Toronto FC defender Nana Attakora, right has been selected for Canada's upcoming World Cup qualifying matches against St. Kitts. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan DenetteNathan Denette/The Canadian Press
Defender Nana Attakora was added to the national team Sunday for Canada's next two World Cup soccer qualifiers against St. Kitts and Nevis.
The 22-year-old Attakora replaces Toronto FC teenager Matt Stinson, who is out due to injury.
It's the first time this season that Attakora has been called up to the Canadian team. The Brampton, Ont., defender split the Major League Soccer season between the San Jose Earthquakes and Toronto FC.
The Canadians (3-0-1) play in St. Kitts (1-0-3) on Friday and then return home for a Nov. 15 game at Toronto's BMO Field. Canada needs only one point to advance to the next round of qualifying in the CONCACAF region.
St. Kitts and Nevis, ranked 109th in the world to Canada's No. 83, are four points behind the Canadians in their group. Only the pool winner advances to the next round of qualifying in the CONCACAF region, which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean.
So far, Canada has outscored its modest opposition 14-1 and taken 10 points out of a possible 12.
If Canada gets past the preliminary round, it will join No. 57 Honduras, No. 100 Cuba, and another qualifier in the next group phase. The top two teams in that pool will advance to the final round of qualifying which will see three CONCACAF teams book their ticket to the 2014 World Cup and another have a chance at joining them via a playoff.