The Canadian Soccer Association announced on Monday that a team-high seven Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency players have been named to an upcoming Canadian men’s U-16 national team camp in Panama. The team arrives into Panama City on Monday, September 29 and go right into training the following day.
Among the players called up are defenders Matthew Baldisimo and Kadin Chung; midfielders Duwayne Ewart, David Norman and Munir Saleh; and strikers Terran Campbell and Daniel Sagno.
With qualifying for the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup coming up fast on the horizon, the players hoping to suit up for Canada are on their way to Central America to get a taste of the kind of opposition they’ll face at the 2015 CONCACAF U-17 Championships.
Head coach Sean Fleming, who is hoping to guide Canada back to their third straight U-17 World Cup, has called up 18 players into the camp in Panama City as Canada will see action against some quality CONCACAF opposition.
“It is great to get the players together again for three quality matches in a CONCACAF environment,” said Fleming. “It will be very challenging as we have little time before our first match but the games will provide great tests for the players to solidify their spot on the squad.”
Their first of the three games is against the host Panamanian team on Wednesday, October 1. Two days later they’ll take on the United States on Friday, October 3, before wrapping up the action on Sunday, October 5 against Costa Rica.
“We will be trying some new players in different combinations,” Fleming explained. “It is another step in getting the squad ready for Honduras in February.”
The 2015 CONCACAF U-17 Championships will take place in San Pedro Sula, Honduras from February 27 until March 14. Canada will be vying for one of four spots that will be available for the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup that will take place in Chile from October 17 to November 8.
GK- Brogan Engbers | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
GK- Matthew Nogueira | POR / S.L. Benfica
D- Matthew Baldisimo | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
D- Gabriel Boakye | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
D- Kadin Chung | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
D- Andrew Dias | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
D- Kosovar Sadiki | CAN / Kitchener SC
D- Julian Takagi-Stewart | CAN / Crossfire Premier Academy
M- Munir Saleh | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
M- David Norman | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
M- Duwayne Ewart | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
M- Luca Ricci | CAN / Académie Impact de Montréal
M- Kevin Timachy | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
M- Jordan Montoya | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
M- Tristan Borges | CAN / West Toronto Cobras
F- Malik Johnson | CAN / Toronto FC Academy
F- Terran Campbell | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
F- Daniel Sagno | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency
