It wasn't long ago that the Yukon Selects soccer squad was trying to lure players from Outside just to field a full team.

Now, the Selects are dealing with a different kind of problem trying to cut more than 35 practice regulars down to no more than 17.

The Selects is made up of about 50 of the best players in the territory, ranging in age from 15 to 49. A group of guys established the team in 1999, hoping to offer the territory a chance to compete at the highest level possible. In their first competitive season, they won the Alaska State Championships in Anchorage, and then it was on to the Canadian men's soccer championships in 2000, as they became the first Yukon team to compete at that level.

'It was mixed emotions,' said Jake Hanson, one of the men instrumental in starting the Selects after he moved to the territory in 1996, after practice Monday night. 'Things had gone really well for us the first year and a half of having the team. It all happened really fast and the opportunity to go to nationals was really exciting. It was sort of like the ultimate dream I guess, for a Yukon soccer team, because no team had ever gone before.'

But, he added, it was also frustrating. At the time, they didn't have a large pool of players to choose from, so they were scrambling up to a week before nationals just to field a full team. They even ended up calling a friend in North Dakota, who had been in the Yukon the previous summer, begging him to play.

'I guess I was sort of left disappointed, because I knew that we didn't field out best team,' said Hanson. 'I talked to a lot of the players after and the sentiment was we just couldn't wait to get back. It's taken five years to sort of come around and decide it's time to put our best foot forward, so that's what we're hoping to do now.'

Hanson said there were a lot of guys they wanted to take to nationals back in 2000, but for whatever reason, the Selects just didn't have the interest they do now. In 2000, the team had just one goaltender, but now, there are six coming out to practice on a regular basis and a seventh has shown interest in nationals.

'I think that sort of epitomized what's happened to our competitive soccer here.

'I don't stop to think about it very often, but when I do, it feels good. When I first came to town, it was two months before I found any soccer to be played. And now, you can play four or five nights a week. You've got teams going to Canada Games, Arctic Winter Games, nationals. It's really exciting, because there's lots of opportunities and the players each year seem to be getting better and better.'

Of course, Hanson added, that also makes it somewhat hard for the team, since they have to cut so many people that come out every week and try their hardest.

'We've never been in a position where we've had to turn players away,' he stated. 'It's definitely going to be tough.'

Head coach for the Yukon squad heading to nationals, Joe Zuccarini, said having so many players to choose from is exciting for him.

'I've never had this kind of luxury, to have more than two goaltenders to choose from, or more than 30 players on the roster to choose from. I think it's a great thing.'

Zuccarini, who is regarded as one of the best soccer minds in the territory, came out of a year-and-a-half break from coaching to lead the Selects squad, after he was originally asked about two years ago. He decided it would be a new challenge for him, as he usually heads up youth teams.

'I coached Peter (Mather), who's 29, and Matt (Pye), who's 29, when I first started up here,' said Zuccarini, adding he's also coached a lot of the 16 and 17 year olds at past Games. 'So I've coached pretty much at one time or another all of these guys, so I know them quite well.

'That's an advantage to me and an advantage to them, because they know what to expect from me and I know what to expect. It's a great bunch of guys.'

Hanson said it's worked really well so far, having Zuccarini lead the troops.

'Our team has always sort of been led by the senior players,' he said. 'It was challenging, because you were trying to focus on your game and trying to organize guys at the same time.

'Joe just stepped right in and it's been perfect for everybody. Each week, I get more excited about having him here.'

Zuccarini said he's been impressed with what he's seen so far, from both the younger and older players, and he expects to take a good mix when they head to Calgary next October. The talent level on this year's Selects team is the best it's ever been in the territory, and with several exceptional 16 and 17 year olds ready to take over the squad in the next generation, it can only get better.

'Five years from now, we might have 60 or 70 guys competing for these spots,' said Hanson. 'Our older class is turning 30 now and I know that guys are starting to think about their spots. That was never really a concern before.'

But both Hanson and Matt Pye admit the youngsters have been great in pushing their mentors to a higher level both physically and mentally.

'These young kids are starting to run circles around us, so it's motivated us to get back into shape,' said Hanson, who turns 30 next month. I certainly have to get out on my own and train more.'

'For the most part, we're able to keep up with them,' laughed Pye, who moved back to the territory from Vancouver about 10 months ago. 'When you get older, you get craftier and you start to play smarter.

'The start of the New Year was the start of serious training harder practices, more intense practices and more running.'

The first test for the Selects will be at a tournament in Prince George in March, where they will field two full teams.

'It's very important, especially for the younger players,' said Zuccarini about the tournament. 'It's a men's tournament, it's not just a minor soccer tournament anymore. So, it's very good for the young players to see what it's like.

'That's how you learn. You have to go out there and do it.'

The final cuts for the national tournament roster won't be made until September, although there will probably be a few initial cuts before then. While the calibre of soccer in Calgary will certainly be top-notch, Zuccarini expects the Yukon crew to show the country they can't be taken lightly.

With players like Hanson, who played U.S. college soccer back in the '90s and was once ranked in the top 10 in scoring during his rookie year, and Ammon Hoefs, who is currently playing soccer for the Grant MacEwan College Griffins in Edmonton, a few teams could face an upset.

'We're going to go over there and stun somebody, and show them that we can really play,' said the coach. 'I think we can do really well.

'Obviously, we're going to be ranked 12th going in, so we'll have to play against at least a couple really tough teams. I always like to play the toughest team first because they always take you for granted.'

Pye, who played with several players on the defending national champion team, when he was at UBC from 1993-98, said he knows how high of a calibre the soccer will be in Calgary, but he's hoping the Yukon can pull off a top-five finish.

'Regardless of how we place, there's always something that makes me come away from it thinking, that was exactly what we needed from this tournament,' added Hanson. 'So, whatever we get at nationals, however we place, I'm sure it will be exactly what we need.'