Canada v. Jamaica: World Cup 2010 Qualifying Preview

Canada starts the next stage in its bid to earn a berth in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa with a match against the Reggae Boyz of Jamaica on Wednesday in Toronto.

The Canadian team, announced last week, is perhaps the strongest we've ever managed to assemble:

Goalkeepers: Pat Onstad (Houston Dynamo); Greg Sutton (Toronto FC)

Defenders: Paul Stalteri (Tottenham Hotspur); Jim Brennan (Toronto FC); Mike Klukowski (Club Brugge); Kevin McKenna (FC Koln); Richard Hastings (Inverness Caledonian Thistle); Adrian Serioux (FC Dallas)

Midfielders: Daniel Imhof (VfL Bochum); Julian de Guzman (Deportivo La Coruna); Issey Nakajima-Farran (FC Nordsjlland); Atiba Hutchinson (FC Copenhagen); Patrice Bernier (FC Nordsjlland); Tomasz Radzinski (Skoda Xanthi); Dwayne De Rosario (Houston Dynamo)

Forwards: Ali Gerba (MK Dons); Rob Friend (Borussia Moenchengladbach); Iain Hume (Barnsley)

Canada looks strongest in midfield, with the likes of De Rosario, De Guzman, Radzinski and Hutchinson. The forwards, particularly Gerba and Friend will also play a big factor in Canada's success. Defence is a weak spot with no true centre backs named in the squad.

For Jamaica:

Goalkeepers: Donovan Ricketts (Bradford City); Shawn Sawyers (Portmore United)

Defenders: Tyrone Marshall (Toronto FC); Ian Goodison (Tranmere Rovers); Keneil Moodie (Seba United); O'Brian Woodbine (Reno); Demar Stewart (Chengdu Blades); Jermaine Taylor (Harbour View); Demar Phillips (Stoke City)

Midfielders: Davion Thorpe (Reno); Evan Taylor (Reno); Rudolph Austin (Stoke City); Jevaughn Watson (Sporting Central); Jermaine Hue (Harbour View); Ricardo Gardner (Bolton Wanderers); Wolry Wolfe (Joe Public)

Forwards: Deon Burton (Sheffield Wednesday); Luton Shelton (Valerenga); Omar Cummings (Colorado Rapids); Andy Williams (Real Salt Lake)

The Jamaicans also look strong up front, with Shelton leading the team with five goals in the opening qualifying round. Their defence looks decent, with a couple England-based players and TFC's Tyrone Marshall (who is questionable for the match, having picked up a quadriceps injury). The midfield is mainly composed of domestic-based players and remains somewhat of an enigma for us non-Jamaicans. They will surely benefit from their familiarity with one another, but the star, Gardner, didn't feature for Bolton on the weekend.

Canada leads the series between the two nations with a record of 6 wins, 4 draws and only 2 losses over 12 games. Particularly telling is the Canadians' record at home, with 5 wins and a draw. The confines of BMO Field should only help with this fine home form.

The Jamaicans dominated their second round qualifier against the Bahamas, winning 13-0 on aggregate.

There will be no games in the so-called Group of Death (also including Honduras and Mexico) that Canada can take for granted. They should be looking for three points against Jamaica, but by no means should these points be considered automatic.

Rene Simoes, the Brazilian who had been in talks with the Canadian Soccer Association to take over after the departure of Frank Yallop last year, manages the Jamaicans and will certainly have the Reggae Boyz prepared for the match.

Canadian manager Dale Mitchell would be advised to make the best of his limited training time with the largely European-based side, to ensure the squad is organized and acclimatizing his players to the artificial pitch at BMO.

Canada's next match is in Montreal on Sept. 6, against Honduras.