Julian de Guzman

Julian de Guzman... speaks English, French and Spanish... soccer family (brother Jonathan)... his father was born in San Jose, PHI while his mother was born in St. Catharines, JAM... grew up playing soccer and basketball... he was five years old when he started playing soccer at Wexford... enjoys listening to music... favourites have included Claude Makélelé, Clarence Seedorf... at age 13, attended a group stage match in Detroit at the FIFA World Cup USA 1994 (Brazil 1:1 Sweden)... earned his Canada Soccer Coaching B Diploma in 2017...

opened in 2021, the Julian de Guzman Park in Ottawa is named in his honour (located in Carlsbad Springs)... Canada Soccer Player of the Year in 2008...

Two-time Concacaf semifinalist (2002 and 2007)... represented Canada in four cycles of FIFA World Cup Qualifiers and six editions of the Concacaf Gold Cup... career 89 international "A" appearances across 15 years from 2002 to 2016 with Canada Soccer's Men's National Team, including 25 starts as Canada’s captain… when he left international football in 2016, he ranked first all-time with 89 international appearances, in fact holding the Canadian record from 2016 (when he surpassed Randy Samuel) until 2021 (when Atiba Hutchinson surpassed him)... represented Canada at one FIFA youth tournament (U-20 at Argentina 2001)...

as a youth player in 2001, was noted by the FIFA World Youth Championship Technical Study Group as a “tricky striker”... from the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup, was noted by the Technical Study Group for his “excellent ability and skill to get the ball, (excellent) passing and control and finishing”... from the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup, was noted by the Technical Study Group for being “skillful, confident in possession; initiates attack and organises midfield defence; excellent passer, always moving and available; hardworing on both defence and attack”... from the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, was noted by the Technical Study Group for having “excellent technique, (an) organiser and team leader”...

club career in Canada, France, Germany, Spain, USA and Greece, including appearances in UEFA Cup and Concacaf Champions League... more than 150 combined appearances across Germany’s 1.Bundesliga and Spain’s La Liga... with Toronto FC, a three-time Canadian Championship winner (Voyageurs Cup in 2010, 2011 and 2012)... an NASL Fall Season winner with Ottawa Fury FC (2015)... an Ontario Cup winner with Ottawa’s Gloucester Celtic (2021)...

was part of Canada Soccer’s post-match Guard of Honour on 27 March 2022 to celebrate Canada’s qualification to the men’s 2022 FIFA World Cup (along with nine other former players)...

said Julian in 2017 after his retirement, “I’m very honoured and thankful for such a great career and I’m proud to be Canadian; I’ve went through a lot, had to sacrifice everything to do what I love, but I don’t regret anything; I've dedicated my entire career to Canada. This is the love of my life”...

said Mark Goudie in 2018, “there is nobody in Canada who is more committed to solidifying professional soccer in Ottawa and to giving back to the local soccer community”...