THE CANADIAN PRESS

It isn't often that Canada gets to be the favourite in international soccer, but that will be the case against lowly St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The two sides meet Sunday in Kingstown, St. Vincent, in the first leg of a two-match qualifying series for the 2010 World Cup tournament in South Africa. The return match is June 15 in Montreal.

"There is a danger in under-estimating a team like St. Vincent," coach Dale Mitchell said after announcing a 19-man squad that will travel to the Caribbean islands. "The island teams are improving.

"They have good athletes and, at home, they can be dangerous. And in a two-game series, anything can happen. We've taken steps to make sure that doesn't happen."

The winner advances to Stage 3 of qualifying in the fall in the CONCACAF zone, which will send three or four teams to South Africa.

Mitchell said he got a look at St. Vincent and the Grenadines in a friendly against Jamaica on June 3.

"They have some decent individuals," he said. "We have players with more international experience and club experience at a high level and we feel that will be the difference."

Fulham defender Paul Stalteri will be captain of the Canadian side that is trying to reach the World Cup tournament for the first time since its one and only qualification in 1986 in Mexico.

Goalkeeper Josh Wagenaar of Grimsby, Ont., was the only player dropped from the 20-man crew that has been training and getting acclimatized to tropical heat in Sunrise, Fla. Goalies Greg Sutton of Toronto FC and Pat Onstad of the Houston Dynamo remain with the squad.

One more player must be pared to get down to the 18-man roster limit for the match.

Julian de Guzman has been bothered by an Achilles heel problem since he was forced out of a 3-2 loss in a friendly against Brazil two weeks ago, but Mitchell said the midfielder for Spanish club Depotivo La Coruna may be ready to play on Sunday.

"He continues to progress," Mitchell said on a conference call. "We feel good about his situation."

The team includes defenders Jim Brennan of Toronto FC and Adrian Cann of the Vancouver Whitecaps. The rest play for clubs in Major League Soccer or in a variety of European leagues.

Canada, ranked 60th in the world, took advantage of a break in international soccer schedules to put most of its top players together in an extended camp, which included the match against Brazil in Seattle and a 2-2 draw with Panama on June 4 in Florida.

If they reach the next stage, players will fly in and out over a couple of days for matches.

"I think it's 17 days since we came together and for most of us, it's getting long," added Mitchell. "The players are looking forward to playing a game that means something.

"But they understand that it is a necessary process."

They are also looking forward to the return match at the new Saputo Stadium in Montreal.

"We expect a good crowd," the coach said. "That match could have a lot of importance for us."