georg
06-29-2007, 05:10 AM
In Friday's KW Record:
Edgar fit, eager to play for Canada
Kitchener defender ready to go in Sunday's opener against Chile
JOSH BROWN
link (http://www.therecord.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=record/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1183090870929&call_pageid=1024322085460&col=1024322199505)
TORONTO (Jun 29, 2007)
Rested and ready to go. That was the message from Kitchener's David Edgar after a team meeting at a Toronto hotel yesterday afternoon.
The Newcastle United defender has been nursing an abdominal injury for about the past three weeks but declared himself fit for competition as Canada prepares for its opening match at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup on Sunday.
"No worries about it for sure," said Edgar. "I'll probably be blowing after 90 minutes and pretty tired but I'll get through it."
The 24-team tournament kicks off tomorrow with doubleheaders in Montreal and Ottawa. Canada hosts Chile at BMO Field in Toronto at 7:45 p.m. on Canada Day. The tournament -- which also runs in Edmonton, Burnaby and Victoria -- is the largest single sporting event in Canadian history. About 750,000 tickets have already been sold nationwide.
Edgar was sidelined earlier this month after he felt a sharp pain in his abdominal/groin area whenever he tried to make a lateral movement.
"I was struggling to walk when I first hurt it," he said. "It was painful."
Medical scans revealed no tear and Edgar spent the better part of the month in physiotherapy while his teammates continued with a series of friendlies in preparation for the World Cup. Being out of action wasn't easy.
"I'm not good at that," he said of sitting on the sidelines. "I like to be involved and train. I didn't enjoy being out whatsoever."
But the time off helped the wound heal and Edgar soon found himself back in action.
Canadian coaches had him start in a closed door friendly against South Korea this past weekend. Just to be safe, Edgar was limited to 45 minutes. The goal was to build up his fitness and to get a few touches before the tourney starts. And from all accounts it was a smooth transition back to the field.
Now the focus shifts to Chile, a talented squad that will play the Canucks hard.
"They're skilful, they play fast and they're a competitive bunch," said head coach Dale Mitchell. "They come from a hostile (soccer) environment and it shows in their play. In some ways that's what you want in your first game."
Canadian soccer is in the spotlight after the men's national team lost a 2-1 heartbreaker to the United States in the Gold Cup semifinal. The lads looked poised to press for extra time after tying the game in the dying seconds of the match against the Americans but the equalizer was disallowed after an offside call. Replays later showed that the officials were wrong.
"People are ready to get behind Canadian teams right now," said Mitchell. "Because of that I think they will come out and support the boys really well."
And being host country definitely has its advantages.
"Especially if we get out of group stages and into one-off games, then the crowd will be massive," said Edgar, who has two bus loads of friends and family from Waterloo Region coming to Sunday's match.
"I don't think the boys feel any pressure. But it will be different when there are 20,000 people at BMO."
jbrown@therecord.com
TOURNAMENT A HOT TICKET
Organizers say the ticket count for the world under-20 soccer championship is up to 940,000.
The 24-country, 52-match competition opens Saturday with six venues hosting games en route to the July 22 final in Toronto.
Organizers expect the total spectator count to climb above the one-million mark with walk-up sales.
Organizer say the tournament is the largest single-sport sporting event ever in Canada, from a spectator point of view.
Edgar fit, eager to play for Canada
Kitchener defender ready to go in Sunday's opener against Chile
JOSH BROWN
link (http://www.therecord.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=record/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1183090870929&call_pageid=1024322085460&col=1024322199505)
TORONTO (Jun 29, 2007)
Rested and ready to go. That was the message from Kitchener's David Edgar after a team meeting at a Toronto hotel yesterday afternoon.
The Newcastle United defender has been nursing an abdominal injury for about the past three weeks but declared himself fit for competition as Canada prepares for its opening match at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup on Sunday.
"No worries about it for sure," said Edgar. "I'll probably be blowing after 90 minutes and pretty tired but I'll get through it."
The 24-team tournament kicks off tomorrow with doubleheaders in Montreal and Ottawa. Canada hosts Chile at BMO Field in Toronto at 7:45 p.m. on Canada Day. The tournament -- which also runs in Edmonton, Burnaby and Victoria -- is the largest single sporting event in Canadian history. About 750,000 tickets have already been sold nationwide.
Edgar was sidelined earlier this month after he felt a sharp pain in his abdominal/groin area whenever he tried to make a lateral movement.
"I was struggling to walk when I first hurt it," he said. "It was painful."
Medical scans revealed no tear and Edgar spent the better part of the month in physiotherapy while his teammates continued with a series of friendlies in preparation for the World Cup. Being out of action wasn't easy.
"I'm not good at that," he said of sitting on the sidelines. "I like to be involved and train. I didn't enjoy being out whatsoever."
But the time off helped the wound heal and Edgar soon found himself back in action.
Canadian coaches had him start in a closed door friendly against South Korea this past weekend. Just to be safe, Edgar was limited to 45 minutes. The goal was to build up his fitness and to get a few touches before the tourney starts. And from all accounts it was a smooth transition back to the field.
Now the focus shifts to Chile, a talented squad that will play the Canucks hard.
"They're skilful, they play fast and they're a competitive bunch," said head coach Dale Mitchell. "They come from a hostile (soccer) environment and it shows in their play. In some ways that's what you want in your first game."
Canadian soccer is in the spotlight after the men's national team lost a 2-1 heartbreaker to the United States in the Gold Cup semifinal. The lads looked poised to press for extra time after tying the game in the dying seconds of the match against the Americans but the equalizer was disallowed after an offside call. Replays later showed that the officials were wrong.
"People are ready to get behind Canadian teams right now," said Mitchell. "Because of that I think they will come out and support the boys really well."
And being host country definitely has its advantages.
"Especially if we get out of group stages and into one-off games, then the crowd will be massive," said Edgar, who has two bus loads of friends and family from Waterloo Region coming to Sunday's match.
"I don't think the boys feel any pressure. But it will be different when there are 20,000 people at BMO."
jbrown@therecord.com
TOURNAMENT A HOT TICKET
Organizers say the ticket count for the world under-20 soccer championship is up to 940,000.
The 24-country, 52-match competition opens Saturday with six venues hosting games en route to the July 22 final in Toronto.
Organizers expect the total spectator count to climb above the one-million mark with walk-up sales.
Organizer say the tournament is the largest single-sport sporting event ever in Canada, from a spectator point of view.