Eustaquio Named to Canadian Men's Olympic Squad
September 18, 2015 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
Ottawa Fury FC News Release
Ottawa Fury FC Midfielder Mauro Eustaquio
(Ottawa Fury FC)
OTTAWA, ON - With a spot to Rio 2016 on the line, the Canadian Soccer Association today announced the 20-player squad that will represent the country at the 2015 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifiers in October. Included in the roster is Fury FC midfielder Mauro Eustaquio who has previously represented Canada with the Men's U20 team. The players, all born 1993 or later, will fight for one of three potential spots to next year's Olympic Football Tournament in Brazil.
"Mauro has developed very well in the past 2 years," remarked head coach Marc Dos Santos. "He's been able to get a significant amount of minutes at a very good level and has definitely grown since arriving at Fury FC. He fully deserves to be in the Olympic squad and we hope he represents his country and our Club in the best way possible."
The Portuguese-born Eustaquio has thrived in his second professional season in the North American Soccer League. After featuring in 8 games totaling 301 minutes in 2014, Eustaquio has been a key component in the midfielder for Fury FC in 2015 logging 1105 minutes in 14 appearances that also saw him net his first professional goal in a 4-1 road win in Indianapolis.
Only eight nations remain in the hunt from the CONCACAF region, with the qualification tournament scheduled from October 1-13. The top two nations at this tournament will qualify for Rio 2016 while the third-best team will advance to an intercontinental playoff scheduled for a later date.
The eight CONCACAF finalists have been divided into two groups, with the top-two teams in each group advancing to the semi-final stage. In Group A action, Canada faces USA (1 October), Panama (3 October), and Cuba (6 October). By advancing to the semi-finals on 10 October, Canada could face Group B opponent either Costa Rica, Haiti, Honduras, or Mexico.
As for Canada's opponents, CONCACAF is scheduled to announce all tournament rosters early next week. Per competition regulations, every roster must feature three goalkeepers and 17 outfield players.
While the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifiers must feature players 22 or younger (they will be 23 years or younger in 2016), next year's roster at the Rio 2016 Olympic Football Tournament can feature three players of any age.
Of note, all five Canadian professional teams have players featured in the squad - Vancouver Whitecaps FC, FC Edmonton, Toronto FC, Ottawa Fury FC, and Montréal Impact FC. Ten of the 14 players have also dressed in the annual Amway Canadian Championship.
The Rio 2016 Olympic Games will feature both a men's and women's football competition in August 2016. The 16-nation Men's Olympic Football Tournament runs August 3-20 with seven nations already qualified (Brazil, Argentina, Fiji, Denmark, Germany, Portugal and Sweden).
Canada Olympic Roster
1- GK- Maxime Crépeau | CAN / Impact Montréal
2- FB- Johnny Grant | CAN / FC Montréal
3- FB- Mark-Anthony Kaye | CAN / Toronto FC II
4- CB- Jackson Farmer | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2
5- CB- Luca Gasparotto | SCO / Greenock Morton FC
6- M- Chris Mannella | CAN / Toronto FC
7- M- Mauro Eustáquio | CAN / Ottawa Fury FC
8- M- Jay Chapman | CAN / Toronto FC
9- F- Anthony Jackson-Hamel | CAN / Impact Montréal
10- F- Caleb Clarke | CAN / Vancouver Whitecaps FC
11- M- Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé | CAN / Impact Montréal
12- GK- Quillan Roberts | CAN / Toronto FC
13- M- Michael Petrasso | ENG / Queens Park Rangers
14- M- Samuel Piette | ESP / Deportivo La Coruña
15- M- Ben Fisk | ESP / Deportivo La Coruña B
16- M- Molham Babouli | CAN / Toronto FC II
17- M- Hanson Boakai | CAN / FC Edmonton
18- GK- Ricky Gomes | POR / Sport Clube de Mirandela
19- CB- Skylar Thomas | CAN / Toronto FC II
20- M- Dylan Carreiro | SCO / Arbroath
Images from this story
 Ottawa Fury FC Midfielder Mauro Eustaquio |
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North American Soccer League Stories from September 18, 2015
- Boakai Named to Canadian Men's Squad for Olympic Qualifiers - FC Edmonton
- Eustaquio Named to Canadian Men's Olympic Squad - Ottawa Fury FC
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- Top Four Teams Collide in Pair of Key Week 12 Clashes - NASL
- FCE Match Preview vs. Indy Eleven - FC Edmonton
- Match Preview: Ottawa Begins Crucial Three Game Road Trip in South Florida against Strikers - Ottawa Fury FC
- Battle of First and Second as United Faces the New York Cosmos on Saturday - Minnesota United FC
- Silverbacks Welcome RailHawks to "The Jungle" - Atlanta Silverbacks
- Match Preview: RailHawks Travel to Atlanta to Take on Silverbacks - North Carolina FC
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