As he prepares to begin his final World Cup qualifying campaign, veteran Canadian midfielder Julian de Guzman has some unfinished business to attend to.
While the ultimate goal is to help Canada reach Russia 2018, the first priority is to finally turn the page on the team’s failed bid to reach Brazil 2014 – a campaign that ended with an 8-1 defeat at the hands of Honduras.
“We definitely want to forget about that, and the way to do that is by getting results,” the 34-year-old de Guzman told reporters on Tuesday. “I believe for every camp that we’ve had so far, there’s been progress, and that’s one of the best ways to overcome that horrible memory.”
De Guzman is one of the key veterans of a Canadian side that will begin their World Cup quest with a pair of matches against tiny Dominica on June 11 and 16. With 78 caps and three qualifying cycles under his belt, the former Toronto FC Designated Player knows that Canada can take nothing for granted.
“These are very important moments for the team in terms of improving things that we really need to work on,” he said. “Because it’s an official match, we also need to get the result.”
As a new generation has stepped to the forefront, results have begun to improve for Canada recently: The team has just two losses in nine matches since the start of 2014. The recent retirement of all-time leading scorer Dwayne De Rosario is perhaps the clearest sign that change is afoot for the Canadian team.
De Guzman, upon whom head coach Benito Floro is relying for his veteran experience, believes that the pieces are coming together at just the right time.
“Dwayne definitely did play a huge role in the past. But if you look at the timing of things, with him leaving and having guys like Tesho [Akindele] jump in, it seems to be working out so far,” said de Guzman. “And guys like Cyle Larin, who’s been doing well at his club. It’s very motivating for the rest of the team to have guys coming out of good situations.”
After spending much of last year without a club, de Guzman also finds himself in a good situation, having landed with the Ottawa Fury of the NASL at the start of this season.
“It’s been really good, getting games and training at a decent level, keeping fit and sharp, especially the fact that I’m still playing in Canada,” he said. “It’s something that I’ve looked forward to at this point in my career. It helps me come into these camps fit. It’s an important factor for all of us to come into these camps fit and sharp and ready for these official matches.”
