Guatamala 2011: Canada U20s vs Guadaloupe Tonite

Canada has announced its roster for the upcoming CONCACAF Men’s Under-20 Championship in Ciudad Guatemala. With less than 48 hours before Canada’s opening match, coach Valerio Gazzola has selected his 20-player roster for the competition. This CONCACAF championship serves as the official qualification route for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Colombia 2011.

Canada’s preliminary round matches are 28 March against Guadeloupe (18.00 local / 20.00 ET / 17.00 PT) and 1 April against Costa Rica (18.00 local / 20.00 ET / 17.00 PT). The quarter-final matches are 5-6 April, the semi-final matches are 8 April, and the match for third place and championship final are 10 April. All matches will be broadcast live on CONCACAF.com. Fans can also follow the Canadian matches live via twitter.com/CanadaSoccerEN.

“We are ready to challenge for a FIFA U-20 World Cup spot,” said coach Gazzola. “The players are upbeat and ready to play.”

The Canadian squad features two returning players from the last championship in 2009 – goalkeeper Julien Latendresse Lévesque and midfielder Ethan Gage. Both players came up through Canada’s National Training Centres and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC residency program before joining pro clubs in Europe. Latendresse Lévesque now plays for FC Energie Cottbus in Germany while Gage plays for Reading FC in England.

Latendresse Lévesque has the added experience of representing Canada at a CONCACAF Men’s Under-17 Championship in 2007. Six other players on the 2011 squad represented Canada in 2009 at the CONCACAF Men’s Under-17 Championship, including 2009 captain Russell Teibert. While 2011 captain Gage is the reigning Canadian U-20 Player of the Year (2010), the young Teibert is a former two-time Canadian U-17 Player of the Year (2008, 2009).

Canadian clubs Impact Montréal, Toronto FC and Vancouver Whitecaps FC are all represented by players either on the first team or academy/residency squad. Along with Canada, players on this squad come from clubs in Germany, England, Hungary, Uruguay and USA.

While Canada, Costa Rica and Guadeloupe make up Group C of the competition, Cuba, Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago make up Group D. After the preliminary phase, the first- and second-place teams from each group will cross-over to meet in the quarter-final phase. CONCACAF Group A features Guatemala, Honduras and Jamaica while Group B features USA, Panama and Suriname. Winners of the quarter-final phase will qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Colombia 2011.

The only exception to the FIFA qualification scenario will be if Guadeloupe wins its quarter-final match. While Guadeloupe is an associate member of CONCACAF and eligible to win a CONCACAF championship, it is not a FIFA member and cannot qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup. As such, should Guadeloupe advance into the CONCACAF final four, the following qualification scenario for teams 5-8 (those teams that lose their quarter-final match) will determine the fourth FIFA qualifier:

1. The Quarter-Final loser which earned the most points in the Group Stage (Preliminary Round).

2. If more than one team is tied for the most number of points, then a drawing of lots will be used.

To date, Canada has qualified for seven FIFA U-20 World Cups, including five of the last seven biennial competitions. This year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup Colombia 2011 runs 29 July to 20 August.

View Canada U20 Roster