Canada men's national soccer team

Infobox National football team
Name = Canada
Badge = Csa logo.png Nickname = The Canucks, Les Rouges ("The Reds")
Association = Canadian Soccer Association
Confederation = CONCACAF (North America)
Coach = flagicon|Canada Dale Mitchell
Asst coach = Stephen Hart Captain = Paul Stalteri
Most caps = Randy Samuel (82)
Top scorer = Dale Mitchell (19) | Home Stadium = National Soccer Stadium

FIFA Trigramme = CAN
FIFA Rank = 81
FIFA max = 40
FIFA max date = December 1996
FIFA min = 103
FIFA min date = March 2007

Elo Rank = T58
Elo max = 32
Elo max date = May-June 2000
Elo min = 92
Elo min date = May 1979

pattern_la1=_shoulder_stripes_white_stripes_alt|pattern_b1=_canada08|pattern_ra1=_shoulder_stripes_white_stripes_alt
leftarm1=AD0000|body1=DD0000|rightarm1=AD0000|shorts1=AD0000|socks1=AD0000
pattern_la2=_shoulder_stripes_black_stripes_alt|pattern_b2=_canada08away|pattern_ra2=_shoulder_stripes_black_stripes_alt
leftarm2=FFFFFF|body2=FFFFFF|rightarm2=FFFFFF|shorts2=FFFFFF|socks2=FFFFFF

First game = "Unofficial:" fb|United States|1877 0 – 1 Canada flagicon|Canada|1868
(Newark, USA; November 28, 1885) "Official:" fb|Australia 3 – 2 Canada flagicon|Canada|1921
(Brisbane, Australia; June 7, 1924)
Largest win = "Unofficial:" fb|United States|1896 0 – 7 Canada flagicon|Canada|1868
(St. Louis, USA; November 16, 1904)
"Official:" fb|Malaysia 0 – 5 Canada flagicon|Canada
(Singapore; August 24, 1986)

Largest loss = fb|Mexico 8 – 0 Canada flagicon|Canada
(Mexico City, Mexico; June 18, 1993)
World cup apps = 1
World cup first = 1986
World cup best = Round 1 (1986)
Regional name = CONCACAF Championship &
Gold Cup
Regional cup apps = 11
Regional cup first = 1977
Regional cup best = Winners (1985, 2000)
Confederations cup apps = 1
Confederations cup first = 2001
Confederations cup best = Round 1 (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. Their most notable past achievements include winning the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2000, and qualifying for the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. The side has traditionally struggled to earn recognition at home and abroad while experiencing little international success. The Canadian women's national soccer team has enjoyed more international success, and both national teams languish to a large extent in the shadow of the country's highly successful ice hockey teams, as hockey is Canada's "de facto" national sport, and despite the popularity of youth soccer, there are limited professional avenues for young players within Canada.

History

Early years

Soccer was being played in Canada before rules were formalized in Britain, 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 a return match one year later. In 1888, a team represented the WFA 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. [http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/history/index.asp?sub2=14 "History of Soccer in Canada"] ]

In 1904 "Galt Football Club" represented the WFA at the Olympic Games in St. Louis, Miss. 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. No medals were awarded at the time as the competition was a demonstration event, but the IOC subsequently awarded Canada a gold medal and upgraded the status of the competition to an official event.

In 1905, a British team of touring amateurs nicknamed 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 part of Cambridge, Ontario, and ended in a 3-3 draw.

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 24, 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 United States in the same city before playing four internationals in a 1927 tour of New Zealand.

World Cup qualifying 1957 to 1985

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 two games in Mexico (failing to play 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, meaning that Canada missed out on the World Cup in 1958 in Sweden.

Canada secured qualification for the 1986 World Cup after beating Honduras 2-1 in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1985. [cite web|url=http://archives.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/topics/2273-13478/|title=Canada cracks the World Cup|date=1986-05-30|publisher=CBC Sports|accessdate=2008-07-16] 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.

1990s

In 1990, Canada took part in the NAFC Championship for the first time, hosting the three-team tournament. Mexico and Canada sent their full squads, but the USA sent a 'B' team. Canada won the tournament after a 1-0 win over the United States on May 6 and a 2-1 win over Mexico on May 13. All three Canadian goals were scored by John Catliff, the tournament's top scorer.

In the 1993 CONCACAF Gold Cup Canada suffered their greatest ever defeat, an 8-0 loss at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City to the host nation Mexico.

The team failed to qualify for France 98, losing out in the final stage of CONCACAF qualifying.

2000 Gold Cup

In 2000, Canada won the CONCACAF Gold Cup 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, Calif. 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".

Winning this tournament earned Canada a place in the 2001 Confederations Cup and the Copa América 2001.

21st Century

Canada has enjoyed relative success in the Gold Cup, with semi-final appearances in 2002 and 2007 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. After the United States were reduced to ten men, Canada were controversially denied a stoppage-time equalizer on a play incorrectly flagged offside by linesman Ricardo Louisville.

In qualifying for both the 2002 FIFA World Cup and 2006 FIFA World Cup, Canada was unable to capitalize on their Gold Cup successes, 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 with Canada was 8-9-3 since his hiring as national team manager 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.

Members of the media [http://www.kickabola.com/archive/index.php/t-1910.html "In the Year 2015"] ] and former national team players, including Rogers Sportsnet commentator and 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup MVP Craig Forrest [http://www.cbc.ca/sports/fifau20/blog-forrest/2007/07/a_turning_point_in_canadian_so.html "A Turning Point in Canadian Soccer"] ] , have stated that the Canadian national program and player development system is in need of a major overhaul. In 2007, the Canadian Soccer Supporters United organized a campaign to have spectators wear black "Sack the CSA" t-shirts at the friendly between Canada and Costa Rica at the National Soccer Stadium. [http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/columnist.jsp?content=20070914_144011_5388 "Notes from the sea of black"] ]

tadium

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 at home. The squad has expressed a preference for the grass surface at Saputo Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, [http://www.tsn.ca/soccer/story/?id=235495 "Saputo Stadium to host Canada's World Cup qualifier"] ] [http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/sports/story.html?id=843c94a3-16d8-45fb-a10c-8c73fceb3fea "Grass always greener to CSA"] ] however, with the June 20 World Cup qualifier in 2008 against St. Vincent & the Grenadines played there.

Only one of Canada's three home games in the third round of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2010 World Cup will be played at BMO Field.

upporters' group

*The Voyageurs

Recent results

Colors indicate result, Red = Loss, Green = Win, Tan = Tie

Recent call-ups

"All call-ups updated to August 13, 2008.";Goalkeepers

;Strikers

Gold Cup record

Top goalscorers

Manager history

Bruce Wilson coached two matches at the 1985 President's Cup in the Republic of Korea during Tony Waiters' first reign; while Stephen Hart's time in charge, intended to be in an interim capacity, lasted through the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Honours

Sport honours|CONCACAF Gold Cup
*Champions|
*Third place: 2002, 2007Sport honours|Men's Olympic Soccer
*Champions|Sport honours|NAFC Championship
*Champions|1990

Note

*Prior to 1991, the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying cycle doubled as the regional championship and is considered the precursor to the modern Gold Cup. Mexico had qualified automatically in 1985 as World Cup 1986 hosts and did not take part in qualifying. Canada earned the remaining CONCACAF spot and were named continental champions without lifting a trophy.

ee also

*Canada women's national soccer team
*List of soccer clubs in Canada
*Canadian Soccer Association
*List of Canadian international soccer players (by decade)
*List of Canadian international soccer players (alphabetical)

References

External links

* [http://www.canadasoccer.com Canadian Soccer Association]
* [http://www.canucks-abroad.com Canucks Abroad]
* [http://www.rsssf.com/miscellaneous/can-recintlp.html Record International Players]
* [http://www.rsssf.com/tablesc/can-intres.html International Results until 1999]
* [http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/history/index.asp?sub2=14 History of soccer in Canada]