When it rains it pours for Colin Miller.
It was reported late Sunday night by the Team 1040 in Vancouver that Miller, recently named head coach of FC Edmonton, will also serve as interim head coach of the Canadian men's national team until a full-time replacement for Stephen Hart is found.
Miller's first two assignments will be a pair of friendlies being played in the southern U.S. (vs. Denmark, Jan. 26; vs. U.S., Jan 29) -- and it's already looking as though the squad he'll lead will look much different than the one that flamed out of World Cup qualifying in cataclysmic fashion a few months ago.
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Kyle Bekker, who this week signed a deal with Major League Soccer in the hopes of being drafted, has received the call for those upcoming friendlies, the Canadian Press is reporting -- despite having never played a professional game. The 22-year-old did, though, feature for Canada in last spring's Olympic qualifying tournament.
One of Bekker's U23 teammates, Babayele Sodade, also received his first call to the senior national team, but had to decline as he continues to recover from a torn ACL he suffered during the Olympic qualifying tournament. The 22-year-old was drafted by the Seattle Sounders last year, but has yet to appear for the team.
It's worth noting that a few other members of that Olympic qualifying squad -- Doneil Henry, Evan James, Samuel Piette, Russell Teibert, Lucas Cavallini, Marcus Haber -- have previously earned call-ups to the senior national team, while some Canadian fans have been clamouring for others -- including Shaun Saiko and Andres Fresenga -- to get their shot. Saiko, and fellow Olympic qualification teammate Kyle Porter, play for FC Edmonton, the team Miller is set to take over this season.
It wouldn't be especially surprising to see a few of those names listed once the Canadian Soccer Association releases the roster for those friendlies later this month.
Miller, of course, is no stranger to the Canadian setup: He earned 61 caps as a player, and served as assistant head coach of the national team for several years under Holgier Osieck, before taking over as interim head coach for the first time in 2003. He's also coached the PDL's Victoria Highlanders and served as an assistant with the Vancouver Whitecaps.
However long Miller remains at the helm, early indications are that the team he (and his eventual replacement) will lead is going to be a markedly different one than we've seen over the past few years. And given that the foul taste of the "humiliation in Honduras" still lingers in the mouths of most supporters, that can only be seen as a good thing.