Stephen Hart Archive

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Nakajima-Farran, Piette the only real surprises on Canada roster

By
Steven Sandor
– 05/17/2012

Issey Nakajima-Farran, with Canada back in 2010, PHOTO: CANADA SOCCER

Canadian men’s national team coach Stephen Hart had been stating over and over not to expect too many surprises when he unveiled the roster for a June 3 friendly against the United States and two World Cup qualifiers to follow.

So, we shouldn’t be surprised that we weren’t surprised. For the most part, it’s a squad very similar to what we saw through the first phase of World Cup qualifying, which saw Canada eliminate St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis and Puerto Rico.

Of the 22 men named to the roster, only two — teenager Samuel Piette and veteran Issey Nakajima-Farran, who plays in Australia — would be considered eyebrow-raisers.

Piette, at 17, was a major part of Canada’s team at last year’s U-17 World Cup and the recent U-23 squad that came within one game of securing a berth at the London Olympics. He is reportedly close to a deal with Fortuna Dusseldorf, who earlier this week secured its return to the Bundesliga.
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Hart already dealing with injured players ahead of June WC qualifiers

By
Aman Dhanoa
– 05/10/2012

Simeon Jackson models the special-edition Canada jersey the team will wear for its June 3 centennial friendly against the U.S. So, Canada in blue, and the U.S. in red and white?

With the media room all neatly decorated at BMO Field the obvious focuses of Canadian Soccer Association’s Thursday press conference were its centennial celebrations and the unveiling of its limited-edition heritage kit.

But it didn’t take long for the media to dress down the event and ask the important questions about the men’s national team and its preparation for the World Cup qualifying campaign, which resumes in June.

The first challenge for national team coach Stephen Hart will be to select a provisional roster for a training camp to be held in Florida beginning on May 21. He has been impressed with a number of players, most notably Bundesliga 2. Star Olivier Occean, but he first has to rule out who is unavailable – either by choice or injury.

“There are some injury issues, unfortunately, and we will have a couple of players that cannot be part of the campaign,” said Hart. “Marcel de Jong is out and Jonathan Beaulieu-Bourgault is out and we’re waiting on some medical reports on two other players.”
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Chencinski has shutout streak broken in Swedish league play

By
Steven Sandor
– 04/15/2012

Canadian keeper Tomer Chencinski had his shutout streak broken in Swedish league play on Sunday.

Chencinski, who took over in goal for Orebro SK after Swedish veteran Jonas Sandqvist gave up four goals in the season opener, had posted two clean sheets in his first two matches.

Chencinski then posted another zero through the first 45 minutes of Sunday’s match against IFK Goteborg, but was victimized by Tobias Sana in the first-half injury time. The official time of the goal was 45:26, so add that to two games of shutout soccer and you get Chencinski’s clean-sheet streak to start his Swedish league career.
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Hart doesn’t foresee many changes to Canadian men’s national team lineup

By
Steven Sandor
– 04/12/2012

Stephen Hart

Don’t expect to see national men’s coach Stephen Hart experiment with his roster for Canada’s June 3 friendly against the United States and the subsequent World Cup qualifiers.

Hart said, at the senior level, there simply aren’t many players from which to choose.

“Not really, not anyone who has been playing consistently,” said Hart. In fact, the problem for Canada is getting enough players — as Hart pointed to the “scarce” player supply for the national team’s last few games. (Even though, to be fair, when Canada picks from both MLS and European-based players, which it doesn’t do for many friendlies, the supply is there.)

So, expect to see a Canadian squad this summer that’s very similar to the team we saw breeze through the preliminary round of World Cup qualifiers, beating out the Caribbean minnows on its way to this next round. After the U.S. friendly, Canada must then finish top-two in a group that includes Cuba, Honduras and Panama in order to make it to the hex.
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Canadian Player of the month Occean scores again in Germany

By
Steven Sandor
– 03/03/2012

Olivier Occean

Olivier Occean celebrated being named Canadian Player of the Month by helping SpVgg Greuther Furth pad its lead atop the Bundesliga 2.

The Canadian striker scored the opening and winning goal in the 78th minute Saturday, tapping home a cross from teammate Felix Klaus, as SpVgg Greuther Furth defeated MSV Duisburg 2-0.

For Occean, it was his 12th goal of the Bundesliga 2. season and, until the title chasers play later in the weekend, gave his club a four-point advantage at the top of the table.
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Hart on loss to Armenia: Canada looked “like a team that has not played in four months”

By
Gavin Day
– 02/29/2012

Kevin McKenna: Opening goal

More than anything, members of the Canadian men’s soccer team were just happy that they got a game together.

Playing for the first time since the second round of World Cup qualifying ended back in November, Canada dropped a 3-1 decision to Armenia in a game at the Tsirion Stadium in Limassol, Cyprus.

“I’m glad we played the game,” said Stephen Hart who was less than happy with the game overall. “The first half, we did OK for about the opening 30 minutes of the game and then it was a matter of keeping proper possession of the ball and basically giving them the chances that they had.”

That good start led Canada to jump out to an early lead. Julian de Guzman lofted a corner kick in from the left side and team captain Kevin McKenna rose well to head
home in just the fifth minute of play.

After that goal, however, the Armenians started to take control of the game and generate quality chances of their own.
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Hart’s Canadian side besieged by hail, rain in Cyprus

By
Steven Sandor
– 02/28/2012

Stephen Hart

In his time as Canadian national men’s team coach, Stephen Hart has had to struggle with European club coaches who don’t want to release their players, players who refuse to represent Canada and the difficulty of bringing players from far-flung spots in the world for Canadian games and camps.

But, on Tuesday, he added Mother Nature to his list of adversaries.

The skies opened up in Cyprus Tuesday, bring a mix of rain and hail — forcing Canada to adjust its training routine ahead of tomorrow’s friendly with Armenia.

“There was a fair amount of hail,” said Hart in a conference call. “And you have to wait until the hail melts before you can go out on the field, or else someone can roll an ankle.”
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Hart claws and scratches with clubs so he can put together small 17-player Canadian roster

By
Steven Sandor
– 02/23/2012

Samuel Piette: Teen gets the call

When the Canadian men’s national team faces Armenia next Wednesday in Cyprus, it will bring a squad of just 17 players. Meanwhile, the Armenians will bring 31 players.

And, Canadian coach Stephen Hart admitted in a conference call Thursday that he had to scramble to ensure that he got as many as 17 players committed to the roster for the friendly.

“Putting the team together was extremely difficult,” said Hart. “Injuries are one thing, having do deal with clubs that are in promotion fights or whatever. It’s been very difficult.”

So tough, in fact, that some of the clubs had asked Hart what time on the 29th that Canada was scheduled to play Armenia, so they could make sure that they would release their players exactly 48 hours before the match as stipulated in FIFA regulations.
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How the CSA can fix its WCQ public-relations mess

By
Steven Sandor
– 02/04/2012

In the wake of Thursday’s announcement that Toronto will host Canada’s next three World Cup home qualifiers — and will also get the June friendly with the United States — message boards and Twitter have been filled with our country’s soccer fans at each other’s virtual throats.

Where there should be a push to support the national team, there is bitterness.

The Canadian Soccer Association has a public-relations nightmare on its hands. And that’s what this column will address. The CSA badly underestimated the regional divides in Canada, and the announcement picked at those scabs rather than acting as something that would unite fans from coast-to-coast.
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BMO Field gets clean sweep of Canadian men’s national team matches

By
Aman Dhanoa
– 02/03/2012

Canada's new Umbro kits

The Canadian Soccer Association held a special event at a swanky downtown Toronto restaurant, dressing up the occasion for the unveiling of its new Umbro kits and celebration of its centenary year. But the expected “news” that was to be announced at the town hall proceedings beforehand simply confirmed what The 11 had already reported earlier in the week – Canada will play all three of its CONCACAF World Cup qualifying matches at BMO Field.

On Tuesday it was learned that the Ontario Soccer Association had asked its league members to not play league games during Canada’s WCQ dates. It was also communicated that all the focus should be placed on the men’s national team and national team matches to be played at BMO Field. Adding the two together and it was apparent that the CSA was going to again hold the matches in Toronto.

Canada will host Honduras on June 12, Panama on Sept. 7 and Cuba on Oct. 12.  
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