Canada throw bench at Jamaica

[Twan]

With nothing but pride on the line, Canada’s coach Dale Mitchell decided to inject some youth into his lineup for Wednesday's World Cup qualifying game against Jamaica, according to GLOBESPORTS.com.

"Given the fact the game doesn't mean that much to us, the motivation is something we were concerned about," Mitchell told Globesports.com. "With that in mind, a lot of the players that have been called are players with maybe a little less experience.

"It's a good chance for them to show that they have what it takes to participate in a real game, and a real qualifier, and hopefully be a part of the future."

Among the talent Mitchell is anxious to watch is Simeon Jackson, a 21-year-old midfielder from Mississauga, Ont., who is looking to play his first game for the national team. Also on the roster is David Edgar, 21, a defender from Kitchener, and goaltender Asmir Begovic, 21, of Edmonton, both Canadian U-20 players of the year

Also on the roster is defender-midfielder Marcel de Jong, 22, of Newmarket, Ont., and defender Kevin Harmse, 24, of Vancouver, who both played in Canada's 2-2 draw with Mexico Oct. 15 in Edmonton.

"It would be nice to see if they can continue," said Mitchell. "There are going to be others who get the opportunity in the match as well. To be honest, I wish I had a bit more time with them because we would get a better idea in training."

Among the veterans on the team is captain Paul Stalteri, who will earn his 74th cap, third most in Canadian Soccer Association history, and goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld, 30, of Edmonton.

One player not on the roster is Dwayne De Rosario of the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer. The veteran midfielder did not play in the game against Mexico after being quoted as wondering why Mitchell was given the national team job after leading Canada's U-20 squad to a winless performance at last year's's world championship.

Mitchell said he had spoken to De Rosario about playing in the Jamaica game, but at the time the Dynamo were involved in the MLS playoffs. Since then Houston was upset by the New York Red Bulls.

"We did have a conversation about if (his) team was eliminated would this be a good time to come back in," said Mitchell. "At the end of the day we decided it's best the younger players get the opportunity in this game and leave it at that until we get together again in the new year."

Iain Hume had been selected to the squad before suffering a skull fracture in a Barnsley-Sheffield derby last Saturday in England. Patrice Bernier, Julian de Guzman and Adrian Serioux were all unavailable due to injuries. Michael Klukowski and Tomasz Radzinski were unavailable due to suspensions.

The game, to be played in Kingston, Jamaica, will be the final match of the year for the national men's team and there are questions if Mitchell will be the coach when the team gathers again in 2009, according to the website.

"I'm sure the media will be notified if anything is going to change in that regard," Mitchell told a telephone conference call Friday.

"My concern is with the game on Wednesday. All my focus is on that. After Wednesday we start to look forward. I enjoy the position I have. I enjoy the challenge. I think it's fairly safe to say I would like to continue."

Canada has a 0-3-2 record heading into the match against Jamaica and has no chance to advance into the next round of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
That resulted in players like Jim Brennan and De Rosario criticizing Mitchell.
With that in mind, Mitchell decided to have a look at some of his younger players.

Mitchell said the whole process has been a learning experience.

"I'm disappointed like everybody else about one thing, that we won't be playing (World Cup qualifying) in 2009" he said. "I feel like the team is among the six best teams in CONCACAF. We weren't able to put two of the also six best teams in CONCACAF behind us during the qualifying process.

"I think there are certain things that happen and some things will catch you a little bit by surprise."

Canada will arrive in Jamaica Sunday and begin training on Monday.

[OJ]

be careful though.. I dont rate David Edgar but he does play for newcastle and was captain of the u20s.. Simeon is a yardie and is a very good player. The absence of Deguzman an Atiba are big deals... We still should not take anythig for ganted.

[OJ]

A series of unfortunate events led me to the situation where I had no choice but to abandon tact and ask Dale Mitchell if the result on Wednesday against Jamaica would dictate his future as coach of the men's national team.

To start, I was late for the 3 p.m. ET conference call. A few questions had already been asked and I had no idea if any of them addressed Mitchell's future. So I fired the question I had planned to ask in the No. 3 or No. 4 spot.

Truthfully, I felt bad about it; and expressed to Mitchell that I was sorry for the abrupt line of questioning. But what lies ahead for Mitchell as coach of a team heavy with expectations is the only concern on the minds of Canadian soccer fans. Nobody wants to know the finer details of the planned preparation for Jamaica.

In an annoyed voice Mitchell spoke up: "I'm sure the media will be notified if anything is going to change in that regard."

It could have been much worse. As a relative newbie on the Canadian soccer scene the coach had every right to tell me where to stick my No. 3 question. But he didn't; and for that I must applaud the coach. Through everything Mitchell has always made time to answer questions. But while I recovered to ask a few more questions it occurred to me that maybe Mitchell should have taken the out and said he was finished with the team.

In August I wrote with great excitement how it didn't matter that our Olympic athletes were not winning medals in Beijing because our men's national team was about to embark on a memorable World Cup qualification run.

Then came the opening draw to Jamaica and three subsequent losses to Honduras (twice) and Mexico.

On Friday I looked up and down the list of players named for the fifth and final qualification match and wondered who most of them were. In two short months Canada went from a team with the widely acclaimed best midfield in CONCACAF to a team ready to allow Simeon Jackson, Sandro Grande, Chris Williams and Nik Ledgerwood run the show.

Julian De Guzman, Dwayne de Rosario and Atiba Hutchinson are nowhere to be found. Not to mention Mitchell's logic was that with nothing to play for the young players will not need to be motivated.

"We (Mitchell and De Rosario) did have a conversation about if (his) team was eliminated would this be a good time to come back in," said Mitchell of the De Rosario absence. "At the end of the day we decided it's best the younger players get the opportunity in this game and leave it at that until we get together again in the new year."

Read between the lines, outside the lines or above the lines and you will get the same answer: De Rosario will not be back if Mitchell is the man on the sidelines when the Gold Cup rolls around next summer. It is impossible; the words of the midfielder in the wake of Canada's loss to Mexico cannot be taken back.

"I don't know how someone who coached the under-20s to not score a goal in the World Cup was put in charge of the national team," said De Rosario at the time.

Mitchell may be a victim of circumstance or even unreachable expectations, but he is also a 20-year veteran of international soccer and must realize that glazing over the disappointment with rhetoric is no longer an option.