Gerry Dobson

Canadian national team coach Stephen Hart had just stepped off a plane in Toronto when I chatted with him about Sunday's 1-0 loss in Jamaica.

He felt the first 45 was even but was half expecting his side to wilt in the second half since many of his players are simply not match fit. What made it all the more difficult was what he didn't expect.

For instance, he didn't count on Will Johnson coming up with a hyper extension problem during their last training session the day before the game. Scratch one midfielder. And he didn't figure on Dwayne DeRosario to pull up lame with a calf problem. Scratch another midfielder. And finally when Antonio Ribeiro had to come off injured after only half an hour, suddenly Hart was three midfielders short. Hart tells me the backline was solid, singling out Dejan Jakovic and Ante Jazic for special praise.

Toronto FC fans might also be pleased to hear that Ali Gerba seems to have spent the off-season working hard to get ready. He had a couple of scoring chances. Hart said he was impressed.

Five players made their debuts in this match, but contrary to several reports making the rounds that any first time player is now capped is simply not true.

To clarify, under a relatively new FIFA ammendment to the Nationality rules, a player is only capped once he players in an official FIFA competition for any given country. That law is irrelevant of course to any player who is eligible to play only for Canada. But theoretically speaking, had Hart called in Junior Hoilett, O'Brian White, Teal Bunbury and played all three, it wouldn't have mattered a lick.

Hoilett and White would still be eligible for Jamaica, and Bunbury for the U.S. In fact, the next opportunity Stephen Hart has to cap anyone is the 2011 Gold Cup.

It seems a long way off right now.