The Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) announced today that five members of Vancouver Whitecaps FC Residency have been selected to Canada's squad for the 2011 CONCACAF U-17 Championship.
Head coach Sean Fleming has included defenders Adam Polakiewicz and Daniel Stanese, as well as midfielders Bryce Alderson, Wesley Cain, and Matteo Pasquotti, in his 20-player squad for the tournament that takes place in Montego Bay, Jamaica, starting on Monday. All five players became members of the Residency program last September, with the quintet having taken part in a six-match tour of Mexico wit the full-time program last November.
They will look to help Canada qualify for their first FIFA U-17 World Cup since Ecuador 1995. Fleming's side have been drawn in Group D, where they will face Barbados on Thursday and Honduras on Saturday. Canada must finish first or second in Group D, in order to advance to the quarterfinals, where they face an opponent from Group C (Jamaica, Guatemala, Trinidad & Tobago) on Wednesday, February 23.
Should the Canadians win their quarterfinal contest, they will not only advance to the semifinals, but qualify as one of four nations for this summer's U-17 World Cup in Mexico. The semifinals are set for Friday, February 25, while the third-place match and championship game take place on Sunday, February 27.
