As the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup rolls along this month, Fury FC midfielder Julian de Guzman will be trying to help get Canada's national men's program back on track.

As expected, de Guzman -- who has made 78 appearances with the national team throughout his career and wears the captain's armband for the squad -- was named to the Canadian Men's National Team roster that will kick off the CONCACAF preliminary round of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

The 23-man squad announced Tuesday by head coach Benito Floro will face Dominica in a home-and-home series June 11 in Roseau and June 16 at Toronto's BMO Field.

De Guzman said Tuesday 2015 would be both the busiest year in recent memory for Canada and also the most important campaign under Floro. It's also significant for de Guzman himself, who at 34 knows he won't have many more opportunities to lead Canada towards a World Cup berth before hanging up his boots.

"At my age now I know it's a time where most players begin to think about retirement and I imagine myself retiring soon, but I still want to give it one more shot," said de Guzman, who will play in Sunday's Fury game in Jacksonville but will miss the season finale while with the national team. "This is my fourth (round of) qualifiers for the men's national team and I definitely want to give it one last push for 2018."

De Guzman has accomplished more than any other soccer player to come out of Canada, becoming the the first Canadian to both play in Spain's La Liga and sign as a desginated player in Major League Soccer, where he made 65 appearances for Toronto FC.

But putting on the Team Canada jersey remains something special for de Guzman, something that never gets old.

"The fire's still there," he said. "Every time you get a call up for the national team you're excited just to hear your name and be a part of the group. Especially now where we stand it's probably one of the most important moments in the national team program."

Canada hasn't qualified for a men's World Cup since 1986 and missed making the hex -- or fourth round -- of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup by a single point.

"The way it happened is something a lot of us want to forget," de Guzman said. "Going into a new campaign, it's a great way to clean the sheet and start fresh. We want to do something positive about it by finally getting some results under Benito."

Fury coach Marc Dos Santos said the club was "honoured to see Julian represent our national team in such an important period."

"Julian cares a lot about the Canadian program and is always ready when he's called up," he said. "We wish him a lot of success."

His continued passion to play for his country is a big reason why de Guzman has remained in the game. He's made his money and his focus now is leading the way to help a new generation of Canadian players get to the national level while developing at home.

"To have that opportunity now to play for a Canadian club team is something I think there should be more of for Canadian players," he said.

Should Canada win the series against Dominica, they'll go into the draw for the third and fourth rounds of qualifying. The draw for those rounds takes place July 25 and would see another home-and-away series in the third round in September, before entering the fourth round in a four-team round robin competition that would start in November.

PROBLEMS FINISHING

With two games left in the NASL's spring season, Fury FC is still looking to solve their scoring woes.

Ottawa won an important point in a scoreless draw against rival FC Edmonton last weekend and while the game showcased another impressive defensive effort by Fury, the goals still aren't coming often enough. Fury still hasn't scored more than once in a game this season, with both wins coming in tight 1-0 results against Minnesota and most recently at home against Indy.

It's not for a lack of chances, with the best against Edmonton coming off the foot of Fury midfielder Nicki Paterson, who was stopped on his shot from in close by Eddies goalie John Smits.

"I probably overthought it, even though it came at me pretty quickly," Paterson said of the missed opportunity Tuesday. "I thought the keeper should have moved across the goal and then I could have put it back the other way."

Paterson praised his team's back line, which has helped Ottawa become the league's second-best defensive team this year, conceding just eight goals in as many games . He also acknowledged the rest of the team has to step it up offensively, with Fury's five goals for the fewest in the NASL.

"The guys at the back have been phenomenal, we almost kind of feel like we're letting them down slightly by not converting at the other end," he said.

Twitter: @chrishofley