Canada Soccer announced on Tuesday that nine Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency players have been called into camp with Canada’s U-17 men’s national team. The camp will take place in Guatemala and El Salvador from January 5 until January 15.
Among the Residency players called up are goalkeeper
Luciano Trasolini
; defenders
Matthew Baldisimo
and
Kadin Chung
; midfielders
Thomas Gardner
,
David Norman
, and
Munir Saleh
; and strikers
Terran Campbell
,
Duwayne Ewart
, and
Daniel Sagno
. All nine players took part
in the last U-17 national team camp in December
.
With their own FIFA World Cup qualifying tournament ticking ever closer, Canada’s Men’s U-17 Team is setting up camp in Central America to prepare for the sort of environment they’ll expect in Honduras at the end of February and into March for the CONCACAF Under-17 Championship.
“It's going to be a great opportunity for us to keep fine-tuning our style of play. It will give us a great opportunity to see different players play with each other,” said Fleming. “It's exciting as a couple new players have come in again which will be giving great competition for spots on the squad and hopefully be adding depth.”
Both Guatemala and El Salvador will be facing each other for the final competing spot at the CONCACAF Under-17 Championship in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
The team has one day of training on Tuesday, January 6 before their first match against Guatemala. The two teams will play again on Saturday, January 10 on the turf at Cobar Stadium in San Miguel Petapa, Guatemala.
They’ll then take the bus to El Salvador in advance of their final match against the hosts at the Delicias Stadium in San Tecla, El Salvador.
“It will be difficult with only one day of training and then we have to play a match. But these are the challenges I'd like to see your players fight through and beat,” said Fleming. “It is another step for us to be ready to be at our best for Honduras in qualification.”
Last month, Canada was drawn into Group B for the 2015 CONCACAF Under-17 Championships that begins next month in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Canada will open the 2015 CONCACAF U-17 Championship on Saturday, February 28 against Haiti. Next will be an encounter against Costa Rica on Tuesday, March 3, followed by matches against Mexico on Friday, March 6; Saint Lucia on Monday, March 9; and Panama on Thursday, March 12. All Group B games will be played at the Estadio Olimpico Metropolitano.
The group winner advances to the final with a spot in the FIFA U-17 World Cup Chile 2015 guaranteed while the second and third place teams will playoff with the second and third placed teams from the other group for the final two berths.
CANADA
GK- Brogan Engbers | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
GK- Luciano Trasolini | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
D- Matthew Baldisimo | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
D- Gabriel Boakye | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
D- Dante Campbell | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
D- Kadin Chung | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
D- Andrew Dias | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
M- Tristan Borges | CAN / West Toronto Cobras
M- Thomas Gardner | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
M- Thomas Mickoski | CAN / North Toronto Nitros
M- David Norman | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
M- Harry Paton | ENG / Fulham FC U18 Academy
M- Reshon Phillip | CAN / North Mississauga SC
M- Munir Saleh | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
F- Terran Campbell | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
F- Duwayne Ewart | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
F- Shaan Hundal | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
F- Malik Johnson | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
F- Cyrus Rollocks | CAN / North Mississauga SC
F- Daniel Sagno | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
