One minute and thirty-one seconds was all it took to potentially shake up not only the Canadian Men’s National Team, but the CONCACAF region as well. In a short excerpt of an interview with Julian De Guzman on The Score, James Sharman asks the question that has been posed, and politely dodged, so many times before.
Except this time the answer was different.
Sharman sets it up like many have prior to him, speculating how good Canada could be with the addition of certain players, Junior Hoilett to start, then of course a player who has been discussed for the better part of the last five years, Jonathan De Guzman.
“This is the first time he’s felt more motivated to represent Canada,” reveals Julian, “he’s actually given me the word to pass on to the coaches and the staff to really look into his chances of regaining his Canadian passport.”
Julian De Guzman didn’t stop there, adding in that his younger brother then went on to ask for the contact information for Junior Hoilett, another Canadian who has yet to commit to the national team.
With Canada recently advancing to the third round of World Cup Qualifying, and memories of 2008 likely etched in the minds of not just supporters but players such as Julian De Guzman, Josh Simpson and Atiba Hutchinson, the boost that a player of Jonathan De Guzman’s quality would bring to the team cannot be overstated.
It must be noted that Julian added “he’s considering it greatly”, but given the depth of the Netherlands’ midfield at this point in time, it seems very unlikely that even with his regained form first with Mallorca and now at Villareal in La Liga, the younger De Guzman will break into the line up of the Oranje.
A name that had become synonymous with the likes of Owen Hargreaves and Asmir Begovic, however not necessarily because of the same circumstances but mostly because of another disappointing loss of talent, his return could greatly turn the fortunes of the national program.
De Guzman’s national commitment hung in the balance for a number of years, with him leaving Canada at twelve to join Feyenoord’s youth academy. In 2008 after gaining his Dutch citizenship he represented the Netherlands at the U21 and U23 levels, thus ending the possibility of ever playing for Canada. However, the amendment to FIFA rules for representing nations meant that with no senior caps in his career, he was once again eligible to play for Canada, but also the Dutch.
If there is one area there is no shortage of talent in the Netherlands, it is the midfield. Already boasting names such as Wesley Sneijder, Nigel De Jong and Rafael van der Vaart, De Guzman would also be in competition with an emerging generation of international names such as Ibrahim Afellay, Urby Emanuelson, Kevin Strootman and Georginio Wijnaldum. Given his history of injuries, as well as departure from Feyenoord, the scenario where Jonathan De Guzman would be favoured ahead of any of those names is difficult to envision.
The timing of a return to Canada, at 24 years of age and heading into a critical round of qualifying could not be any more perfect. Even though their record and goal difference was convincing, at many points during the second round, Canada’s performance was not. His talents are well known, delivering deadly set pieces and being a formidable right-sided attacker who would become an immediate first choice opposite of Josh Simpson.
With the final nugget that the return of Jonathan De Guzman could possibly be paired with a long-awaited commitment from emerging EPL superstar Junior Hoilett, supporters of the Men’s National Team heads are spinning with the potential line-up that is inching further from fantasy and closer to reality.
It has often been discussed that all it would take is for one player of a high caliber to choose Canada first for others to follow, and while technically it is not a first choice, one could make an exception for better late than never. A return of De Guzman, coupled with Hoilett, could be what it takes for players such as Keven Alemen to no longer have a second thought about who to represent.
It is the kind of news that is rarely delivered, feels too good to be true, and often it is of someone departing rather than joining the ranks of a nation who have not made the World Cup in over 25 years. However while it is potentially great news, it cannot be forgotten that the first bit of luck over the last year was discovering a budding keeper in Milan Borjan, who is now beginning to impress in the Turkish SuperLig.
Should this news continue on the right course, and De Guzman becomes another player who chooses, and is able, to play for the red and white, the prospects of not just getting through the third round, but becoming a legitimate contender into the Hex begins to look a lot more realistic.
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