Long Wait Over for Rhian Dodds

[Winnipeg Fury]

After long wait Rhian Dodds thrilled for chance with national soccer team

SEATTLE (CP) - The long wait is over for Rhian Dodds.

The nimble midfielder who plays with Kilmarnock of the Scottish Premier Division has finally got the call to play with Canada's national soccer team. Dodds, whose freckled face and messy red hair make him look younger than his 25 years, is on the roster for Canada's Gold Cup squad.

"I always wanted to play for my country," Dodds said in his soft, slightly accented voice, prior to Canada playing Costa Rica Thursday night. "I thought it might not come.

"I thought if it did happen it would be a great bonus. I am happy it did come."

Dodds is one of the young, largely untested players national team coach Frank Yallop wants to get a read on during the Gold Cup, the 12-team tournament for the championship of CONCACAF, which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean.

The five-foot-10, 160-pound Dodds gives away height and bulk to many of his opponents. He makes up for it with good passing skills, aggression around the ball and a fitness level that allows him to stay mobile around the pitch.

That's what caught Yallop's eye during a June training camp.

"I've been trying to get him in for a while," said Yallop. "I liked what I saw.

"He is a good utility player, clean on the ball, and did all the things I liked at that position. He plays the game sharply. The way he plays his game is maybe suited to how we like to play. It showed in that camp he was ready to go.

"Sometimes you just go with a gut feeling."

Born in Scotland, Dodds moved to Hamilton with his parents when he was two. He attended university in the U.S. and played for Canada's under-20 team.

After university, he jumped at the chance to return to Scotland to play professional soccer.

"I wanted to make a go at it," said Dodds, whose fiancee is looking after his infant daughter back home. "I didn't have to be in Scotland but I wanted to play pro football.

"My manager from university had a contact in Scotland. I just went on trial and it worked out ever since."

Dodds has played two seasons in Scotland and now finds it a change of pace to be on the national team, facing central American teams.

"Scotland is really physical, fast, not as technical as the lads here," he said. "It's a decent standard, good passing at times.

"Here, it's a lot more flair, a lot more skilful players. It's quick football here. It's the best players around."

Yallop is using the Gold Cup to pour the foundation of the team he hopes to build for qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.

Canada, No. 85 in the world, is the lowest ranked team in Group B, which also includes the United States (ranked 10th), Costa Rica (24th) and Cuba (70th).

Although Canada is clearly the underdog, Dodds thinks the team has enough bite to advance to the second round of the tournament.

"We have quite a young team," he said. "The chemistry and team moral is good.

"Everybody gets along and we have a good laugh. We think we have a real good chance of going to the next round."

[Gian-Luca]

He sounds like a carbon copy of his younger brother Jamie - or perhaps that should be the other way round.

[SeanKeay]

If Jamie keeps up his great play, he will too be looked at for the national team