Dwayne De Rosario headlines a mix of veterans and new faces eligible to play for Canada at the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament next month.
The New York Red Bulls midfielder was one of 23 players named to the roster Monday. The list will be trimmed to 20 after a friendly against Ecuador on June 1 at BMO Field in Toronto.
Canada opens the Gold Cup against the United States on June 7 at Detroit's Ford Field.
De Rosario, a 32-year-old Toronto native, has won 56 caps for Canada. He has suited up just three times since the last World Cup qualifying campaign in 2008.
Canadian head coach Stephen Hart said he expects De Rosario -- the last remaining holdover from Canada's Gold Cup victory in 2000 -- to lead the team despite being the oldest member of the squad.
"If you look at (De Rosario) with his club, he has an impact on the team and he can bring that to the national team," Hart said on a conference call.
"I don't really say to look at his age. He has been almost injury free in four or five years. He's not a beaten up sort of player and his game has shown consistency. For me, that's useful enough for the national team."
De Rosario will be joined by last year's Canadian player of the year Atiba Hutchinson, Norwich City star Simeon Jackson and former Toronto FC teammate Julian de Guzman.
Montreal Impact forward Ali Gerba -- Canada's all-time leading scorer at the Gold Cup with six goals -- was also selected along with veteran centre back Kevin McKenna.
Hart added six new faces to the roster, including 23-year-old goalkeeper Milan Borjan. He won his second cap for Canada in a 1-0 victory over Belarus in March.
Hart wouldn't commit to giving Borjan or fellow newcomer Haidar Al-Shaibani playing time ahead of veteran keeper Lars Hirschfeld, but the rookies are still likely to get a look prior to an expected fall start to World Cup qualifying.
"We'll see how they train," said Hart. "Everything is open. It's sort of competition for places and we'll see how it goes."
Canada is ranked seventh in CONCACAF and 76th in the world.
Following their match against the Americans, who are 22nd in the world and CONCACAF's top-ranked team, Canada plays Guadeloupe in Tampa on June 11 and Panama in Kansas City on June 14.
With an eye on World Cup qualifications, Hart said he thinks the mix of experience and youth will serve Canada well through a busy summer.
"Basically I think we've picked a balanced squad," he said. "I also like the fact that there's some young players that will be given the opportunity to prove themselves in the camp and to push the other players for selection, and I think that's healthy going into a World Cup qualification."
