Toronto FC keeper Greg Sutton is expected to contend for the starting role on the Canadian men's national team. (Ian Barrett/Canadian Press)

Dale Mitchell has some difficult decisions to make in the coming days.

What formation will he put on the field? Who will start at striker? How will he motivate his squad to play St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the 147th-ranked team in the world, after his side took No. 2 Brazil to the limit?

These are just some of the key questions Mitchell, head coach of the Canadian men's national soccer team, will have to answer as Canada prepares to take on St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sunday in the all-important first leg of its preliminary World Cup qualifying series.

But one of the most critical decisions Mitchell will have to make is in goal. The choice of a starting goalkeeper could be the difference between an expected semifinal berth and a crushing early exit from the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers.

Deep pool keeps goalies on edge

Mitchell has a plethora of quality goalkeepers at his disposal — an embarrassment of riches — that will make his decision that much harder.

Pat Onstad of Major League Soccer's Houston Dynamo is the most experienced with 53 appearances for Canada. He started the vast majority of Canada's games during the qualifying campaign for the 2006 World Cup, and the Vancouver native was solid in Canada's recent 3-2 loss to Brazil.

Toronto FC's Greg Sutton started in Canada's 2-2 draw with Panama on June 4. The lanky and athletic shot-stopper was the starting goalkeeper at last year's CONCACAF Gold Cup before a concussion in practice forced him out of action.

Lars Hirschfeld has started recent friendlies against Estonia, South Africa, Costa Rica and Bermuda. The Edmonton native saw the majority of the action in goal after the retirement of Craig Forrest in 2002 and had a spectacular performance later that year at the Gold Cup, earning the honour of the tournament's best goalkeeper.

Throw in Kenny Stamatopoulos, Josh Wagenaar and Asmir Begovic — each with experience at the senior, Olympic or under-20 levels — and Mitchell has plenty of options now and in the future.

Each goalkeeper brings different strengths to the squad.

While Onstad offers veteran savvy and experience playing in big games for the Dynamo, Sutton is a physical presence in goal with his reach and height.

"I bring my experience and I'm vocal in organizing the back," Onstad told CBCSports.ca. "Lars is more acrobatic and Greg uses his size to block shots."

'Mr. Fantastic' searches for consistency

Sutton's style has resulted in some Toronto FC fans honouring him with a Mr. Fantastic banner at BMO Field - a tribute to the Marvel Comics character of Fantastic Four fame that fights crime with his ability to stretch and contort his body to reach objects.

"One of the differences [between me and the others] is the aerial game," Sutton said. "Consistency is the key and I have to limit the mistakes."

Houston Dynamo goalie Pat Onstad seems to get better with age. The 40-year-old national team veteran could earn the title of Canada's No. 1 keeper going into CONCACAF World Cup qualifying this weekend. (Michael Dwyer/Associated Press)

Despite the competition, the camaraderie among the goalkeepers is strong.

"Greg and I have been around for a while and we have good respect for one another," Onstad said. "We each bring something different."

"We've got a good camaraderie," Sutton said. "We're all competitors. We all have strengths and weaknesses, and everyone's different depending on the way the guys are playing."

Paul Dolan, Canada's goalkeeper coach, believes Onstad, Sutton and Hirschfeld are all outstanding in their own right.

"Pat's strength is his experience and game management," said Dolan, who was in goal for Canada in its only World Cup appearance in 1986. "Greg is great in the air and Lars is powerful."

Onstad could have edge

Given the significance of this series, the experience and game management factors may give Onstad the edge over Sutton.

Regardless of the decision, Mitchell may take solace in the fact that Canada has had a long tradition of relatively strong goalkeeping over the last 15 years. While Canada has often struggled to score, the two constants have usually been a bend-but-don't-break defence and strong play in goal.

The performances of Dolan, Forrest and Onstad kept Canada in many games and helped Canada eke out key victories.

Forrest, considered by many as the greatest goalkeeper Canada has ever produced, saved two penalty kicks in Canada's memorable run to the 2000 Gold Cup championship. In that tournament, Forrest captured the MVP award and the Most Valuable Goalkeeper honour.

Onstad is aware of the tradition and Forrest's heroics, but doesn't feel any pressure heading into the critical series.

"Craig was the most successful goalkeeper and Paul led Canada to the World Cup," Onstad said. "I can't compare myself to Craig. I'm still playing professional and proud of my successful achievements. We know [what's at stake] but we encourage each other."

Mitchell hopes the tradition continues June 15.