Canada MNT to face Mauritania on Thursday

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Canada Soccer – Canada MNT to face Mauritania on Thursday

5 October 2016

Canada will face Mauritania in a Men’s International Friendly match this Thursday 6 October. The 2016 match will be played at the Grand Stade de Marrakech with a 20.00 local kick off.

The Thursday international match will be broadcast live on CanadaSoccer.com at 15.00 ET / 12.00 PT.

The Mauritania-Canada match in Morocco was originally scheduled for Friday, but it was moved to Thursday 6 October in order not to coincide with the country’s general election. The Thursday match will be followed by a Morocco-Canada match on Tuesday 11 October at 20.00 local / 15.00 ET / 12.00 PT.

“This first match will allow us to re-engage the players in the spirit of competition,” said Michael Findlay, Canada Soccer’s Men’s National Team Interim Head Coach. “It will be important for us to gain a good understanding of what we expect moving forward.”

Players have arrived in Marrakech from their clubs over the last few days. The Canadian squad features a good mix of veterans and youth. There are 10 players aged 24 of younger including Anthony Jackson-Hamel who hopes to make his debut during his first camp with the Men’s National Team.

“We know this group of players, but we are looking to bridge them into the next level,” said Findlay. “These matches allow us to assess and evaluate our talent moving forward and see how the younger players integrate into the group.”

While Jackson-Hamel hopes to make his debut, the three youngest players in camp – Marco Bustos (20), Jordan Hamilton (20) and Fraser Aird (21) – all hope to make their second appearance at the international level.

Alongside the youngsters, Tosaint Ricketts is the most experienced player in the squad with 52 international appearances (12 goals, three assists). Both Marcel de Jong and Simeon Jackson have 47 appearances each.

In form at the club level, Scott Arfield arrives from Burnley in England’s Premier League. He leads Canada with three assists this year.

Said Findlay, “it is an essential part of the Men’s National Team’s player development strategy to have our veterans provide assistance and experiential guidance on and off the field of play to the younger players who are in the early stages of their international career.”

This marks Canada’s first trip to Africa since November 2007 and their first match against an African opponent since a 1:1 draw with Ghana in October 2015 in Washington, DC USA.

Mauritania have posted two wins, two draws, and one loss in five international matches in 2016. Canada last played Mauritania in a two-match series in September 2013.

Over the last two years, Canada have posted a record of eight wins, seven draws, and six losses in 21 international matches.

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