THE CANADIAN PRESS

The latest leg of Canada's 22-year journey to find its way back to the World Cup of soccer kicks off in Toronto next week, with back-to-back home games a possible key to success this time around.

First up is Jamaica, next Wednesday at BMO Field in Toronto, with Honduras visiting Saputo Stadium in Montreal on Sept. 6.

Poor play at home cost the Canadian men dearly in their qualifying run for the 2006 tournament in Germany. Canada opened group play in 2004 with a 2-0 loss to Guatemala in Burnaby, B.C., before tying Honduras 1-1 in Edmonton and losing 3-1 to Costa Rica in Burnaby. The Canadians managed just one point out of nine at home and finished last in their qualifying group with a 1-3-2 record.

In its bid to make the 2002 finals in Japan and South Korea, Canada opened the same stage in 2000 with a 2-0 loss to Trinidad and Tobago in Edmonton before beating Panama 1-0 in Winnipeg (after Canada had already been ousted from contention) and tying Mexico 0-0 in Toronto for four points out of a possible nine at home. The Canadians finished third in the group with a 1-3-2 record, scoring just one goal in six matches.

"The last couple of times, the home games have let us down a little bit," Canadian coach Dale Mitchell said in a conference call Wednesday. "We need to get more at home.

"The formula that you'd like to stick by in this type of situation is win the home games and look for your points, if it's a draw or whatever it may be, away from home. But you've got to win your home games. If you do that, you'll be in good shape."

Mitchell is confident he has the quality and experience in his squad to make a run this time. But it won't be easy and the margin for error will likely be nil.

Canada, ranked 79th in the world and fifth in CONCACAF (which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean) is in a third-round group this time with No. 32 Mexico (No. 2 in CONCACAF), No. 61 Honduras (3) and No. 108 Jamaica (11).

The teams will play each other home and away with the top two advancing to the final round of qualifying in the region. Three of those six finalists will book their ticket to South Africa while the fourth-place finisher will take on the fifth-best team in South America in a playoff to see who joins them.

.Mitchell, who believes Canada is in the most difficult of the three CONCACAF qualifying groups, rejects the notion that Jamaica's lowly FIFA ranking means the Reggae Boyz are a lesser foe.

"Anyone that knows CONCACAF well will tell you there's four good teams in our group and I don't consider Jamaica to be any less difficult of an opponent than the other ones we're going to face," he said.

Jamaica can call on the likes of captain and midfielder Ricardo Gardner (Bolton) and strikers Marlon King (Wigan), Deon Burton (Sheffield Wednesday) and Luton Shelton (Sheffield United)

"They have quality in their team," Mitchell said.

Jamaica opened its qualifying campaign with a 13-0 aggregate win in two games with the Bahamas. Canada defeated St. Vincent and the Grenadines 7-1.

Jamaica is coached by Brazilian Rene Simoes, who was considered for the Canadian opening before Mitchell got the nod.

Fullback Paul Stalteri (Tottenham) will captain Canada and earn his 68th cap, third on the Canadian all-time list, against Jamaica. Mitchell's squad includes three players who were unavailable for the initial qualifying games against St. Vincent: forward Iain Hume (Barnsley), midfielder Daniel Imhof (Bochum) and defender Kevin McKenna (FC Koln).

NOTES -- Mitchell says fullbacks Ante Jazic and Marcel de Jong and forward Olivier Occean were unlucky in missing selection because of the depth at their position, with left-sided fullbacks Mike Klukowski and Jim Brennan and similar style-strikers in Rob Friend and Ali Gerba already in the squad ... The coach says he has yet to choose his starting 'keeper between Greg Sutton and Pat Onstad, who is one cap short of tying Craig Forrest for the most appearances by a Canadian goalie (56). Fellow 'keeper Lars Hirschfeld, while healthy again, was not considered because he is not No. 1 at his Romanian club. "We're going with the two guys that are playing -- and playing on a regular basis." ... The Jamaica game is expected to be a sellout in Toronto.

CANADA ROSTER

Goalkeepers: Greg Sutton, Hamilton, Toronto FC (MLS); Pat Onstad, Vancouver, Houston Dynamo (MLS).

Defenders: Mike Klukowski, Oshawa, Ont., Club Brugge KV (Belgium); Kevin McKenna, Calgary, FC Koeln (Germany); Jim Brennan, Toronto, Toronto FC (MLS); Richard Hastings, Vancouver, Inverness Caledonian Thistle (Scotland).

Defender-Midfielders: Daniel Imhof, Smithers, B.C., VfL Bochum (Germany); Adrian Serioux, Toronto, FC Dallas (MLS), Paul Stalteri (capt.), Brampton, Ont., Tottenham (England).

Midfielders: Julian de Guzman, Toronto, Deportivo La Coruna (Spain); Issey Nakajima-Farran, Calgary, FC Nordsjlland (Denmark); Atiba Hutchinson, Brampton, Ont., FC Copenhagen (Denmark); Patrice Bernier, Brossard, Que., FC Nordsjlland (Denmark).

Midfielder-Forwards: Tomasz Radzinski, Toronto, Skoda Xanthi (Greece); Dwayne De Rosario, Toronto, Houston Dynamo (MLS).

Forwards: Ali Gerba, Montreal, Milton Keynes Dons (England); Rob Friend, Kelowna, B.C., Borussia Moenchengladbach (Germany); Iain Hume, Brampton, Ont., Barnsley FC (England).