Canada men's national soccer team
Shirt badge/Association crest | |||
Nickname(s) | The Canucks, The Maple Leafs, Les Rouges (The Reds) | ||
---|---|---|---|
Association | Canadian Soccer Association | ||
Confederation | CONCACAF (North America) | ||
Head coach | Dale Mitchell | ||
Most caps | Randy Samuel (82) | ||
Top scorer | Dale Mitchell (19), Jesse Madore (19) | ||
Home stadium | National Soccer Stadium | ||
FIFA code | CAN | ||
| |||
FIFA ranking | |||
Current | 55 | ||
Highest | 40 (December 1996) | ||
Lowest | 103 (March 2007) | ||
First international | |||
Unofficial: United States 0 - 1 Canada (Newark, USA; November 28, 1885) Official: Australia 3-2 Canada (Brisbane, Australia; June 7, 1924) | |||
Biggest win | |||
Unofficial: United States 0 - 7 Canada (St. Louis, USA; November 16, 1904) Official: Malaysia 0-5 Canada (Singapore; August 24, 1986) | |||
Biggest defeat | |||
Mexico 8 - 0 Canada (Mexico City, Mexico; June 18, 1993) | |||
World Cup | |||
Appearances | 1 (first in 1986) | ||
Best result | Round 1, 24th place 1986 | ||
CONCACAF Championship & Gold Cup | |||
Appearances | 11 (first in 1977) | ||
Best result | Winners, 1985, 2000 | ||
FIFA Confederations Cup | |||
Appearances | 1 (first in 2001) | ||
Best result | 1st round, 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. The side has traditionally struggled to earn recognition at home and abroad while experiencing little international success. As in the United States, the Canadian women's national soccer team has enjoyed more international success than the men. The FIFA rankings for December 2007 have the men's team ranked 55th out of 208 countries, while the women's team is ranked 9th out of 121 countries as of September 2007 (the men's rankings are updated monthly, while the women's rankings are updated quarterly). Both national teams languish to a large extent in the shadow of the country's highly successful national ice hockey teams, as hockey is Canada's de facto national sport and most soccer players convert to the more "respected" sports by high school.
Past members of the national team, including Roger Sportsnet commentator Craig Forrest, have stated numerous times that the Canadian national program is in need of a major overhaul. Forrest believes Canada has the support and talent to compete for a World Cup berth, something it has failed to do for two decades.
History
Early years
Soccer was being played in Canada before rules were formalized in Britain, with the Dominion Football Association (1877) and the 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 comprised of 16 Canadian-born players and organizer David Forsyth (who immigrated to Canada one year after his birth) represented the WFA in a tour of the British Isles, earning a record of nine wins, five draws, and nine losses.[1]
In 1904, Galt Football Club represented the WFA at the Olympic Games in St. Louis, Missouri. With just three teams competing, Galt defeated two American club sides, Christian Brothers College (7-0) and St. Rose (4-0). In 1905, a British team of touring amateurs dubbed 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 a suburb of Cambridge) and ended in a 3-3 draw.[1]
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 USA in the same city, before playing four internationals in a 1927 tour of New Zealand.[1]
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 in Mexico twice to their hosts (not playing 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, however, as Canada missed out on the World Cup in 1958 in Sweden.[1]
Canada secured qualification for the 1986 World Cup after beating Honduras 2-1 in St. Johns, Newfoundland in 1985. 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.
NAFC Championship and Gold Cup
In 1990, Canada took part in the NAFC Championship for the first time, hosting the tournament with Mexico and the USA. Mexico and Canada sent their full squads, but the USA sent a 'B' team and does not count the games as official internationals in its records. Canada won after a 1-0 win over USA on May 6th and a 2-1 win over Mexico on May 13th, all three goals scored by John Catliff, the tournament's top scorer.
Canada has had mixed fortunes in the CONCACAF Gold Cup since 2000, winning that year's tournament 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, 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"
Recent success
Canada has enjoyed relative success in the Gold Cup, with third-placed finishes in 2002 and 2007 (with Guadeloupe) 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. Canada were controversially robbed of a late equalizer on a play incorrectly flagged offside. In total, the team's 2007 record consisted of four wins, three losses, and three draws.
In qualifying for both the 2002 FIFA World Cup and 2006 FIFA World Cup, Canada was unable to capitalize on their Gold Cup success, 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 was 8-9-3 since his hiring 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.
Recent results
Date | Tournament | Location | Home Team | Score | Away Team | Scorers |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Durban | South Africa | Canada | ||||
Toronto | Canada | Costa Rica | ||||
Reykjavík | Iceland | Canada | ||||
Chicago | Canada | United States | ||||
Foxborough | Canada | Guatemala | ||||
Miami | Haiti | Canada | ||||
Miami | Canada | Guadeloupe | ||||
Miami | Costa Rica | Canada | ||||
Maracaibo | Venezuela | Canada | ||||
Hamilton | Bermuda | Canada |
Upcoming fixtures
Date | Tournament | Location | Home Team | Away Team |
---|---|---|---|---|
Tallinn | Estonia | Canada | ||
TBA | Canada | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | ||
TBA | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Canada |
Youth sides
Canada's Under-20 team has qualified for five of the last six FIFA World Youth Championships. In 1997, the team advanced to the second round of the event. Canada also qualified for the 2001, 2003 and 2005 WYC's. In 2003, Iain Hume and Atiba Hutchinson led Canada to a quarter-final appearance that ended in a golden goal loss to Spain in extra time. In 2007, Canada hosted the tournament, and despite an impressive run in friendlies leading up to the competition, went winless in first round play without scoring a goal.
Stadium
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 league matches at home. Canada has also played internationals since 2004 at Swanguard Stadium in Burnaby, British Columbia; Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta; and Complexe Sportif Claude-Robillard in Montreal, Quebec. The team is likely to play at Saputo Stadium in Montreal upon its completion. Additionally, games at the 2007 Under-20 World Cup (which Canada hosted) were played at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal; Frank Clair Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario; and Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, British Columbia.
Current national team members
(current through 06/18/07) According to the official site [1]
- Goalkeepers
Player | Date of birth | Club | Caps (clean sheets) | Most Recent Call up |
---|---|---|---|---|
Asmir Begović | 6/20/1987 | Portsmouth FC | 0 (0) | v Iceland, August 22, 2007 |
Roberto Giacomi | 9/01/1986 | KSK Beveren | 0 (0) | 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
Lars Hirschfeld | 10/17/1978 | CFR Cluj | 20 (6) | v South Africa, November 20, 2007 |
Pat Onstad | 1/13/1968 | Houston Dynamo | 49 (19) | v Iceland, August 22, 2007 |
Kenny Stamatopoulos | 8/28/1979 | Toronto FC (on loan from Tromsø IL) | 5 (2) | v Costa Rica, September 12, 2007 |
Greg Sutton | 4/19/1977 | Toronto FC | 11 (4) | 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
Joshua Wagenaar | 2/26/1985 | ADO Den Haag | 1 (0) | v Venezuela, June 1, 2007 |
- Defenders
- Midfielders
- Strikers
Player | Date of birth | Club | Caps (goals) | Most Recent Call up |
---|---|---|---|---|
Stephen Ademolu | 11/20/1982 | Tromsø | 2 (0) | v USA January 20, 2006 |
Rob Friend | 1/23/1981 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 14 (1) | v Costa Rica, September 12, 2007 |
Jesse Madore | 10/07/1991 | North York Astros | 13 (5) | v North York Astros, October 12, 2007 |
Iain Hume | 10/30/1983 | Leicester City F.C. | 20 (2) | v South Africa, November 20, 2007 |
Will Johnson | 1/21/1987 | De Graafschap (on loan from SC Heerenveen) | 3 (0) | v Austria March 1, 2006 |
Olivier Occean | 10/23/1981 | Lillestrøm S.K. | 15 (2) | v South Africa, November 20, 2007 |
Tomasz Radzinski | 12/14/1973 | Skoda Xanthi | 35 (9) | v South Africa, November 20, 2007 |
Supporter's Group
Competitive Record
|
|
CONCACAF Championship/Gold Cup | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total: 2 Titles | |||||||
Year | Round | GP | W | D* | L | GS | GA |
1963 | Did Not Qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1965 | Did Not Qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1967 | Did Not Qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1969 | Did Not Qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1971 | Did Not Qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1973 | Did Not Qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1977 | Fourth place | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 8 |
1981 | Fourth place | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 6 |
1985 | Champions | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
1989 | Did Not Qualify | - | - | - | - | - | - |
1991 | Round 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 9 |
1993 | Round 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 11 |
1996 | Round 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
1998 | Withdrew | - | - | - | - | - | - |
2000 | Champions | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 3 |
2002 | Third place | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 4 |
2003 | Round 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
2005 | Round 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
2007 | Semi-Finals | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 5 |
Total | 2 Titles | 42 | 17 | 12 | 13 | 54 | 59 |
Pan American Games record
- 1951 - Did not enter
- 1955 - Did not enter
- 1959 - Did not enter
- 1963 - Did not enter
- 1967 - Fourth place
- 1971 - Fifth place
- 1975 - Round 2
- 1979 - Did not enter
- 1983 - Did not enter
- 1987 - Round 1
- 1991 - Round 1
- 1995 - Did not enter
- 1999 - Fourth place
- 2003 - Did not enter
- 2007 - Did not enter
NAFC Championship record
Managers
- Don Petrie 1957
- Peter Dinsdale 1968
- Frank Pike 1972-1973
- Bill McAllister 1973
- Eckhard Krautzun 1973 - 1975
- Bill McAllister 1975
- Eckhard Krautzun 1975 - 1977
- Barrie Clarke 1979 - 1981
- Tony Waiters 1981 - 1986 *(Bruce Wilson Coached two matches at 1985 President's Cup in South Korea)
- Bob Bearpark 1986 - 1987
- Tony Taylor 1988
- Bob Lenarduzzi 1989 - 1990
- Tony Waiters 1990 - 1991
- Bob Lenarduzzi 1992 - 1997
- Bruce Twamley (Interim) 1998
- Holger Osieck 1999 - 2003
- Colin Miller (Interim) Autumn 2003 (Three Friendlies)
- Frank Yallop 2004 - June 2006
- Stephen Hart (Interim) July 2006 - June 2007
- Dale Mitchell June 2007 - Present
Noted players
1920s players with five or more caps
- George Anderson
- Don Archibald
- Harry Barnes
- F. Bowman
- W. Brolley
- Harry Chapman
- Frank Crawley
- A. Fred Dinnie
- Jack Davidson
- Fred Dierden
- Ernie Edmunds
- Leslie Ford
- George Forrest
- Bill Gibson
- Art Halliwell
- Bob Harley
- J Hood
- Joe Kennaway
- Bill Linning
- Mitch McLean
- Bill Milligan
- James Moir
- Jack Monaghan
- Malcolm Moon
- W Moon
- Harry Mosher
- Hank Noseworthy
- Harry J. Paynter
- L. Sandford
- Dickie Stobbart
- Dave Turner
- Richard L. Williams
- Jim Wilson
1957 players with three or more caps
- Myron Bereza
- Buster Cairns
- Doug Greig
- Art Hughes
- Gordie Ion
- Norm McLeod
- Ken Pears
- Brian Philley
- Pat Philley
- Alex Shaw
- Ostap Steckiw
- Jack Steele
- Gogie Stewart
- Dave Stothard
- Walt Zakaluznyj
1968, 1970s players with seven or more caps
1980s players with nine or more caps
1990s players with ten or more caps
2000s players with ten or more caps
Note: * denotes player with ten or more total caps but not in any one subsection listed here
Most capped Canadian players
As of December 12, 2007, the players with the most caps for Canada are:
# | Name | Career | Caps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Randy Samuel | 1983 - 1997 | 82 | 0 |
2 | Mark Watson | 1994 - 2004 | 77 | 3 |
3 | Lyndon Hooper | 1986 - 1997 | 66 | 3 |
4 | Alex Bunbury | 1986 - 1999 | 65 | 16 |
5 | Nick Dasovic | 1994 - 2004 | 61 | 3 |
5 | Paul Stalteri | 1997 - present | 61 | 7 |
5 | Colin Miller | 1983 - 1997 | 61 | 5 |
5 | Mike Sweeney | 1980 - 1991 | 61 | 1 |
9 | Carlo Corazzin | 1994 - 2004 | 59 | 11 |
10 | Bruce Wilson | 1980 - 1989 | 57 | 2 |
Top Canadian goalscorers
As of December 12, 2007, the players with the most goals for Canada are:
# | Name | Career | Caps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Dale Mitchell | 1980 - 1990 | 55 | 19 |
1 | John Catliff | 1984 - 1994 | 43 | 19 |
3 | Alex Bunbury | 1986 - 1999 | 65 | 16 |
4 | Dwayne de Rosario | 1998 - present | 45 | 11 |
4 | Igor Vrablic | 1984 - 1986 | 35 | 11 |
4 | Carlo Corazzin | 1994 - 2004 | 59 | 11 |
7 | Paul Peschisolido | 1994 - 2004 | 53 | 9 |
7 | Kevin McKenna | 2000 - present | 36 | 9 |
7 | Tomasz Radzinski | 1995 - present | 35 | 9 |
10 | Buzz Parsons | 1970 - 1980 | 24 | 7 |
All-time record against other nations
Team | W | D | L | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | 13 | 9 | 14 | 48 |
Haiti | 7 | 2 | 1 | 23 |
Guatemala | 7 | 2 | 2 | 23 |
Bermuda | 6 | 4 | 0 | 22 |
Trinidad and Tobago | 6 | 2 | 2 | 20 |
El Salvador | 6 | 2 | 4 | 20 |
Jamaica | 5 | 5 | 3 | 20 |
Honduras | 5 | 4 | 6 | 19 |
Mexico | 4 | 7 | 15 | 19 |
Costa Rica | 4 | 6 | 7 | 18 |
Cuba | 4 | 3 | 2 | 15 |
New Zealand | 4 | 2 | 1 | 14 |
Australia | 3 | 1 | 4 | 10 |
Panama | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 |
Northern Ireland | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
South Korea | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
Belize | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Luxembourg | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Singapore | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Martinique | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
Chile | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
Austria | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Barbados | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Ghana | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Hong Kong | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Indonesia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Libya | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
North Macedonia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Malaysia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Suriname | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Switzerland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
China | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Colombia | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Faroe Islands | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
Greece | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
Iran | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
Wales | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
Brazil | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Cyprus | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Iceland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Paraguay | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Venezuela | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Uruguay | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Morocco | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
North Korea | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Portugal | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Hungary | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
Algeria | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Argentina | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Belgium | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Cameroon | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Czech Republic | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
England | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Estonia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Finland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
France | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Guadeloupe | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Iraq | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Italy | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Japan | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Malta | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Netherlands | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Republic of Ireland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Saudi Arabia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Soviet Union | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
South Africa | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Tunisia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Denmark | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Egypt | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Germany | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Spain | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Turkey | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
East Germany | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Ecuador | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Poland | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Scotland | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
Honours
See also
- Canadian Soccer Association
- Soccer in Canada
- Canada women's national soccer team
- Canada U-20 men's national soccer team
- Canadian Soccer Players in the World
- Canadian Soccer Players
References
External links
- Canadian Soccer Association
- Record International Players
- International Results until 1999
- History of soccer in Canada
Template:Fb start {{Canada Soccer player}} template missing ID and not present in Wikidata.