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RedNation Online recently had the chance to catch up with Canadian International Julian de Guzman to discuss his recent move back to Europe with German side Jahn Regensburg, his thoughts on his years playing in the MLS with Toronto FC, the current state of the Canadian National Team and the recent retirement of Canadian National Team all-time great Paul Stalteri.
RedNation Online: Julian, you are currently playing with Jahn Regensburg. It’s been a number of years since you played in Germany. How are things going so far?
Julian de Guzman: Things have been going really well for me personally. It’s good to be back involved in European football. It isn’t something that is new to me. I have a number of years of experience playing in Germany. Some of my best moments have been here as well. It’s been good to be back and to have that feeling again. The team is last place, so it has pretty much been me coming there and trying to help the team to stay in the second division. It’s been quite a challenge from that point. Overall, for myself, I’m just happy to be back. Hopefully, if things work out, it will be a lot more promising for my future in terms of staying in Europe.
RNO: Speaking of high points in your career, there had been reports that you had been close to signing in Spain with Mallorca. Were those reports just rumours or were you close to going back to Spain?
Julian de Guzman: I was visiting Mallorca in December during my time off. I have place there, so I spent a couple of days hanging out there. Then my ex-teammate from Deportivo La Coruna mentioned to me that I should see the coach at Mallorca, who was also my ex-coach from La Coruna. I got a chance to speak with him during my visit to Mallorca. He told me to come back to train with the team in January because they were looking for a defensive midfielder. After the New Year I made my way back to Mallorca and, after the first couple of sessions, the coach pretty much said that he was satisfied and that we really want to keep you here. It just came down to the Director himself to decide on if it would be a good move for the club. In the end, after training with them for a month, I was able to gain my fitness back, but the Director had a player of his own that he wanted to bring in from Genoa. So it didn’t work out in the end, but it was a good opportunity for me to get fit again. At the same time I had a couple of offers coming from Germany and I ended up signing with Jahn Regensburg. It’s been ideal for me to be in Germany as I can be close to my kids, which was one of the reasons for me to come back to Europe.
RNO: Outside of family reasons, what are some of the benefits to being back in Germany?
Julian de Guzman: Just in terms of football, being on the pitch itself. This is what I always dreamt of being involved in. Playing at this level with this professionalism and the structure and mentality of the game and how it is in Europe. I think it is the ultimate goal for many aspiring footballers around the world. It’s not an easy goal to achieve as a Canadian. Just to have that feeling again being back in Europe, it’s almost the same as when I was 16 and I was able to be involved with a European team in France. For me, I feel revived and alive again playing European football. I think it has done me well in my career and, most importantly, I enjoy it the most, playing here and being involved in the highest level of competition. The German second division is a very respected league. It can only do me good in terms of my career long term.
RNO: You are on a six-month contract with Jahn Regensburg. Are you hoping to stay longer? Or does that depend on how the current relegation battle goes?
Julian de Guzman: There is a clause in the contract where if the team stays in the second division then I would continue with them. If they don’t, then I will become a free agent. Being there and being involved in the European market again for six months is definitely beneficial for me. My intention is to stay here and it makes it a lot easier now that I am here playing at this level. I’m just getting back into the mix of things. So far I have played seven games and ninety minutes in each game. I feel great. There are another eight games left in the season. Hopefully we can turn things around. It is not going to be easy for the team. For myself it will be important to finish on a good note. Knowing that the Gold Cup is around the corner and with me wanting to be a part of that team, that is definitely one of my goals. I think it is important for me to be involved in European competition until the window opens again in the summer.
RNO: How is your match fitness and your sharpness? Obviously every game in a relegation battle is a pressure cooker and you have to be at your best and more.
Julian de Guzman: This is not new to me and I know what is expected. I was in this situation with other clubs, Saarbrücken, Hannover and La Coruna. Relegation to me means that you are playing for your spot in the league. It is something that was a very different situation playing in MLS. You can finish last and there is no such thing as not being around anymore. I think being under this pressure of relegation with a team is a big deal. It is great feeling leading up to the game every weekend. The intensity of it is part of being a professional. That is what I want to be a part of. I want that European feeling and this part of it. It is an honour to be in the league and that is what everyone is fighting for. You get the fans behind you and you feel pressure. I’m happy to be involved in this mix. When it does work out, it is a great feeling. When it doesn’t, you just have to continue and work towards another goal. Right now every day of the week is intense and I’m enjoying the pressure in Germany.
RNO: It sounds like it is really a different mentality in Europe. Has there been any adjustment going back to Europe given that you played the last few years in North America?
Julian de Guzman: Not really. I think one of my problems coming to the MLS was that I was just too stuck in Europe. My mentality was just more towards the European structure of things and how things are done there as opposed to how things are done in the MLS. Coming back to Europe, I would like to say that it is like coming back to home. I feel more at home now and I feel happier. I know what is expected here. It is something that I was dreaming about since I was a kid and it is what I have always wanted. It has been a very easy adjustment and I’m feeling good about my performances in the games. Hopefully the results will come around for the team and then it will become a great thing for the club, the entire city and all the fans.
RNO: Now that you have a little bit of time to reflect upon it, how do you look back on your MLS experience?
Julian de Guzman: It was an interesting experience. It was also an eye opener. I was honoured to have the opportunity to play for my hometown club. I think that is everyone’s dream in professional soccer. I had that opportunity, which was wonderful thing for myself. Throughout the stages of the experience obviously you are going to learn about some things that you are not used to. Certain responsibilities, the structure of things and the mentality were different from what you had been involved in for most of your career. I still think the MLS is a great thing, but it was also an eye opener in many ways. It has done a lot for Canadian football. It has its good and bad. As a professional, you are always going to learn from these things. I think for myself I have grown into a more complete professional via the experience.
RNO: The Canadian National Team has entered a period of transition. How do you see your role with Canada going forward?
Julian de Guzman: Right now at this point I am considered one of the veterans. It is a normal thing that you will have a lot more responsibility. In this whole transition, we have new guys coming in and others not being involved anymore. I definitely look forward to every camp and I want to be a part of the national team. It is always great to be called up. Now you are looked upon as one of the leaders on the team. I have been involved with the national team for almost eleven years now. It still feels like the first time I was called up. Every call up is still the same feeling.
It’s important that I continue to do what I do best and to be a good example on the team for the up and coming players that are now getting their chances. It also important to keep the competition level at a high level between the players . I look at the guys that are getting their chance with this camp and I remember when I was their age. It wasn’t easy getting minutes or even getting a call-up. That was because the competition level was very high and that was something that I definitely respected and it helped my game. That’s something that I hope to pass on to the up and coming players that are getting involved little by little.
RNO: You have pointed out that the Gold Cup is not far off. How important is it for Canada to do well in that tournament?
Julian de Guzman: I think it is important that Canada does well. Some people will say that we don’t have a lot to play for. The Confederation Cup is not involved and teams might field their second teams and what not. I think that for the program itself, it is very important. Both the Men’s team and the U20 National Team did not qualify for the World Cup. I think that is a big step backward for the development of the game in Canada. Just to have some type of success and to have something going for us would be very positive. This Gold Cup will be a great opportunity to bring that confidence back, to slowly turn things around and to give people hope. It is important that the mentality – and this is something that Tony (Fonseca) has emphasized – has to be a certain way for all of the players coming into these camps. It has to start now if we want to have some type of success. Success begins with the Gold Cup and the friendly games.
RNO: I would be remiss if I did not ask you about another Canadian player who had a lot of success in Germany. Paul Stalteri retired this week. What are your thoughts on Paul and what he achieved in his playing career?
Julian de Guzman: In terms of what Paul achieved in his career, there aren’t even a handful of Canadians you could compare him to. He is to legend to me as a Canadian. He was a role model for me growing up as a Canadian player. I remember when he and De Ro first got their chances playing with the Canadian National Team, playing at Varsity Stadium. They were like Gods to me. It was always an honour to play alongside him and even to play against him in the Bundesliga was a big deal for me. Just seeing what he has accomplished in his career, I personally think that he didn’t get the respect that he should have received. He is probably one of the top five Canadians to have ever put on a pair of boots. It is unfortunate with the injuries he had near the end of his career. He was a key figure on the national team and I think he was missed at the national team level. No one has been able to fill his shoes since he has left and not having Paul Stalteri with us did not make it any easier to do well at these levels. It was always an honour to play with him.
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