Canadian national soccer team head coach Stephen Hart announced his roster for the mid-October FIFA World Cup qualifying matches on Thursday.
The 21 players on the squad will host Cuba at BMO Field on Oct. 12, and then travel to Honduras’ Estadio Olimpico in San Pedro Sula to finish off the third round of qualifiers four days later.
Only two changes were made to the group that split home-and-away against Panama in early September as striker Iain Hume of English League One side Doncaster Rovers, and Cyprus-based APOEL F.C. fullback Michael Klukwoski figure into the squad.
They replace the injured Dwayne De Rosario and the out-of-form Ashtone Morgan for the crucial ties that realistically sees Canada needing four points to go on to the final round of qualifying.
The rest of the team includes Lars Hirschfeld, Milan Borjan, and Kenny Stamatopoulos in goal.
Captain Kevin McKenna anchors a backline that also features Andre Hainault, Marcel de Jong, Dejan Jakovic, David Edgar, and Ante Jazic.
Nikolas Ledgerwood, Julian de Guzman, Will Johnson, Atiba Hutchinson, Terry Dunfield, Pedro Pacheco, and Patrice Bernier will be in the midfield, while Tosaint Ricketts, Simeon Jackson and Olivier Occean will join Hume up front.
Panama tops the group with nine points after four matches, with Canada and Honduras tied for second with seven.
The Panamanians will host Honduras at the same time as the Canada-Cuba game, and then kick-off in Havana two hours after the Canadians do on Oct. 16.
Only the top two teams advance to the final round that will take place in 2013.