By Al Clark
al@canucks-abroad.com

Eddy Sidra - Debutant: Source: CSAThe encouraging 1:0 win in Cyprus came as a pleasant surprise to many after a couple of years in the Mitchell-"inspired" doldrums. Many were resigned to "another Estonia". Bottom line is that expectations were low, especially after the disastrous WCQ campaign.

The reinstatement of Stephen Hart, who had a year in charge under the same interim tag prior to Mitchell taking over, has given the team, players and fans fresh hope that the national team can finally start to find some way to fulfill it's obvious potential. Gone is the 4-5-1, at least as the only option, after Hart fielded a 4-4-2 in Larnaca.

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by Al Clark
al@canucks-abroad.com

With the withdrawl of Marcel de Jong due to club commitments, Canada has called up Dominic Imhoff (not Daniel) and former U23 player Eddy Sidra of Cottbus Reserves. Both call ups are a surprise, but the inclusion of Sidra is both a surprise and a welcome development. It's good to see this squad is giving a chance to youngsters rather than trotting out ageing players who are past their usefulness to the MNT. That's not to say their contributions in the past have not been appreciated - they have - but the fact is soccer will always be about passing the torch and bringing through the next generation. Of the 18 players in the final roster, all are "Canucks Abroad" with only Hemming playing in North America, with USL1 Charleston.