Vancouver Whitecaps FC midfielder/striker
Nizar Khalfan
has been called up to the Tanzanian national team for their 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match at home to Morocco on Saturday, October 9.
The 22-year-old featured last month for the East African nation, as they claimed a very creditable 1-1 draw away to another North African powerhouse in Algeria. The result gave them one point to open their qualifying campaign in Group D, with the October 9 contest being Tanzania's last qualifier of the year. The 'Taifa Stars' will play Central African Republic in March 2011.
The top team in each of the 11 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying groups will reach 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.
During the 2010 Whitecaps FC season, Khalfan scored two goals and recorded two assists in 18 appearances for 1,152 minutes of action. At the USSF D-2 Pro League roster freeze on September 3, the midfielder/striker was loaned to Vancouver's United Soccer Leagues (USL) Premier Development League (PDL) squad for the remainder of the 2010 season.
Click here to view Tanzania's squad for their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier versus Morocco.
