindele (FC Dallas), Cyle Larin (Orlando City SC), and Lucas Cavallini (Centro Atlético Fénix).
​

 

[bdearaujo]

View attachment 143810

Canada Dominates

View attachment 143809
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Canada was all over Anguilla after a 3-0 win. Cyle Larin scored two goals and Kyle Porter scored the other one. Andre Hainault was named man of the match after his superb defending and passing which led him with an assist.

"Great win" said de Vos "We fielded a completely different squad in this game compared to the previous game and it showed that the players are committed to the system. Cyle Larin was an important player today with two big goals."

Making his Canadian debut in the 56th minute was Scott Arfield. He was quiet on the field but showed a brilliance passing and movement which impressed de Vos.

Doneil Henry returned to the pitch for the first time this year with a solid perfromance in the time he was on the field before being subbed by David Edgar.

The first goal of the game was scored by Kyle Porter after taking advantage of Kapil Flemmin's error to score a well timed close range finish. Cyle Larin double the lead after a deflected effort from close to goal. Larin got his 2nd as he scored Canada's final goal after a well timed finish from close range.

Canada will head home as they will host Greece at the Tim Horton Field.​

 

[bdearaujo]

View attachment 143126

Super Arfield

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Scott Arfield gave Canada the unlikey win over the 2004 Euro Champions Greece. It was his first goal for Canada.

"It was a great feeling" said Arfield "Scoring for Canada was a huge achievement for myself and getting the game winner was even sweeter."

The game was a very close game as both nations had numerous chances to score but only Scott Arfield attempt managed to get pass the Greek keeper.

Canada was a bit of a tougher team as they had 21 fouls compared to Greece's 3.

The only goal of the game was by Scott Arfield as he shot a powerful strike to give Canada the win.

Canada will get back together as they will face Peru and New Zealand.​

 

[bdearaujo]

View attachment 143114

2015 Pan American Games; Squad Announced

View attachment 143113

The group stage for the 2015 Pan American Games that will be hosted in Toronto, Canada has been announced.
The event will start on July 10th up to July 26th. Canada was placed in Group B with Ecuador, Guatemala, and Uruguay. Jason de Vos will not manage the U22 squad but will most likely pay attention to the Canadian squad for any potential players to the senior side.

The Pan American Games is a major sporting event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held among athletes from nations of the Americas, every four years in the year before the Summer Olympic Games. The Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) is the governing body of the Pan American Games movement, whose structure and actions are defined by the Olympic Charter. Football was part of the Games in 1951.

The group are:

View attachment 143089

The Canadian fixtures are:

View attachment 143088

Also announced was the 18 man U22 Canadian squad:

Goalkeepers: David Paulmin (FC Montreal) and Marco Carducci (Vancouver Whitecaps FC);

Defenders: Skylar Thomas (Toronto FC II), Luca Gasparotto (Greenock Morton F.C.), Bryce Alderson (Fortuna Düsseldorf), and Sam Adekugbe (Vancouver Whitecaps FC);

Midfielders: Hanson Boakai (FC Edmonton), Marco Dominguez (FC Montreal), Manny Aparicio (Fort Lauderdale Strikers), Fraser Aird (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Kianz Froese (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Jay Chapman (Toronto FC), Louis Beland-Goyette (FC Montreal), Richie Laryea (Orlando City SC), and Dario Zanatta (Heart of Midlothian F.C.);

Strikers: Ben Fisk (Deportivo de La Coruña), Mo Babouli (Toronto FC II), and Anthony Jackson-Hamel (Montreal Impact)

Canada best result was 4th place in the Pan American Games in 1967 and 1999. Canada will begin their campaign against Guatemala on July 10th.​

 

[bdearaujo]

View attachment 143079
Canada Goes Up

View attachment 143078

The FIFA Ranking for July 2015 has been announced and Canada has gone up 6 positions to 98th in the world. The victory against Anguilla and Greece helped Canada go up.

"This is the first step in our program and we are all happy in achieving it." said Jason de Vos.

Canada jumps ahead of El Salvador, Sierra Leone and many more and are just behind Africa's Benin.

View attachment 143075

The top 10 is unchanged from the previous month.

View attachment 143073

The best movers was Kyrgyzstan who went up 22 spots

View attachment 143071

The worst movers were Libya that went down 12 spots

View attachment 143070​

 

[bdearaujo]

View attachment 142748

Canada Out from Group Stage

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The host Canada was officially eliminated from Pan American after failing to finish 1st in their group. After winning the 1st game, Canada managed to draw the final 2 games to finish in 2nd place behind Ecuador.

View attachment 142746


Lets review Canada performance in their 3 games:


Match 1: Canada vs Guatemala

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View attachment 142744

Canada had a really easy game against their Central American opponent where they dominated the entire game. They had 23 opportunities and really did not concede any fouls. Man of the Match was award to Kianz Froese after his 2 goals and 2 assist performance.


Match 2: Canada vs Uruguay

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View attachment 142742

A very tough draw against Uruguay after Canada was the heavily underdogs of this match. Canada went ahead just nine minutes into the game after Anthony Jackson-Hamel headed the ball into the net. Uruguay outplayed the Canadian by having 18 shots with 62% of the possession.

Match 3: Canada vs Ecuador

View attachment 142741
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Canada needed to beat Ecuador to advance to the knockout stage but failed to accomplish. Ecuador had the higher ball possession but Canada had more opportunities to score. Skylar Thomas was excellent for Canada after his defensive efforts.

The rest of the group stage:

View attachment 142739

And the semifinals draw:

View attachment 142738

We will update the finals later.

​

 

[bdearaujo]

View attachment 142726

Canada Remains

View attachment 142725

Canada remained in 98th place in the month of August after the FIFA World Rankings were announced. Due to Canada senior team not playing in August, they remained in the same position.

View attachment 142724

The top 10 remains unchanged with the expectation of Colombia and England swapping places.

View attachment 142723

The best movers in the month of August was Bulgaria after going up 3 places.

View attachment 142722

The worst movers in the month of August was Gabon going down 3 places.

View attachment 142721​

 

[bdearaujo]

View attachment 142720

USA Wins 2015 Pan American Games

View attachment 142719
View attachment 142718

United States won the 2015 Pan American Games for the 2nd time after defeating Colombia on penalties. Carlos Ibarguen missed the penalty to give the Americans the win.

The Americans journey to the their title was fairly easy as they won all three games in their group before meeting Ecuador. After a tough game against Ecuador, they advance to the finals where they won on penalties.

View attachment 142717
View attachment 142716​

 

[bdearaujo]

View attachment 142692

de Vos 23

View attachment 142691

Jason de Vos has announced their 23 men squad for the friendlies against Peru and New Zealand. Inside the 23, there are a couple of new faces in the team. Junior Hoilett, who Canadians patiently waited to see, may have his debut.

"Can't wait" said Hoilett "Being from Toronto, its a honour to play for my home country in front of my hometown. Hopefully we can get a great result."

Also in the squad, Marco Carducci, Michael Smith, and Dario Zanatta got their first ever cap for the national team. Samuel Piette returns to the national team after sometime.

Canada will be without Marcel de Jong (twisted ankle) and Tesho Akindele (twisted ankle).

The game against Peru will be play at BMO Field in Toronto, Canada.

View attachment 142689


The game against New Zealand will be at the North Harbour Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand.

View attachment 142688

The announced squad are:

Goalkeepers: Simon Thomas (FK Bodø/Glimt), Marco Carducci (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), and Milan Borjan (PFC Ludogorets Razgrad);

Defenders: Michael Smith (Peterborough United F.C.), Andre Hainault (1. FC Magdeburg), Ashtone Morgan (Toronto FC), Steven Vitoria (S.L. Benfica), Doneil Henry (West Ham United F.C.), David Edgar (Sheffield United F.C.), and Sam Adekugbe (Vancouver Whitecaps FC);

Midfielders: Will Johnson (Toronto FC), Atiba Hutchinson (Besiktas J.K.), Nikolas Ledgerwood (FC Edmonton), Samuel Piette (Deportivo de La Coruña), Russell Teibert (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Randy Edwini-Bonsu (VfR Aalen), Scott Arfield (Burnley F.C.), Junior Hoilett (Queens Park Rangers F.C.), Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC), and Dario Zanatta (Heart of Midlothian F.C.);

Strikers: Olivier Occean (Odds BK), Cyle Larin (Orlando City SC), and Lucas Cavallini (S.C. Braga).​

 

[bdearaujo]

View attachment 142361
Debut on Hold

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A day before Canada vs Peru in Toronto, Junior Hoilett has suffered an injury that will sideline him for 2 weeks, making him miss the Canadian friendlies against Peru and New Zealand.

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"I'm very disappointed at myself" said Hoilett "I really wanted to play for Canada. But now the only thing I can do is cheer on for my teammates."

Jason de Vos made an emergency call up by adding Kyle Porter to the squad to replace Hoilett.​