Julian de Guzman is happy to be back playing in Canada, and sees Ottawa Fury FC as an important club for Canadian soccer

Julian de Guzman is one of the most, if not the most, accomplished Canadian soccer players. From becoming the first Canadian to play in La Liga to chasing the top spot on the career appearances list with the national team, he has been an athlete that young Canadians look up to for quite some time now.

The midfielder, who has 78 national team caps, was recently called up by Canada for the start of its 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign, possibly helping him inch closer to Paul Stalteri’s record mark of 84 appearances.

Before the season, the 34-year-old returned to Canada to play at the club level with Ottawa Fury FC.

“It’s just the right thing at this part of my career,” de Guzman told NASL.com earlier in the year. “To still be a part of Canadian soccer – not just on the international stage but at a club level - this is the perfect fit.”

As a player who has been a groundbreaking figure for Canada, de Guzman knows how important development is for Canadian players, and he sees Ottawa as a club that is leading the charge in that area.

“These are the type of clubs that Canada is missing,” he said. “It’s important teams like Ottawa that take the initiative and set the trend, so hopefully down the road, three or four more teams evolve.”

As a member of the NASL, Fury FC has FC Edmonton to call a Canadian rival. After Ottawa lost twice in the Amway Canadian Championship, the two sides played to a scoreless draw last Friday.

As a player who has played in some of the top leagues around the world, de Guzman sees the NASL and Ottawa as a perfect place for Canadians to ply their trade.

He said, “The level of this league is more than I expected, to be honest. It’s very competitive.

“What I’ve seen so far is that it is very good, and for teams like Ottawa, it is great for Canadian players to be a part of it, and it will open doors for more Canadians to take it as an opportunity.”

The many highlights of his own career included scoring a goal for Deportivo La Coruña against Real Madrid, surviving a relegation battle with Hannover 96 to remain in the Bundesliga, and making it to the UEFA Cup (now called the Europa League).

More memorable moments, though, should be on the horizon for de Guzman at the club and international level. One thing is for sure, he’s certainly excited to be playing in Canada again.

“This is exactly what I wanted,” he said. “I’m happy with the opportunity of being back home, playing professionally. I had a feeling that this was going to happen, at some point, and I’m glad it happened.”