Toronto FC goalkeeper Greg Sutton has been called up by the Canadian national team.Toronto FC goalkeeper Greg Sutton has been called up by the Canadian national team. (Ian Barrett/Canadian Press)

Toronto FC defender Jim Brennan and goalkeeper Greg Sutton were named Thursday to the Canadian national men's senior soccer team that will face Brazil and Panama in a pair of exhibition contests.

Brennan and Sutton were included in Canadian coach Dale Mitchell's 23-man roster, and are joined by other Major League Soccer players such as goalkeeper Pat Onstad and midfielder Dwayne De Rosario (of the Houston Dynamo), Adrian Serioux (FC Dallas) and Ante Jazic (Los Angeles Galaxy).

Canada faces Brazil in Seattle on May 31 and Panama in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on June 4. The exhibition games will serve as a tuneup for Canada's first World Cup qualifying matches, a two-game series against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines on June 15 (on the road) and June 20 (in Montreal).

Canada will begin a training camp on Sunday in Seattle.

"Our first game against Brazil will be a big occasion, but both matches will be invaluable in helping us to assess and prepare for our main focus, which is the qualifying process that begins next month against Saint Vincent and Grenadines," said Mitchell.

Canada needs to win the two-game playoff in order to advance to the next round of CONCACAF qualifiers and keep alive its hopes of earning a berth at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Brazil is No. 2 in the current FIFA world rankings, while Panama is No. 67; Canada is tied with Bosnia-Herzegovina for 62nd.

Earlier this month, Brazilian coach Dunga named a host of European-based stars to his 25-man roster, including AC Milan playmaker Kaka, midfielders Gilberto Silva (Arsenal) and Anderson (Manchester United), and forwards Luis Fabiano (Sevilla), Robinho (Real Madrid) and Alexandre Pato (AC Milan).

Canada sports an 0-1-2 record against Brazil, earning a 0-0 draw at the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup in Japan, and battling to a 1-1 stalemate in Edmonton in 1994.

TEAM CANADA ROSTER

Goalkeepers: Lars Hirschfeld, Pat Onstad, Greg Sutton, Joshua Wagenaar

Defenders: Jim Brennan, Adrian Cann, Paul Stalteri, Ante Jazic, Andre Hainault, Richard Hastings, Mike Klukowski

Midfielders: Dwayne De Rosario, Patrice Bernier, Julian de Guzman, Atiba Hutchinson, Marcel de Jong, Issey Nakajima-Farran, Adrian Serioux, Tam Nsaliwa

Forwards: Rob Friend, Ali Gerba, Tomasz Radzinski, Jaime Peters