Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced today that midfielder/striker
Nizar Khalfan
has been called up to the Tanzanian national team for their 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match away to Algeria on Friday, September 3.
Playing his first full season with Whitecaps FC, the 22-year-old has been an important player for the NASL Conference-leading club. The native of Mtwara, Tanzania, has featured in seventeen matches this season, scoring two goals and recording two assists. His call-up to the 'Taifa Stars' means Khalfan will miss Vancouver's home match versus Austin Aztex on Sunday afternoon and potentially the home game versus Puerto Rico Islanders on Sunday, September 5.
Khalfan made his international debut for Tanzania back in 2006, and has since been a mainstay on their national team squad. The striker has featured for the East African nation during 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, and was also a key member of Tanzania's squad during qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
Earlier this summer, Khalfan travelled home to play in a high-profile international friendly versus Brazil. Though Tanzania succumbed to a 5-1 defeat versus the powerful South Americans, Khalfan felt it was a great privilege for him and his 'Taifa Stars' teammates to play against one of world soccer's top sides. "It's always good to play a big team like Brazil, as you always want to play against big teams," Khalfan told whitecapsfc.com. "Brazil were fast and strong as an opponent, so for me, it was a very good experience to play this game."
Tanzania begins their road to the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations with a difficult away match versus Algeria in Algiers on September 3. Competing in qualifying Group D, Tanzania will then play another North African powerhouse in Morocco on Sunday, October 10, before meeting Central African Republic on March 27, 2011. The top team in each of the 11 groups qualify for next year's finals, as does the runners-up in the five-nation Group K. The two best runners-up from the 11 four-nation groups will also qualify for Gabon and Equatorial Guinea 2012.
North American Soccer League (NASL) Conference leaders Vancouver Whitecaps FC (9W-3L-12D) will battle USL Conference club Austin Aztex (13W-3L-5D) this Sunday, August 29, at Swangard Stadium. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. PT and can be seen live on Shaw TV or online at whitecapsfc.com/live.
