The Canadian Soccer Association announced on Monday that Vancouver Whitecaps FC Homegrown players Bryce Alderson and Caleb Clarke, and Whitecaps FC Residency graduate Ben Fisk, are among 20 players called up to Canada’s U-20 men’s national team. The three selections for Whitecaps FC are tied for the most from one club, along with Toronto FC Academy.
Canada's men's U-20 team will participate in the four-team Marbella Cup during a 10-day camp in Spain from October 7 to 16. Canada will face USA on October 10, Azerbaijan on October 12 and Scotland on October 15. The Canadian camp will be based at the Marbella Football Center in Marbella, Spain.
Alderson and Clarke were last called into camp with the Canadian U-20 men’s national team last month for an eight-day camp in Florida, as the Red and White played a pair of friendly matches against Trinidad and Tobago. Clarke scored three of Canada’s four goals over the two matches.
Fisk, meanwhile, recently returned from Germany, where he was on trial for the past two months. Prior to departing, Fisk helped Whitecaps FC U-18 Residency to the 2011-12 United States Soccer Development Academy (USSDA) championship final. The Richmond-born midfielder led Academy Finals Week with seven goals.
The Canadian squad features players from all four professional teams in Canada plus clubs from five European nations. In fact, eight of the 20 players play for either Vancouver Whitecaps FC (Residency), FC Edmonton (Reserves), Toronto FC (Academy) or Montreal Impact (Academy) in Canada. Other players have been called in from clubs in England, Germany, Hungary, Portugal and Spain.
This marks former Whitecaps FC player and assistant coach and current Canadian U-20 men’s national team head coach Nick Dasovic's third project for 1993-born players, with an eye towards next year's biennial CONCACAF & FIFA competitions. Canada will compete in the 2013 CONCACAF Men's Under-20 Championship from February 18 to March 3 in Mexico. Four teams from the 12-team tournament will qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Turkey 2013.
CANADA
GK- Ricky Gomes | POR / Sport Clube de Mirandela
GK- Quillan Roberts | CAN / Toronto FC
CB- Doneil Henry | CAN / Toronto FC
CB- Manjrekar James | HUN / PMFC-MATIAS
CB- Nikola Paunic | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
FB- Jon Dollery | ENG / Crawley Town FC
FB- Marco Lapenna | GER / FC Erzgebirge Aue
FB- Allan Zebie | CAN / Edmonton FC Reserve
M- Bryce Alderson | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
M- Keven Aleman | ESP / Real Valladolid
M- Dylan Carreiro | ENG / Queens Park Rangers
M- Mauro Eustáquio | POR / Sporting Clube de Pombal
M- Ben Fisk | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
M- Jonathan Lao | GER / FC Rot-Weiß Erfurt
M- Kevin Luarca | CAN / Académie Impact Montréal
M/F- Michael Petrasso | ENG / Queens Park Rangers
M- Samuel Piette | GER / Fortuna Düsseldorf
M- Alessandro Riggi | ESP / Celta de Vigo
F- Caleb Clarke | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
F- Stefan Vukovic |
