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Canada coach Benito Floro picks new faces, leaves out some veterans for Ghana game

TORONTO — Coach Benito Floro has summoned some new faces and left some familiar ones off the roster for Canada's Oct. 11 soccer friendly against Ghana.

Midfielders David (Junior) Hoilett of England's Queens Park Rangers, Fraser Aird of Scotland's Glasgow Rangers and Marco Bustos of the Vancouver Whitecaps and Montreal Impact defender Wandrille Lefevre make their debut with the senior squad at a camp opening Monday in Orlando, Fla.

"It is always important to provide an opportunity to new players to be integrated into the team from a tactical and social point of view," Floro said in a statement. "To be part of future camps and our journey to Russia 2018, it was essential we brought them into our program this month for the Ghana match."

But the roster is missing several players who were part of the last round of World Cup qualifiers against Belize with midfielders Atiba Hutchinson, Julian De Guzman, Will Johnson and Russell Teibert and forwards Tesho Akindele and Cyle Larin not involved.

Johnson is out after surgery to remove two screws from a leg broken in Toronto last season. De Guzman, Canada's captain, is coming back from injury.

Toronto FC midfielder Jonathan Osorio, enjoying a fine MLS season, also continues to be on the outside looking in.

Others like goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau, defender Luca Gasparotto and midfielders Michael Petrasso and Sam Piette are representing Canada at the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament.

A Canadian Soccer Association spokesman said Floro is looked to expand and test his player pool. The Spanish coach has picked a total of 53 players for his 2015 camps with 35 of those 26 years or younger.

Ghana is ranked 25th in the world, compared to No. 104 for Canada.

The game, to be played at RFK Stadium, marks the second meeting between the two. Canada won 2-1 in 1985 at the President's Cup in Seoul.

Floro's team is preparing for the November start of the fourth round of World Cup qualifying in the CONCACAF region. Canada hosts Honduras on Nov. 13 in Vancouver before playing in El Salvador on Nov. 17.

Manny Aparicio, Lucas Cavallini, Jordan Hamilton, Kianz Froese, and Simon Thomas are making their first appearance this year at a senior camp.

Cavallini, who has turned down several call-ups in the past, plays in Uruguay where he has turned heads with his goal-scoring. He has won two caps for Canada at the senior level with his last appearance as a substitute in the infamous 8-1 World Cup qualifying loss in Honduras in 2012.

Hoilett committed to play for Canada this week. The 25-year-old midfielder from Brampton, Ont., could also have played for Jamaica, via his parents' bloodlines, or for England due to his years spent there.

The Toronto-born Aird was part of a Canadian under-15 camp in 2010 and played in a U15 friendly against the U.S. He represented Scotland at the under-17 level.

Aird, 20, was slated to be part of the Canada team at the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship earlier this year, but had to sit out due to club commitments.

Canada is 5-2-4 in 2015 while Ghana is 6-4-2.

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Canada

Goalkeepers: Simon Thomas, Strommen (Norway); Milan Borjan, Ludogorets Razgrad; (Bulgaria); Kenny Stamatopoulos, AIK Fotbol (Sweden). 

Defenders:  Samuel Adekugbe, Vancouver Whitecaps; Andre Hainault, FC Magdeburg (Germany); David Edgar, Sheffield United (England); Nana Attakora, San Antonio Scorpions (NASL); Adam Straith, Fredrikstad FK (Norway); Manjrekar James, Diosgyori VTK (Hungary); Karl Ouimette, New York Red Bulls; Wandrille Lefevre, Montreal Impact; Marcel De Jong, Sporting Kansas City.

Midfielders: Fraser Aird, Glasgow Rangers (Scotland); Kianze Froese, Vancouver Whitecaps; David (Junior) Hoilett, Queens Park Rangers (England); Kyle Bekker, Montreal Impact; Marco Bustos, Vancouver Whitecaps; Manny Aparicio, Toronto FC II; Maxim Tissot, Montreal Impact; Tosaint Ricketts, Boluspor FC  (Turkey).

Forwards: Marcus Haber, Crewe Alexandra (England); Simeon Jackson, Barnsley FC (England); Jordan Hamilton, Toronto FC; Lucas Cavallini, CA Fenix (Uruguay).

 

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Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press

Ride for the Disabled’s country dinner happening Saturday night

With Hammond out with groin injury, Sens goalie O’Connor gets another chance at NHL

OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators always intended for Matt O'Connor to get some NHL experience, just not this soon.

The Senators announced Friday that goaltender Andrew Hammond will miss at least two weeks with to a groin injury, giving O'Connor another chance at the NHL level. The 23-year-old had been on the ice for just 20 minutes with Ottawa's American Hockey League affiliate in Binghamton before he was called off and told to make his way to Montreal to meet the team for a pre-season game.

"It was a quick turn over there and a nice warm welcome and then back up," said O'Connor. "I feel very privileged to be here and I'm really excited to help the team and the organization as much as I can."

Senators general manager Bryan Murray told reporters that the team will be cautious with Hammond's injury, suffered Thursday at practice.

"It's not a tear or anything, but it's a pull and we have to be careful," Murray said. "With Andrew coming off the year he had or the finish of the year he had and to start (with an injury) is difficult. It takes a while to get back from it we know that; so we'll have to address it as he gets closer to returning to the lineup, but very definitely it's a real kick for him to not be at the top of his game to start with."

O'Connor, who signed with the Senators last year as a free agent, says he plans on making the most of the opportunity.

"The shooters are always challenging me," he said. ."They keep you humble. Right when your skills feel on point you always have a really talented player coming down on you. It's definitely an unbelievable challenge and it's a really good place for players to develop."

O'Connor will serve as backup to Craig Anderson when the Senators open the season Thursday in Buffalo. Ottawa plays three games in four nights and in all likelihood Anderson will start each one.

"I've had a lot of time off," said Anderson with a laugh. "I haven't done much for six months so I should be ready to go."

The Senators wrap up the pre-season Saturday night with the second of a home-and-home against the Montreal Canadiens and while Anderson was unsure whether or not he would get the start he does feel it's important for the team to realize the importance of this last game.

"It's one last dress rehearsal, but at the same time you want to get that winning habit, that winning feeling around and create good habits," said Anderson. "You don't want to go into the regular season by playing bad habit hockey so for us it's just a matter of managing the game and managing our mistakes."

Murray also told reporters that final roster decisions will likely be made late Saturday or at the latest Sunday.

Forwards Shane Prince and Matt Puempel have both looked good through camp as they each vie for the 13th spot up front and say they're ready to accept whatever decision the organization makes.

While both have had solid camps, Prince benefits from the fact he would have to clear waivers before being assigned to Binghamton while Puempel does not.

Notes: The Senators put Colin Greening on waivers and he cleared. Murray says he will continue to try and work out a trade for Greening, but to this point has had no success. Greening has two year, $5.95 million left on his contract. D Chris Phillips says he is making progress, but has not resumed skating and there remains no timetable for his return. Phillips suffered a setback while recovering from back surgery.

Lisa Wallace, The Canadian Press

Impact hope to clinch playoff spot with win in Orlando, with or without Drogba

MONTREAL — The Montreal Impact are one win away from clinching a playoff spot, but it won't come easy.

The Impact are only 2-7-4 on the road this season and begin a stretch of three away games in eight days when they play at Orlando FC on Saturday.

And they are not certain to have star striker Didier Drogba, at least not for the entire game, because the 37-year-old is not fond of playing on artificial surfaces like the one at Orlando's Citrus Bowl. A decision on Drogba was to be made after a practice on Friday.

With or without him, the Impact need at least a draw to hold off hard-charging Orlando, who have won three straight in a desperate bid to make the playoffs in their first Major League Soccer season.

"We can clinch and we can send a message to them that they're not going to catch up," Impact defender Wandrille Lefevre said this week. "And if we don't lose, that's good for us.

"Not losing is probably the most important thing."

Montreal (12-11-6) holds the sixth and last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, four points ahead of seventh place Orlando (10-13-8) with two games in hand. Montreal has five games left to play while Orlando has only three.

A Montreal win would bury Orlando and a draw would hold them off, but a loss would put them only one point back and make for a nervy end to the regular season.

After Orlando, the Impact travel to the New York Red Bulls on Wednesday and play at Colorado on Oct. 10.

Orlando is pushing for a crowd of 45,000 for what it sees as a decisive match. Hopes have been buoyed by scoring nine goals in their last three games, which included a 5-2 victory over the Red Bulls in New York in their last outing.

Canadian forward Cyle Larin of Brampton, Ont., the top pick in this year's SuperDraft, had a hat-trick in that game to give him the MLS rookie goals record with 14. And 20-year-old Honduran designated player Bryan Rochez came off the bench to score in a third straight game.

The Impact tied Orlando 2-2 at home on March 28 and beat them 2-0 in Montreal on June 20, but Lefevre cautioned they are not the same team now.

"They're completely different," he said. "Larin is not the same player as he was at the beginning of the year in terms of confidence.

"He's scored a lot of goals. He wasn't running deep and now he's doing that. Kaka is still Kaka. It's going to be hard but we're ready for it."

Montreal will be short-handed. Top midfielder Ignacio Piatti is not due back until next week from attending to a family matter in Argentina. And midfielder Justin Mapp is still nursing an injury.

But the Impact have been finding ways to win, or at least get points, no matter who is on the pitch. They built a team-record six-game unbeaten run (4-0-2) in September, although that came largely from Drogba's seven goals in five starts to earn MLS player of the month honours.

They have not lost since Mauro Biello replaced Frank Klopas as interim head coach.

"This is like a playoff game," said Biello. "Being able to be successful on the road will dictate how we respond in the playoffs.

"It's an experience for us now to face a difficult game against a difficult opponent."

The French-born Lefevre, who received his Canadian citizenship on July 2, as well as midfielders Maxim Tissot and Kyle Bekker were called up for Canada's friendly match against Ghana on October 13 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.

Bill Beacon, The Canadian Press

Anyone with information about Jonathan Bruce asked to come forward, almost two years after his death

Top NHL draft picks have high expectations for McDavid in rookie year

WASHINGTON — Edmonton Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli pulled up stats on his computer to see what recent No. 1 draft picks did in their rookie seasons. Nathan MacKinnon had 63 points two years ago, John Tavares had 54 in 2009-10.

Oilers forward Connor McDavid goes into his rookie year with the highest expectations of anyone since Sidney Crosby 10 years ago. Crosby blew up for 102 points, and didn't even win the Calder Trophy because Alex Ovechkin had 106.

No one expects McDavid to be a 100-point player as an 18-year-old, but several top picks have high expectations for the phenom who has drawn comparisons to Crosby and even Wayne Gretzky.

"I haven't seen a kid with that much talent, I think, ever," 2008 top pick Steven Stamkos said. "Dynamic is, I guess, the word of the day when it comes to watching him skate out there and handle the puck and just handle himself off the ice. I think it's going to be a pretty smooth transition for him."

McDavid is coming off a season in which he averaged 2.55 points a game with the Ontario Hockey League's Erie Otters. To put that into perspective, Crosby averaged 2.7 a game in his final season with Rimouski Oceanic in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Crosby knows the circus and the buildup McDavid is experiencing better than anyone, and it's more than Stamkos, Tavares and MacKinnon had to deal with. The Pittsburgh Penguins' captain said the biggest thing McDavid will have to get used to is the constant expectations going from city to city.

"How many 18-year-olds have this ability? I'm sure (expectations are) high as they should be," Crosby said. "He's pretty level-headed. I think he's got things figured out pretty early on. I understand that the expectations are high, but he looks like a guy who's going to be able to live with them."

Tempering expectations, Chiarelli estimated McDavid can score 20 goals and put up 20 assists.

"People look at me like I got three heads," Chiarelli said.

Last season, when Florida Panthers defenceman Aaron Ekblad won the Calder, only three rookies — the Ottawa Senators' Mark Stone, Calgary Flames' Johnny Gaudreau and Nashville's Filip Forsberg — had over 60 points.

Tavares, the top pick in 2009, watched a lot of McDavid last year because roommate Ryan Strome's brother Dylan played in Erie, too. He says the sky's the limit on McDavid's potential and that this season is a proving ground like it was for him.

"Obviously you're receiving a lot of attention," the New York Islanders' captain said. "I don't think he tries to bring any more onto himself, but certainly his game does that for him. But he wants to go out there and prove that, that he deserves what he's getting."

Ovechkin said because his English wasn't that strong that he couldn't pay attention to too much hype. Then the Washington Capitals star piled up the points.

"As soon as the season starts it was more attention to me because I played well and I was compared between me and Sid," said the 2004 top pick, who was actually 20 in his rookie year. "I know (McDavid) is good. But NHL, it's a different league and you have to be ready for a physical game and be ready mentally."

Stamkos believes McDavid is already ahead of the curve there because he's been working with Gary Roberts in the summer.

"He's still going to physically mature as he gets older as everyone does," Stamkos said. "But I think he has the understanding and I think his speed and his skill-set is that far advanced from your typical 18-year-old to come into the league in the last couple years that he'll be fine."

Oilers teammate Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who went right from the Western Hockey League to the NHL after being the top pick in 2011, said McDavid will make the jump better than most rookies.

"Just the way that he skates, he's a powerful skater and he does everything at high speed," Nugent-Hopkins said. "I think that's going to help him the most going into this year."

Tavares said of McDavid's speed: "I've never seen a kid change gears where you think he's at top speed and hit another level like he does." That's high praise for someone who has played alongside Crosby at the Olympics.

Ekblad played with McDavid for Canada at the 2014 world junior championship and knows that whatever hype he felt in South Florida a year ago, it'll be tenfold for McDavid in Edmonton.

"Especially being in Edmonton for Connor, the media, the coaches, everyone has their own expectations of yourself. But if you stick to what you know and focus on your own personal goals, that's probably most important."

In 1998, then-Tampa Bay Lightning owner Art Williams said No. 1 pick Vincent Lecavalier would be "the Michael Jordan of hockey." So Lecavalier understands a little of the weight of expectations that McDavid is under going into the NHL.

"Obviously he's got a bit of a different level," Lecavalier said. "He's playing in a Canadian city, so there's going to be a lot of reporters, a lot of hype. But I think he's just that good that he's just going to stay in that bubble and do his thing."

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Stephen Whyno, The Canadian Press

Four lion cubs born at Toronto Zoo ‘appear healthy,’ zoo says

TORONTO — It just got a little more crowded in the Toronto Zoo's lion habitat.

The zoo says in a Facebook post that the white lion Makali gave birth last weekend to four cubs, fathered by another white lion, Fintan.

It says Makali and her cubs are feeding and appear healthy, but the first 30 days are critical.

During that time, it says the cubs, who were born Saturday night and early Sunday morning, will be kept out of the public's sight in the habitat's maternity den.

Staff will monitor them and provide updates on their progress.

The zoo says it will announce "naming details" once the cubs are older.

The Canadian Press

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Public health officials raid Ontario raw milk farm, seize equipment: farmer

DURHAM, Ont. — An Ontario farmer who has long fought for the right to sell unpasteurized milk says public health officials have raided his farm northwest of Toronto and have seized raw milk and dairy equipment.

Michael Schmidt says about 20 officials raided his farm at 10:30 a.m. Friday and remain on the property in Durham as they remove equipment and computers.

Schmidt says he offers a cow-sharing service for customers who want raw milk products, which he distributes weekly.

York Region says it has an active investigation into Schmidt's farming collective and raided one of his van's on Tuesday to confiscate milk.

The Ontario government maintains the unprocessed milk poses a significant risk to public health, but Schmidt insists there's no evidence anyone has ever fallen ill from his milk, and he and his supporters argue raw milk offers health benefits.

York Region officials said they will issue a statement about the farm raid later on Friday.

The Canadian Press

Conservatives crank up the cultural identity heat before final French debate

OTTAWA — Campaigning Conservatives continued to press the hot buttons Friday, highlighting what they call "barbaric cultural practices" and Muslim facial coverings amid evidence the tight, three-way election race may be starting to break loose.

The NDP, which appears to be getting squeezed in national public opinion surveys over the past two weeks, is fighting back with a proposal to protect voters' rights — hoping to reignite public dismay with Conservative changes to the elections act and remind voters of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's decade-long record in office.

But it is cultural identity issues that have inflamed the election discourse since mid September and all evidence points to an invigorated Conservative campaign comfortable with cranking up the heat in advance of tonight's final, French-language leaders debate in Montreal.

The debate, hosted by the TVA network, comes amid recent polls that suggest New Democrat support in Quebec is loosening, giving the other parties an opening to draw more voters to their camps.

Chris Alexander, the Conservative immigration minister who's facing a tough Liberal challenge in his Toronto-area riding, held a news conference Friday to remind the electorate of last November's "Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act," and to promise even more government resources if re-elected, including a proposed RCMP tip line where people could report "information about incidents of barbaric cultural practices in Canada."

Alexander directly linked the message to a proposed Conservative ban on women wearing facial coverings at citizenship ceremonies, the so-called niqab debate that targets a tiny subset of Muslims and has roiled Internet comment boards with hate-filled, racist rants.

"We need to stand up for our values," said Alexander. "We need to do that in citizenship ceremonies. We need to do that to protect women and girls from forced marriage and other barbaric practices."

In Halifax, Conservative Jason Kenney stoutly defended his party's policy — since rejected by the courts — of banning the wearing of niqabs at citizenship ceremonies.

"Let's be clear," said the former Conservative immigration minister who nows holds the defence portfolio. "This practice of face covering reflects a misogynistic view of women which is grounded in medieval tribal culture."

Kenney also defended the government's move to strip convicted terrorists of their citizenship — while saying the punishment will not be extended to other criminal acts.

"We will not be pursuing any other legal or statutory grounds for citizenship revocation, let me be absolutely clear about that," he stressed.

The heated campaign debate over "values" and religious accommodation appears to have spurred more than just anti-Islamic rhetoric in Quebec.

A pair of teens tore the headscarf from a pregnant woman in Montreal this week, causing her to fall on the ground. The incident prompted the Quebec national assembly to pass a unanimous motion Thursday condemning hate speech and violence against all Quebecers.

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau hold the view that women should be able to choose how they dress, which is likely to again draw fire from Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe, as it did in the first French-language debate a week ago.

Duceppe's debate performance could go a long way in determining whether the Bloc can woo back voters who deserted the party en masse in 2011 and migrated to the NDP under Jack Layton.

For his part, Trudeau will likely try to focus the debate on his deficit-funded infrastructure spending plan as he did Thursday in Montreal when he promised money for transit projects to help boost the economy.

Another hot issue in Quebec is the Trans-Pacific Partnership, with the dairy industry in the province fearing the deal will weaken the supply management system of tariffs and production quotas.

The NDP will be hammering the threat to Canada's dairy industry — which is centred in Quebec — in an effort to change the channel on the niqab controversy.

Harper promised on Tuesday to preserve Canada's long-standing protection of the dairy and auto industries and will likely reiterate that pledge during the debate.

Green party Leader Elizabeth May was not invited to participate in the debate.

Bruce Cheadle, The Canadian Press

Impact star Didier Drogba takes MLS honour after seven-goal month

MONTREAL — Didier Drogba is Major League Soccer's player of the month for September.

The Montreal striker had seven goals and an assist in five starts for the month, helping the Impact to a team-record six-game unbeaten streak.

It was the former Chelsea star's first full month in the league.

He was named player of the week twice last month.

The Canadian Press

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New Brunswick man who smuggled narwhal tusks loses appeal of extradition

FREDERICTON — A New Brunswick man who was convicted two years ago for smuggling about 250 narwhal tusks into the United States has lost an appeal of an extradition order to the U.S.

Gregory Logan of Woodman's Point was convicted in a New Brunswick court in 2013, fined $385,000 and given an eight-month conditional sentence to be served in the community.

The record fine under the Wild Animal and Plant Protection and Regulation of International and Interprovincial Trade Act followed a 2 1/2 year investigation.

Environment Canada officials said Logan bought the tusks from northern Canada and violated the law by smuggling the items into a country that prohibits the importation of marine mammals.

The officials said Logan tied the long, spiralled ivory tusks to the bottom of his vehicle and drove across the border where he sold them to eight people in areas ranging from Maine to Hawaii.

In 2012, Logan was indicted in Maine on charges brought by American officials relating to unlawful importation and money laundering, and the United States sought his extradition, which was granted.

Logan appealed the order surrendering him to the United States and also sought a judicial review of the justice minister's order.

However, in decisions released Thursday the New Brunswick Court of Appeal dismissed both requests.

Logan's appeal argued that he faces double jeopardy and the charges in the United States could result in him being effectively convicted twice for the same events.

In her decision Justice Kathleen Quigg wrote: "There is no legal precedent for an extradition judge to grant a stay of extradition proceedings on the basis of a claim of double jeopardy."

On the issue of judicial review, Quigg said the minister of justice acted properly.

"With respect to the issues raised by Mr. Logan, the minister applied the correct legal tests and principles," she said. "Overall, the minister exercised his discretion properly."

The court has ordered that Logan surrender himself to authorities within three days.

The Canadian Press

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VW Canada offers incentives in wake of diesel testing scandal, to Nov. 2

TORONTO — Volkswagen Canada is offering incentives to attract customers and offset lost sales since its parent company admitted last month that it cheated on government emission tests on diesel-engine models.

Until Nov. 2, Volkswagen says it is offering a choice of lower finance rates, lower lease rates and cash incentives on select vehicles.

"The incentives were implemented to support our customers and dealers during the period in which our TDI diesel sales remain suspended pending resolution of the recent EPA Notice (from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)," VW Canada's spokesman said in an email.

The TDI diesel engines were available on a variety of Volkswagen models that accounted for nearly 22 per cent of VW Canada's sales before Sept. 22 when the company told dealers to stop selling the models in question.

"That figure is now lower, as all sales since have been of gasoline powered cars," Volkswagen Canada said Friday.

As of Oct. 1, VW Canada's choice of incentives include finance interest rates as low as zero per cent for up to 84 months, depending on the model.

Alternatively, customers can opt for lease rates as low as 0.9 per cent for up to 48 months, depending on the model, or up to $6,000 cash back. On top of those options, VW is offering up to an additional $1,500 in bonus cash. 

The company declined to comment on a memo that was sent to its dealers. According to the Globe and Mail, the memo by Volkswagen Canada president Maria Stenstrom said: “The scale of these programs is unprecedented for Volkswagen in Canada, but necessary and appropriate given the circumstances.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency disclosed last month that stealth software made VW's 2009-2015 model cars powered by 2.0-litre diesel engines run cleaner during emissions tests than in actual driving. The fallout from that revelation has included investigations in other countries, class-action law suits against the company and a drop in VW's stock price.

Volkswagen Canada announced on Sept. 22 that its dealers had been instructed to suspend the sale and delivery of any new Golf, Golf Sportwagon, Jetta, Beetle or Passat models with 2.0 TDI engines until further notice. The order also applied to certain previously owned models from the 2009 model year or later, if equipped with the same engine.

 

The Canadian Press

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