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Ben McKendry’s first call-up to the Canadian men’s national team came, cruelly, on the same September night he sprained his knee at B.C. Place.

The Whitecaps midfielder hobbled to the locker-room an hour into that CONCACAF Champions League win over Trinidad and Tobago’s Central FC last fall. His season was over, and then he checked his e-mail on his phone.

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“It was funny timing,” McKendry, a 23-year-old Vancouverite, said of reading that training camp invite, “but that’s how it works sometimes.

“Now we’re here, and I have another invite and can fortunately attend, and I’m thrilled.”

On Tuesday, McKendry was announced as part of Canada’s 28-man training camp roster under interim coach Michael Findlay.

The group will meet in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Thursday and train there for a week before 18 players head to Bermuda for a Jan. 22 friendly (broadcast on canadasoccer.com).

McKendry is one of five Whitecaps named (see list below), and one of five players making their first appearance at a senior national team camp.