Floro’s first Canadian test: Beat Mauritania! By Steven Sandor Posted on August 16, 2013 1 0 951 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Benito Floro Walking before they run. That’s the Canadian strategy as the men’s program rebuilds. That would be the basic explanation on the selection of Canada’s next international opponent. The first two games the men’s national team will play under the watch of new head coach Benito Floro will see Mauritania, currently ranked No. 151 in the world, providing the opposition. The Canadian Soccer Association announced Friday that the Canadian national team will hold a camp Sept. 1-11 in Valencia, Spain. Floro will have the luxury of having the camp at home in Spain as he assesses what he has at his disposal. Canada will play Mauritania on Sept. 8 and 10 in Spain. Mauritania’s ranking was as low as No. 206 in the world, a depth it hit just last December. But thanks to a recent 2-0 win over Senegal, Mauritania has qualified for the 2014 African Nations Championship (CHAN) and risen up the rankings. CHAN is a tournament that features African national sides that are only made up of players from each country’s domestic teams. A CHAN-eligible national team can’t recall players from Europe or MLS, for example, for this tourney. It can’t even recruit players playing in other African nations. Imagine if Canada could only use players from Toronto FC, the Whitecaps, Impact and FC Edmonton. So, the CHAN format allows countries like Mauritania to be more competitive against the likes of Senegal.
