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Canada Para Soccer squad announced for World Cup

By Staff, 07/03/19, 5:00PM EDT

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Five athletes from Ontario called to the 12 player squad who will compete in Spain from July 7 to 19.

Play. Inspire. Unite. 

Canada Soccer have announced their roster for the IFCPF World Cup Sevilla 2019 to be played in Spain from 7 to 19 July. Para Soccer coach Drew Ferguson has selected 12 players for the international competition with a promise of six international matches across 13 days.
 
“Our goal will be to finish second in our group with Russia our toughest opponent, but it will be a big task for our young players against Netherlands in that fight for second place,” said Drew Ferguson, Canada Soccer’s Para Soccer Head Coach.
 
Canada will open against Netherlands on Sunday 7 July (19.00 local / 13.00 ET / 10.00 PT) before facing group favourites Russia on Tuesday 9 July (11.00 local) and then Thailand on 11 July (19.00 local). All the matches will be streamed live via the competition’s official website sevillaworldcup2019.com. Extended match day coverage is featured across Canada Soccer’s digital channels including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Fans are encouraged to follow our Para Soccer National Team every step of the way by using their social media handle, #CanPara.
 
At 24 years and five months, Canada’s 2019 roster is one of the youngest they have ever taken to a global competition. While veterans Damien Wojtiw (37 years) and Dustin Hodgson (35) are the oldest in the squad, the bulk of Canada’s international experience is in the hands of players 21 or younger: Samuel Charron (21), Nicholas Heffernan (20) and Duncan McDonald (18).
 
Hodgson is Canada’s all-time leader with 77 international appearances while Wojtiw ranks 10th with 25 appearances, which is a record for goalkeepers. Despite his young age, Charron already ranks third all-time with 43 appearances while Heffernan has made 29 and McDonald has made 19 for Canada.
 
Along with those five, Lucas Bruno and Raji Kamoun are the other two players with international experience at a World Championship while Diego Gilbert, William Scott and Ryan Watson were all part of the team that participated at last year’s Copa América in Ecuador. Daniel White and Joel Wilson are both taking part in their first major competition at Sevilla.
 
Beyond the three-match group phase, eight nations advance to the Quarterfinals (two from each group) and eight nations advance to the seeding phase (to rank teams nine through 16). The championship final is 19 July.
 
CANADA
Bruno, Lucas | 22 | Calgary, AB, CAN
Charron, Samuel | 21 | Ottawa, ON, CAN
Gilbert, Diego | 18 | Toronto, ON, CAN
Heffernan, Nicholas | 20 | London, ON, CAN

Hodgson, Dustin | 35 | Vancouver, BC, CAN
Kamoun, Raji | 26 | Montréal, QC, CAN
McDonald, Duncan | 18 | Powell River, BC, CAN
Scott, William | 24 | Calgary, AB, CAN
Watson, Ryan | 20 | Montréal, QC, CAN
White, Danny | 16 | Kitchener, ON, CAN
Wilson, Joel | 31 | Victoria, BC, CAN
Wojtiw, Damien | 37 | Toronto, ON, CAN