It was just words, and Canadian fans have been burned by words before, but Julian de Guzman delivered some news today that few dreamed they would ever hear.
Speaking to The Score’s James Sharman, de Guzman said the following about his younger brother, Villarreal’s Jonathan de Guzman:
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
I had been talking to my brother a lot about his international chances of playing for Canada...this is the first time he’s felt more motivated to represent Canada. 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...the CSA is on top of that right now and they are also in touch and there will be meeting down the road to see what possibilities there are for him to come to the national team. So he’s considering it greatly and also, the funny thing is, the time I did talk to him and he had felt strongly about playing for Canada he had asked me for Junior (Holiett)’s contact number. So his idea was kind of to join forces and jump on board for the Canadian national team for the next round.
Jonathan, of course, burned Canadian fans four years ago when he declared his intentions to play for the Dutch. He represented Holland at the 2008 Olympics. Many Canadians were turned off by the way the decision went down, as Jonathan had told Sportsnet’s Gerry Dobson that he had yet to make up him mind in an interview that had been taped less than a week before he declared for Holland.
He remains eligible to play for Canada because he was never called by the full Dutch senior side. Although he is undoubtedly talented – he would instantly be Canada’s most accomplished player -- he appears to be far down Holland’s depth chart.
Understandably Canadian fans were excited by the revelation. Within minutes, people were speculating as to where he’d fit into a Canadian line-up. After a mediocre round of World Cup qualifying, and at the end of a four year stretch for the national team that has been, to put it mildly, underwhelming that’s understandable – no one should blame a Canadian fan for being a fan today.
However, some caution is necessary. CSN confirmed that the CSA is looking into the procedure that would need to take place to repatriate Jonathan, but sources close to the situation stressed that this is still not close to being a sure thing. Jonathan has told them that he is considering a return, but has in no way committed to it.
Some have even speculated that this could be a ploy by Jonathan to force the Dutch to call him up or risk losing him. That seems a tad too cynical, but you can understand why some may be cautious – once burned and all that.
As important as it is to remain cautious, it’s also vital that Canadian fans celebrate the positive. Julian has been asked what Jonathan’s plans were several times in the past and has always consistently answered the same way – it was his brother’s choice and his brother had decided to play for Holland. Additionally, Jonathan has been asked several times since the switch and there has never been any indication that he would ever come back to Canada.
Until today.
It’s too early to celebrate his return, but for once there is hope. And that’s a lot more than there was not long ago.