Julian Bobby de Guzman (born March 25, 1981) is a Canadian

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

executive and former professional player and coach. De Guzman was the first Canadian to play in the Spanish

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's ...

. While playing in Spain, he was voted 2007–08

Deportivo La Coruña ''Deportivo'' (Spanish, 'sporting') may refer to: * Deportivo de La Coruña, commonly known as simply Deportivo, a Spanish football club * Déportivo, a French rock band * Deportivo (Mexicable), an aerial lift station in Ecatepec, Mexico * Deport ...

Player of the Year. De Guzman has played at both the Canadian U-20 and Senior level, he was awarded the Canadian Player of the Year in 2008 and in 2007 became only the second Canadian international to be awarded the

CONCACAF Gold Cup The CONCACAF Gold Cup ( es, Copa de Oro de la CONCACAF, french: Coupe D'or CONCACAF) is the main association football competition of the men's national football teams governed by CONCACAF, determining the continental champion of North Ameri ...

Most Valuable Player. He was the all-time cap leader of the Canada national team from November 2015, when he surpassed

Paul Stalteri Paul Andrew Stalteri (born October 18, 1977) is a Canadian former professional soccer player who played as a defender or midfielder. He spent most of his professional career in Germany, winning the league and cup double with Werder Bremen in th ...

's previous record of 84 appearances, to November 2021, when

Atiba Hutchinson Atiba Hutchinson (born 8 February 1983) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder and captains both Süper Lig club Beşiktaş and the Canada national team. While playing in Denmark he won the Danish Super Liga Player o ...

surpassed De Guzman's final tally of 89 caps. From 2013 to 2016, he was captain of the Canadian men's national team. Most recently De Guzman was the general manager of the

Ottawa Fury FC Ottawa Fury Football Club was a Canadian professional soccer club based in Ottawa, Ontario. The club competed in the North American Soccer League and USL Championship and played its home games at TD Place Stadium. The Ottawa Fury FC were diss ...

from 2017 until they dissolved at the end of 2019.

Club career

Europe

De Guzman was discovered by representatives of

Olympique Marseille Olympique de Marseille (, ; oc, Olimpic de Marselha, ), also known simply as Marseille or by the abbreviation OM (, ), is a French professional men's football club based in Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. Founded in 1899, the club pl ...

while playing for the North Scarborough youth soccer club in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. After playing with Marseille's reserve side, de Guzman became a first-team player with 1. FC Saarbrücken in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

2. Bundesliga in the 2000–01 season, where he made two appearances, and in the 2001–02 season, where he made 19 appearances. In 21 appearances he never scored. In 2002, he joined newly promoted

Hannover 96 Hannoverscher Sportverein von 1896, commonly referred to as Hannover 96 (), Hannover, HSV or simply 96, is a German professional football club based in the city of Hanover, Lower Saxony. They played in the Bundesliga for a total of 30 years betwe ...

, becoming only the third Canadian to play in the German First

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...

. He made 20 appearances during 2002–03 season and 32 appearances in both 2003–04 and 2004–05 seasons. De Guzman's contract with Hannover expired in 2005 allowing him to move to any team with no transfer fee. He was heavily linked with a move to

Tottenham Tottenham () is a town in North London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, bordering Edmonton to the north, Waltham ...

where he would have joined Canadian captain

. He decided against the move to London due to the depth in the centre of mid-field, and instead chose to join

in Spain becoming the first Canadian to play in

. After playing a starring role in the club's remarkable turnaround in the 2007–2008 season to avoid relegation and gain a spot in the

UEFA Cup A cup is an open-top used to hold hot or cold liquids for pouring or drinking; while mainly used for drinking, it also can be used to store Solid, solids for pouring (e.g., sugar, flour, grains, salt). Cups may be made of glass, metal, porcela ...

, de Guzman was named the team's player of the season. In 95 appearances he scored one goal. His only goal with Deportivo came in 2005 against the Spanish giants

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

. His contract with Deportivo expired in the summer of 2009.

Toronto FC

In September 2009 an agreement was reached with

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BMO ...

for de Guzman to sign as a

designated player The Designated Player Rule, nicknamed the Beckham Rule, allows Major League Soccer franchises to sign up to three players that would be considered outside their salary cap (either by offering the player higher wages or by paying a transfer fee ...

, becoming the first ever Canadian Designated Player in league history. His contract was worth $1,910,746 annually. The Canadian midfielder signed a three-year deal to play in MLS. De Guzman made his debut for the club in an away game against the

Los Angeles Galaxy LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began play ...

on September 19, 2009. He finished the 2009 season with five appearances. De Guzman was able to convince former Deportivo teammate and friend Mista to join Toronto in July 2010. De Guzman was heavily criticized for his inconsistent performances as a designated player in the 2010 season making 36 appearances in all competitions. Much doubt was left over the future of de Guzman and Toronto on November 23 when the club failed to protect him for the

2010 MLS Expansion Draft The 2010 MLS Expansion Draft took place on November 24, 2010, and was a special draft for the Major League Soccer expansion teams Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Portland Timbers. Format Vancouver Whitecaps FC Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer team based in Vancouver. They compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The MLS iteration of the club was established on Marc ...

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional men's soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The Timbers have played their home games at P ...

could select him if they were willing to take on a Designated Players Salary. However, he was untouched going through the sixth round when Vancouver selected

O'Brian White O'Brian White (born 14 December 1985, in Ocho Rios) is a Jamaican former footballer who played as a forward. Career Youth and college White grew up in Jamaica before moving to Scarborough, Ontario in 2002 to live with his mother. He began pla ...

which allowed Toronto to protect one player for the remaining four rounds in which they protected de Guzman . On January 5, 2011, de Guzman revealed that he would be undergoing knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus which might have plagued his performance for the last quarter of the season. In January 2011, Toronto hired

Aron Winter Aron Winter (born 1 March 1967) is a Dutch former professional football midfielder and manager for Suriname. He has played for Ajax and Sparta Rotterdam in the Netherlands, for Italian sides Lazio and Inter Milan, and for the Netherlands nationa ...

as the head coach of the club to bring in a new style of possession soccer, many pundits believed that this new style would benefit de Guzman's abilities and allow him to succeed within the MLS. Ten days before the new season kicked off it was revealed that de Guzman would miss this first game against Vancouver and potentially a few more, due to Winter not wanting to aggravate the recent successful surgery. De Guzman scored his first goal for Toronto in

CONCACAF Champions League The CONCACAF Champions League, known officially as the Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League for sponsorship reasons, is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONCACAF. The tournament is contested by clubs from North Ameri ...

play against Tauro FC August 18, 2011, the game ended in a 2–0 away victory.

FC Dallas

On July 13, 2012, de Guzman was traded to

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise be ...

in exchange for forward

Andrew Wiedeman Andrew Dennis Wiedeman (born August 22, 1989) is a retired American soccer player, who played as a forward. Career College and amateur Wiedeman played college soccer at the University of California, where he earned numerous individual honors ...

. De Guzman made his debut for Dallas against

San Jose Earthquakes The San Jose Earthquakes are an American professional soccer team based in San Jose, California. The Earthquakes compete as a member club of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally as the San Jose Clash, the franchise ...

on July 18, the game ended in a 2–1 away defeat. De Guzman scored his only goal for Dallas on September 15 against

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

, a left footed volley more than 20 yards out six minutes into second half stoppage time. De Guzman remained with FC Dallas through the 2012 season. His contract expired after 2012 and the club made him available for the

2012 MLS Re-Entry Draft The two-stage 2012 MLS Re-Entry Draft took place on December 7, 2012 (Stage 1) and December 14, 2012 (Stage 2). All 19 Major League Soccer clubs were eligible to participate. The Stage 1 and Stage 2 Drafts were conducted in the same order as the t ...

in December 2012. de Guzman became a free agent after he went undrafted in both rounds of the draft.

Jahn Regensburg

On the last day of the 2012–13 winter transfer window, de Guzman joined

SSV Jahn Regensburg Sport- und Schwimmverein Jahn Regensburg e. V., commonly known as SSV Jahn Regensburg, Jahn Regensburg, SSV Jahn or simply Jahn is a German football club based in Regensburg, Bavaria. The club is based on a gymnastics club founded in 1886 a ...

. He made his debut for the team on February 3, playing all 90 minutes in a 1–5 loss against

Hertha BSC Hertha, Berliner Sport-Club e. V., commonly known as Hertha BSC (), and sometimes referred to as Hertha Berlin, Hertha BSC Berlin, or simply Hertha, is a German professional football club based in the locality of Westend of the borough of Charl ...

. At the end of the season Jahn Regensburg was relegated from 2. Bundesliga, when De Guzman signed in January he had a clause that if they were relegated he would automatically become a free agent. He had made 15 appearances for the club.

Skoda Xanthi

Following the

2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 12th CONCACAF Gold Cup competition and the 22nd CONCACAF regional championship overall in CONCACAF's fifty years of existence. The United States was the host nation. The competition began on 7 July 2013 at the ...

in late July, de Guzman signed for

Skoda Xanthi Xanthi Football Club ( el, Α.Ο. Ξάνθη Π.Α.Ε.) is a Greek professional football club based in Xanthi, Western Thrace and plays at Xanthi FC Arena. The club resigned from the Super League 2 due to financial issues. Founded in 1967, Xan ...

in the

Superleague Greece The Super League Greece 1 ( el, Ελληνική Σούπερ Λιγκ 1), or Super League 1, is the highest professional association football league in Greece. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and replaced ''Alpha Ethniki'' at the top of ...

. His debut came in a third round

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

match against

Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (; nl, Standard Luik ; german: Standard Lüttich ) or simply Standard in Belgium, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Liège. They are one of the most ...

on August 1. He scored in the second leg of the series on August 8, but Skoda Xanthi would lose 4–2 on aggregate. He made his league debut for the club on August 17 in a 3–0 loss to

P.A.O.K. PAOK ( el, ΠΑΟΚ, Πανθεσσαλονίκειος Αθλητικός Όμιλος Κωνσταντινοπολιτών, ''Panthessalonikeios Athlitikós Ómilos Constantinopoliton'', ''Pan-Thessalonian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans' ...

After his contract expired, he looked for a club in or near Germany to be closer to his family, but he has not found anything as of yet.

Ottawa Fury

After several months without a club he was rumoured to be signing with

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...

following a training spell with the MLS club, however a week later de Guzman signed with Ottawa Fury of the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

on March 27, 2015. He made his debut on April 4 against the

Carolina RailHawks North Carolina FC is an American professional soccer team in Cary, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh. Founded in 2006, the team plays in USL League One, the third tier of the American league system. The team has played its home games a ...

. On December 16, 2015, de Guzman re-signed with Ottawa for the 2016 season. He was subsequently named captain of the club on March 9, 2016.

International career

De Guzman played at the

2001 FIFA World Youth Championship The 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in Argentina between 17 June and 8 July 2001. The 2001 championship was the 13th contested. The tournament took part in six cities, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Mendoza, Rosario, Salta, and Mar de ...

in Argentina, alongside

and

Mike Klukowski Michael Władysław Klukowski (; born 27 May 1981) is a Canadian soccer player who played as a left-back. He made 36 appearances for the Canada national team. Club career Klukowski was born in Amstetten, Austria. He began his career in Canada ...

among others. He made his senior debut for

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

in a January 2002

match against

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...

. By July 2015, he earned a total of 82 caps, scoring 4 goals. He has represented Canada in 22

FIFA World Cup qualification The FIFA World Cup qualification is a competitive match that a national association football team takes in order to qualify for one of the available berths at the final tournament of the (men's) FIFA World Cup. Qualifying tournaments are hel ...

matches. In Canada's opening match of the

2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the ninth edition of the Gold Cup, the soccer championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF), and was won by the United States over Mexico. It was contested in the United States from ...

, de Guzman scored twice to help defeat

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

2–1. After the conclusion of the

competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indivi ...

, de Guzman was named tournament MVP. De Guzman was also chosen in the 23-man roster for the

2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup The 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the tenth edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup competition, and the twentieth soccer championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF). It was played from July 3 to 26, 2009 in the United States ...

, Canada won group A with seven points before being knocked out by

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

in the quarter finals. He was later chosen in the all-tournament team along with fellow Canadian

Michael Klukowski Michael Władysław Klukowski (; born 27 May 1981) is a Canadian soccer player who played as a left-back. He made 36 appearances for the Canada national team. Club career Klukowski was born in Amstetten, Austria. He began his career in Canada ...

, this was the second time in a row he has been selected for this competition. On June 1, 2011, in a friendly against

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

in the last minutes of play Canada was down 2–1 when de Guzman played a clever yet controversial quick free kick just outside the 18 yard box to

Tosaint Ricketts Tosaint Antony Ricketts (born 6 August 1987) is a Canadian former professional association football, soccer player. He last played for the Vancouver Whitecaps FC and, until 2020, the Canada men's national soccer team, Canada national team as a F ...

who put in the net for his first ever international goal leading the Canadian team to a well earned draw. De Guzman earned his fiftieth cap for Canada's senior men's team on October 7, 2011, in a dominating 7–0 victory over

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindian ...

in a

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA#Structure, FIFA confederations. The 2014 FIFA World Cup featured 32 teams, with one place reserved for the host nation, Brazil national football team, Bra ...

match at

Beausejour Stadium The Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, previously the Beausejour Cricket Ground, is a cricket ground located near Gros Islet, Saint Lucia standard seating capacity of 15,000. It was completed in 2002 and currently accommodates 13,000 spectators. Origi ...

. On November 17, 2015, de Guzman started for Canada against

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...

in a 2018 World Cup qualifying match and overtook

as Canada's most capped player in history earning his 85th cap.

Coaching and executive career

On January 30, 2017, de Guzman announced his retirement from soccer and his transition to an assistant coaching position with the Ottawa Fury. On August 15, 2017, de Guzman was named interim head coach until the end of the 2017 season after the resignation of head coach

Paul Dalglish Paul Kenneth Dalglish (born 18 February 1977) is a Scottish former professional footballer. Playing career Dalglish, son of former Scotland international Kenny Dalglish, was born in Glasgow though spent his childhood in the city where his fa ...

. On December 21, 2017, de Guzman was appointed general manager of the Ottawa Fury, alongside new head coach Nikola Popovic. He held the role until the Fury ceased operations at the end of 2019, following not receiving sanctioning to play in the US-based

USL Championship The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

. In 2020, it was announced that he was joining the newly formed club

1812 FC Barrie 1812 FC Barrie (also known as 1812 FC) was a Canadian semi-professional soccer club that played in League1 Ontario in 2021. In their sole season of operation, the club played home matches at Terry Fox Stadium in Brampton, Ontario. The team was ...

, where he will serve as president and co-owner. However, in January 2021, a major shift occurred with De Guzman departing the club, along with Peter Raco and the Barrie SC, to form a new club named Simcoe County Rovers.

Personal life

Before his career, he attended Cardinal Newman Catholic High School from 1994 to 1997. His younger brother

Jonathan de Guzmán Jonathan Alexander de Guzmán (born 13 September 1987) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Sparta Rotterdam. Born in Canada, he represented the Netherlands internationally. De Guzmán is Canadian-born, but made himself a ...

also plays professional soccer for Dutch club

Sparta Rotterdam Sparta Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club based in Rotterdam. Established on 1 April 1888, Sparta Rotterdam is the oldest professional football team in the Netherlands. Sparta currently compete in the Eredivisie, the top flight ...

and previously at

Villarreal CF Villarreal Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. ( ca-valencia, Vila-real Club de Futbol, S.A.D.), usually abbreviated to Villarreal CF or simply Villarreal, is a professional football club based in Villarreal, in the Castellón province of eastern Spain, th ...

Napoli Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

, and Swansea FC,

Eintracht Frankfurt Eintracht Frankfurt e.V. () is a professional sports club based in Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany. It is best known for its football club, which was founded on 8 March 1899. The team is currently playing in the Bundesliga, the top tier of the Germa ...

and plays internationally for the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Canada's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each de Guzman goal.''

Honours

Individual * CONCACAF Gold Cup Most Valuable Player:

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

* CONCACAF Gold Cup All-Tournament Team:

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:De Guzman, Julian 1981 births Living people Canadian sportspeople of Filipino descent Canadian sportspeople of Jamaican descent Canadian soccer players Black Canadian soccer players Soccer players from Toronto Association football midfielders Canada men's youth international soccer players Canada men's international soccer players 2002 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup players 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup players Bundesliga players 2. Bundesliga players La Liga players Major League Soccer players Designated Players (MLS) Super League Greece players North American Soccer League players Olympique de Marseille players 1. FC Saarbrücken players Hannover 96 players Deportivo de La Coruña players Toronto FC players FC Dallas players SSV Jahn Regensburg players Xanthi F.C. players Ottawa Fury FC players Canadian soccer coaches Ottawa Fury FC coaches Canadian expatriate soccer players Expatriate footballers in France Canadian expatriate sportspeople in France Expatriate footballers in Germany Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Germany Expatriate footballers in Spain Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate footballers in Greece Canadian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Expatriate soccer players in the United States Simcoe County Rovers FC owners