The Canadian Soccer Association announced today that four Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency players have been called up to Canada's U-17 men's national team.
Goalkeeper Marco Carducci, defenders Alex Comsia (pictured) and Jordan Haynes, and midfielder Marco Bustos will join head coach Sean Fleming's side for training camp on April 18 in Verona, Italy, before playing in the 2012 Torneo della Nazioni, an eight-team international tournament in Trieste, Italy from April 25-29
This marks the first project for the U-17 program this year, as Fleming’s squad continue to build towards next year's 2013 CONCACAF Men's Under-17 Championship in Ciudad de Panama and La Chorrera, Panama. The 12-team tournament will qualify four teams for the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup in United Arab Emirates.
"It is exciting to get this group together in our first development opportunity towards next year's CONCACAF Men's Under-17 Championship," said Fleming.
The Torneo della Nazioni will feature two groups of four teams, with Canada facing Israel, Slovenia and Italy in the Group B matches from April 25-27. The top two teams in Group B will then meet the top two teams in Group A (Croatia, Finland, Mexico and Montenegro) in the cross-over semi-final phase on April 28 with the winners meeting in the final on April 29.
Canada's U-17 camp will run from April 18-30, with the team commencing in Verona before transferring to Trieste on April 24. In advance of the Torneo della Nazioni, Canada will face Mexico in a men's U-17 international friendly match on April 21.
CANADA
GK- Marco Carducci | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
GK- Daniel Milton | CAN / Ajax Thunder
D- Alex Comsia | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
D- Ian Fernandes | CAN / West Rouge SC
D- Jordan Haynes | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
D- Leonardo Kossaka | CAN / AS Sherbrooke Ouest
D- Aron Mkungilwa | CAN / Laser
D- Matteo Restrepo | CAN / Woodbridge SC
M- Billy Bitihene | ITA / Brescia Calcio
M- Marco Bustos | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
M- Mikaël Cantave | FRA / FC Nantes
M- Marco-Leonel Dominguez | CAN / Braves d'Ahuntsic
M- Kianz Gonzales-Froese | FRA / Mainz 05
M- Phillip Makinde | CAN / Brampton Youth
M- Derick Sequeira | CAN / Brampton Youth SC
F- Hanson Boakai | CAN / Xtreme FC
F- Andrew Gordon | CAN / North Scarborough SC
F- Jordan Hamilton | CAN / Toronto FC Academy