Canadian coach Dale Mitchell will juggle his lineup for Wednesday's game against Panama. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)The Canadian national soccer team is brimming with confidence after giving Brazil a run for its money.
Canada gave Brazil all it could handle in an exhibition match in Seattle last Saturday, and walked away with a moral victory despite dropping a 3-2 decision to the South American powerhouse.
Canada will try to build on that strong performance when it takes on Panama Wednesday night in an international friendly in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Injuries and player absences will force Canadian coach Dale Mitchell to juggle his lineup for Wednesday's game.
Midfielder Dwayne De Rosario and goalkeeper Pat Onstad both returned to their Major League Soccer team, the Houston Dynamo, after the Brazil game. Toronto FC defender Jim Brennan and forward Ali Gerba, who plays for German club FC Ingolstadt, have been added to the roster.
Mitchell will also be without influential midfielder Julian de Guzman, who scored a goal against Brazil. De Guzman returned to Toronto for treatment after suffering a leg injury in the Brazil game.
"He's been checked out by medical people in Toronto," Mitchell told the Canadian Press on Tuesday. "We don't have a detailed report. My understanding right now is it's not that serious an injury. We hope he will be joining the team when we get back together on June 8."
Panama an up-and-coming rival
Canada and Panama are tied for 60th in the most recent FIFA world rankings, released Wednesday, and Mitchell expects a tough outing.
"They are an up-and-coming CONCACAF country," said Mitchell. "They are preparing for [World Cup] qualifying like ourselves. They have an athletic team that is on the rise."
Wednesday's contest serves as a final tuneup for Canada before it takes on St. Vincent and the Grenadines in its first qualifying match for the 2010 World Cup. The two teams will meet in a two-game playoff — June 15 in Kingstown, June 20 in Montreal — with the winner advancing to the next round of the CONCACAF qualifiers.
Mitchell will name his 18-player roster for the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines series after the Panama match, so players have one last chance to impress the coach.
"I want to see some of the guys I didn't see for very long against Brazil," Mitchell said. "We've seen these guys in training. We want to give them an international game because that's the best way to judge.
"It won't be easy because there is a good squad of players within Canada now. We are going to have a few tough choices to make. We're confident we are going to have a good group. There will be some people outside the 18-man initial roster that will play a part in the qualifying process if it goes as long as we hope it will."
Canada's men's national team is looking to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1986.
With files from the Canadian Press
