Wisconsin Soccer Central

Lauren Sesselmann (Green Bay Notre Dame) already has a gold medal from the Pan American Games.

Now she and her teammates on the Canadian women's national soccer team have their eyes on the Olympics.

Sesselmann is one of 23 players called in for a 10-day training camp that started Tuesday in Fullerton, Calif., as Canada prepares to play host to next month's CONCACAF qualifying tournament for the 2012 London Games.

The 28-year-old Sesselmann has dual citizenship and has made eight appearances for the Canadian team, all in the past three months.

A versatile player who has played as a forward and midfielder during her career in Women's Professional Soccer, most recently with the Atlanta Beat, Sesselmann has been the starting left back for the national team. That includes the team's title-winning run at the Pan Am Games in October in Mexico.

Canada plays Haiti on Jan. 19, Cuba on Jan. 21 and Costa Rica on Jan. 23 in group play of the qualifier in Vancouver, British Columbia. The other group includes the United States, Mexico, Guatemala and Dominican Republic, with the semifinals on Jan. 27 and the final Jan. 29. The two finalists earn spots in the London Games, which are July 27 to Aug. 12.

Here's a recent feature on Sesselmann done by WBAY (Ch. 2) in Green Bay.

Ricketts up for major award

FC Politehnica Timişoara forward Tosaint Ricketts (UW-Green Bay) is one of nine nominees for the Canadian Soccer Association 2011 Men's Player of the Year.

Ricketts, 24, made his debut with the full national team in February and had three goals in his first nine international appearances, and also has four goals in 21 matches for his club in Romania.

Canadian national team captain Dwayne De Rosario, who was named the Major League Soccer MVP and won the league's Golden Boot as the top scorer this season, likely is the favorite to claim the award for a fourth time.

The other nominees are defender-midfielder Marcel De Jong (FC Augsburg, German Bundesliga), defender David Edgar (Burnley, English Championship), defender André Hainault (Houston Dynamo, MLS), striker Simeon Jackson (Norwich, English Premier League), midfielder Will Johnson (Real Salt Lake, MLS), striker Olivier Occean (SpVgg Greuther Fürth, German 2.Bundesliga) and midfielder Josh Simpson (Vestel Manisaspor, Turkish Süper Lig).