Canadian Soccer Association announced today that six Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency players from the program's U-16 side have been called up to Canada's U-18 national team for an 11-day camp in San Jose, Costa Rica. Currently categorized as a U-16 squad, the young Canadians will play two friendlies versus Central American U-16 champions Costa Rica during the camp.
Head coach Robert Gale has selected 20 players for the trip to Central America. This includes Residency goalkeeper Marco Carducci, defenders Quinton Duncan and Jackson Farmer, midfielders Ali Musse and Mitch Piraux, as well as midfielder/striker Sebastian Cabrera. In fact, Carducci and Musse are the only players in the squad to have been born in 1996, with the rest of the team born in 1995. The squad will assemble in San Jose on November 16 and remain in the Costa Rican capital until November 26.
In October 2010, Cabrera, Duncan, Farmer, and Piraux participated in a Canadian U-15 national team camp in Carson, California. This included two international friendlies versus the United States U-15 squad.
Of particular note, Gale's squad includes 16 players from the academy programs of Canada's three Major League Soccer clubs. Alongside the six members of Whitecaps FC Residency, seven players from Toronto FC Academy were also selected, as were three players from Montreal Impact Academy.
Also travelling to Costa Rica as a member of Gale's coaching staff is Whitecaps FC goalkeeping coach Marius Rovde.
