2009 Gold Cup Preview: Pt.2 Squad Bio’s

Greg Sutton
Age:32
Position:GK
Apps:11
Goals:-
It was a comeback season for Greg Sutton in 2008. After suffering a head injury while with the Canadian National Team in 2007, Sutton played his last game for TFC on 05/26/08 and was unable to return. Putting in the time in the off-season was a big part of his resurgence in 2008, as the keeper came back stronger and mentally sharper. A candidate for team MVP last season, Sutton looked to continue his strong play in-between the posts in 2009 with two young keepers in Edwards and Frei waiting in the wings, but was released in June.

Joshua Wagenaar
Age:24
Position:GK
Apps:1
Goals:-
On 6 August 2008, after a successful trial, he officially signed for English League One side Yeovil Town to answer the club’s urgent need for a keeper. For the first 3 months of the season he was number 2 behind fellow Canadian Goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, but since his loan ended he has played every game including getting in the League One Team of the Week against Southend. He made his international debut in a friendly against Hungary on November 15, 2006.

Kenny Stamatopolous
Age:29
Position:GK
Apps:5
Goals:-
Kenny is a native of Markham Ontario, but was born in Kalamata, Greece. Stamatopoulos has been capped five times for Canada. His most recent international match was in a friendly vs. Jamaica on 10/8, 2006

Adrian Cann
Age:28
Position:DF
Apps:1
Goals:0
Adrian Cann currently plays for the Esbjerg of the Danish Superliga. Cann had a distinguished college soccer career at the University of Louisville from 2000 to 2003. Cann immediately earned a place in the Cardinals’ starting lineup as a freshman, starting 20 games for the team, and was named to first-team All-Conference USA. Recently played for the Vancouver Whitecaps.

Mike Klukowski
Age:28
Position:DF
Apps:15
Goals:0
Klukowski began his career in Canada playing for the Oshawa Kicks and Scarborough Blues FC, before travelling across the Atlantic to link up with Dijon FCO in 1999. A move to Tourcoing FC followed the next year before his performances caught the attentions of Ligue 1 outfit LOSC Lille Métropole whom he joined in 2001. After representing Canada at the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship in Argentina, Klukowski made the step up to the senior side in March 2003.

Andre Hainault
Age:23
Position:DF
Apps:14
Goals:1
Hainault began his professional career with Montreal Impact in the USL First Division in 2004, and played three competitive games for the team prior to signing with Czech side SIAD Most. Hainault played 46 games for Most in the Gambrinus liga and the Czech 2. Liga, and spent a brief time on loan with Sparta Prague before returning to North America.
Houston Dynamo announced on April 14, 2009 that it has secured Hainault’s international transfer certificate. Hainault scored his first international goal against Honduras in a 3-1 loss.

Kevin McKenna
Age:29
Position:DF
Apps:36
Goals:9
McKenna moved to Scottish Premier League team Hearts in 2001 on loan, playing 8 games for the Edinburgh club. After a £300,000 transfer that summer, McKenna was the club’s second leading scorer in the 2001-02 season with 9 goals in 35 games. As a mostly reserve striker in 2002-03, McKenna scored 6 in 41. He also scored 5 goals in 38 games in 2003-04. After falling out of favour at Hearts in 2005, McKenna returned to Energie Cottbus. He was elected as the club’s new captain after the departure of former skipper Gregg Berhalter. In the summer of 2007, McKenna signed a 4-year contract with 1.FC Köln. His last goal was scored in 2005 against Honduras.

Paul Staltieri
Age:31
Position:DF
Apps:74
Goals:7
Stalteri has been a regular with the Canadian national team for several years since making his debut in August 17, 1997 against Iran. He has a total of 74 caps, and has scored seven goals for the national team. He was named team captain for a friendly on 1 June 2007 against Venezuela, and has remained captain for each of the seven international fixtures played since then, including the entirety of the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Staltieri will captain Canada at this years Gold Cup.

Richard Hastings
Age:32
Position:DF
Apps:48
Goals:1
An international player since 1998, Hastings’ only international goal was the golden goal in Canada’s 2-1 win over Mexico in the quarterfinal of the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup, a tournament Canada went on to win. Hastings was named Rookie of the Tournament. He was also in the squad for the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2007 playing in a central-defence position and was also named in the “Team of the Tournament” line-up. Hastings is currently the only international capped player who plays for Inverness Caledonian Thistle

Dejan Jakovic
Age:23
Position:DF
Apps:1
Goals:0
akovic took up association football in Canada. He was a four-year letterwinner at Scarlett Heights Academy, and was named team MVP as a junior and senior, captaining both indoor and outdoor teams. He played in the Canadian national youth program, and also for two-time Ontario Cup winner Woodbridge Strikers under Bob Graham. He was a member of the team that competed at the 2004 Dallas Cup, played with former UAB teammate Lukasz Kwapisz. Jakovic made his debut for senior Canadian men’s soccer team on January 30, 2008 against Martinique. Later in 2008 he earned five caps for the Canada U-23 squad in the 2008 CONCACAF Men’s Pre-Olympic Tournament, during which Canada finished third, one place out of qualification.

Chris Pozniak
Age:28
Position:DF
Apps:21
Goals:0
Pozniak has been capped by Canada at the U20, U23, and senior levels. He competed in the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship in Argentina. His first senior level cap for Canada came in the 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup against Haiti as a late game substitute. He has since earned a total of 21 caps and become an important contributing member for Canada’s squad[6]. Pozniak has recently been called up Canada’s 2010 World cup qualifying campaign, he has been called up to the full squad for matches against Houndaras and Mexico on the 11th and 15th of October 2008.

Julian de Guzman
Age:28
Position:MF
Apps:35
Goals:4
After playing a starring role in Deportivo’s remarkable turnaround in the 2007-2008 season to avoid relegation and gain a spot in the Uefa Cup, de Guzman was named Depor’s player of the season. Julian is a regular with the Canadian national team. His younger brother Jonathan de Guzman also plays professional football, for Dutch club Feyenoord, and has chosen to represent the Netherlands national football team. In Canada’s opening match of the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Julian scored twice to help defeat Costa Rica 2-1. After the conclusion of the competition, de Guzman was named tournament MVP.

Marcel de Jong
Age:22
Position:MF
Apps:5
Goals:0
On September 26, 2007, Marcel de Jong decided to play for the Canadian national team instead of the Dutch national team, reasoning that he would be more likely to garner a spot with Canada than with the Netherlands. His first cap for the Canadian senior men’s team came on November 20, 2007 in a friendly against South Africa.

Issey Nakajima-Farran
Age:25
Position:MF
Apps:15
Goals:1
Issey’s father is Canadian and mother is Japanese. The family moved from Canada to Japan, when he was only three years old. In Japan his five year younger brother was born. Seven years later, they moved to England where he lived there until 16. Contrary to his parents, Issey was not ready to settle in England and left the country and his parents. He moved back to Japan to pursue a youth contract. After two years playing as a youth player, he went professional at Albirex Niigata. Afterwards Issey moved to Singapore for another two years, and later to Denmark where he is currently playing. Issey scored his first goal against St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Atiba Hutchinson
Age:26
Position:MF
Apps:41
Goals:3
For Canada, Hutchinson has played more than 20 games and scored two goals – the first in a World Cup qualifying match against Honduras, on September 10, 2004. He also played in the 2001 and 2003 FIFA World Youth Championships. In February 2007, Hutchinson was named CanadaSoccer.com Fan’s Choice winner. Hutchinson received more votes than any other player in the online voting portion conducted by fans. But in the end, it was not enough to win over Dwayne De Rosario in the “Player of the year” award. On June 21, 2007, Hutchison appeared to have scored a vital equalizer against the United States in a 2007 Gold Cup semi-final but was ruled offside, and we were screwed.

Josh Simpson
Age:26
Position:MF
Apps:18
Goals:0
Simpson started out his soccer career on a soccer scholarship to the University of Portland. In 2003, he played for the Canadian U-20 team at the World Youth Cup, where he scored the only goal in Canada’s 1-0 win over Burkina Faso. He was also a call-up to the 2001 version, but not selected to bench or start. In 2004, he and fellow Canadian, Adrian Serioux, signed with Millwall. He made his debut against Plymouth Argyle. On May 23, 2006, he signed a three year contract with the German soccer club 1. FC Kaiserslautern

Jaime Peters
Age:22
Position:MF
Apps:15
Goals:1
He made his Canadian national team debut at the age of 17 against Guatemala. He has played 15 times for Canada scoring once. He also played for the Canadian U20 team at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship and was an ambassador and a member of the U20 Canadian squad in the 2007 FIFA World Youth Championship, held in Canada. Scored his first international goal against Panama in 2007.

Kevin Harmse
Age:25
Position:MF
Apps:5
Goals:0
Harmse played an important part of Canadian U-20 team that made it to the quarterfinals in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship. He also played for the U-23 team that failed to qualify for the 2004 Olympics. He made his debut with the senior Canadian national team on March 25, 2007, against Bermuda.

Patrice Bernier
Age:29
Position:MF
Apps:37
Goals:0
Bernier started the 2007 season as one of Tippeliga’s best players, scoring two fantastic goals against Norways best football club the last 20 years, Rosenborg BK. Although Rosenborg went on to win the game with an injury time goal by Alexander Tettey, Bernier was awarded the “Man of the Match”-prize. A 177 cm, 76 kg defensive midfielder, also capable of playing as a right winger.

Ali Gerba
Age:27
Position:FW
Apps:23
Goals:11
With the Impact Gerba played an important role for the Impact helping the club stay undefeated in 15 games, a league record. Gerba was rewarded by being selected to represent Canada in Gold Cup where he played 3 games and scored 1 goal. However, on August 7 2008, he signed for Coca Cola League One newcomers Milton Keynes Dons awaiting for his Work Permit to be stamped. On Saturday 20 August 2008, he made his first appearance for the Dons in a 3-0 away victory against Colchester United. He scored his first goal for the Dons in his second game for them in the 2-1 defeat to Peterborough United. Gerba was recently signed by Toronto FC.

Will Johnson
Age:22
Position:FW
Apps:5
Goals:0
In the summer of 2005, Johnson played for the U-20 Canadian national team at the World Youth Championship in the Netherlands. He has made 3 appearances with the senior team with his debut coming in November as a substitute in a win against Luxembourg. Johnson also played very well for the Canada U-23 side during qualifying for the 2008 Olympics. Johnson netted 3 goals in 3 game during those matches.

Simeon Jackson
Age:22
Position:FW
Apps:1
Goals:1
Jackson qualified for Canadian citizenship by virtue of his years of residence there as a child, and has seven caps for the Canadian Men’s Youth team. His first game was a friendly against Brazil in May 2006, and he played in all three of Canada’s games at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup, his last games at that level. On 14 November 2008, he received his first call up for the Canadian senior squad for a match against his country of birth, Jamaica. Jackson started his first game against Cyprus and scored in a 1-0 victory.

Charles Gbeke
Age:31
Position:FW
Apps:3
Goals:0
lthough Gbeke was born in the Ivory Coast, he grew up in Montreal and is a citizen of Canada. On June 30, 2008, Gbeke was traded back to Vancouver with cash and Tony Donatelli going to Montreal. Gbeke scored both goals Vancouver’s 2-1 win in the USL First Division final against Puerto Rico. On February 1, 2008 Gbeke made his debut for Canada against Martinique in 1-0 victory.On 6 August 2008, after a successful trial, he officially signed for English League One side Yeovil Town to answer the club’s urgent need for a keeper.