Hart sticks with veterans for Canada’s first two World Cup qualifiers

Atiba Hutchinson PHOTO: CANADA SOCCER

The Canadian men’s national-team lineup for its first two World Cup qualifiers will have an awfully familiar feel.

Instead of using the Sept. 2 home date at BMO Field with St. Lucia and the Sept. 6 match in Puerto Rico as an opportunity to try some new things, coach Stephen Hart elected to pick a squad that’s very similar to the one we saw at the Gold Cup, where Canada was eliminated at the group stage.

Sixteen of the 19 players named to the roster were part of the team at the Gold Cup. The most surprising addition? Canadian player of the year Atiba Hutchinson, who is just coming back from meniscus surgery — and who Hart had indicated last month would likely not get the call for the first couple of World Cup qualifiers. (SEE HERE)

The three non-Gold Cup call-ups? Striker Olivier Occean, who has scored three times in four games with his Bundesliga 2. side, SpVgg Greuther Furth, will represent Canada for the first time since a February friendly in Greece. Veteran striker Iain Hume, at Preston North End, was also drafted into the squad. And Chivas USA defender Ante Jazic comes in. The 35-year-old veteran last played for Canada in a January, 2010 friendly against Jamaica.

Occean and Hume come in to try and revitalize a Canadian team that could only score through Dwayne De Rosario at the Gold Cup. Striker Ali Gerba, who now isn’t playing much for the Montreal Impact, is one of the few odd men out from the Gold Cup squad.

Hart will address the media later Thursday.

CANADA ROSTER
1- GK- Lars Hirschfeld | NOR / Valerenga Fotball
2- D- Nik Ledgerwood | GER / SV Wehen Wiesbaden
3- M- Mike Klukowski | TUR / Manisaspor
4- CB- Kevin McKenna | GER / FC Köln
5- D- Andrew Hainault | USA / Houston Dynamo
6- M- Julian de Guzman | CAN / Toronto FC
7- M- Terry Dunfield | CAN / Toronto FC
8- M- Will Johnson | USA / Real Salt Lake
9- M/F- Tosaint Ricketts | ROM / FC Politehnica Timisoara
10- M- Simeon Jackson | ENG / Norwich City FC
11- M- Josh Simpson | TUR / Manisaspor
12- D- Ante Jazic | USA / Chivas USA
13- M- Atiba Hutchinson | NED / PSV Eindhoven
14- F- Dwayne De Rosario | USA / DC United
15- D- Dejan Jakovic | USA / DC United
16- F- Olivier Occean | GER / SpVgg Greuther Fürth
17- M/F- Iain Hume | ENG / Preston North End FC
20- D- Jaime Peters | ENG / Ipswich Town FC
22- GK- Milan Borjan | TUR / Sivasspor