It鈥檚 a soccer friendly in name only.
Goalkeeper Simon Thomas and defender Adam Straith, both from Victoria and 1990-born products of the Bays United program, know that coveted positions for July鈥檚 CONCACAF Gold Cup are on the line tonight when sa国际传媒 meets Costa Rica at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton (5 p.m., Sportsnet).
鈥淭here鈥檚 certainly something to play for 鈥� there are Gold Cup positions to play for,鈥� said Thomas by phone Monday from Edmonton.
鈥淵ou have to play for your spot. This game is very important in that regard.鈥�
Former Victoria Highlanders coach and interim Canadian coach Colin Miller had yet to name his starting 11 among the 18 players invited to the camp in the Alberta capital.
The twice-capped Thomas, who plays for the Vancouver Whitecaps Under-23 team in the USL Premier Development League, is among three invited Canadian goalkeepers and is battling against Haidar Al-Shaibani from French pro club Nimes Olympique and Milan Borjan from Turkish club Sivasspor for minutes against Costa Rica.
Straith, who has most recently been on loan to FC Saarbrucken from Energie Cottbus in Germany, will be looking for his 12th cap.
Both Islanders agree home field could prove critical tonight against a Costa Rican side preparing for a key CONCACAF final-round 2014 World Cup qualifying game June 7 against Honduras.
鈥淚 got my first start for sa国际传媒 [in a scoreless draw against the U.S. in January at Texas] in front of a hostile crowd in Houston. It will be great to have that turned around here in Edmonton,鈥� Thomas said.
The world No. 48 Costa Ricans, known as the Ticos, have been to the World Cup three times since 1990, while No. 80 sa国际传媒 hasn鈥檛 been since 1986 and has already been eliminated for Brazil 2014.
鈥淲e will have to be wide awake right from the start of the game,鈥� Straith said.
鈥淏ut I think being at home in front of Canadian fans, there shouldn鈥檛 be any problem with that. It鈥檚 been a good few days here in Edmonton. The training has been sharp and focused and the boys are in high spirits. We are looking forward to putting in a good performance in front of the home fans and will be playing to get a positive result.鈥�
