Vees Choose Julian

Julian de Guzman named Voyageurs Canadian International Player of the Year for 2007

Winnipeg, MB — The Voyageurs, Canada’s largest community of soccer supporters, is proud to name CONCACAF Gold Cup MVP Julian de Guzman the winner of the Canadian International Player of the Year award for 2007.

Polling conducted online on The Voyageurs message board throughout the month of December 2007 confirmed that the starting midfielder for Deportivo la Coruna of Spain’s La Liga was clearly the marquee player in the minds of Canadian soccer supporters for this past year. Mr. de Guzman appeared on an incredible 97% of all ballots submitted and was the first place selection of 66% of voters.

Already highly regarded prior to last year, Mr. de Guzman’s popularity among Canadian fans soared in 2007. Currently the only Canadian footballer playing in Spain, he firmly established himself as a key member of the Deportivo la Coruna starting roster. However, his most memorable performances in 2007 came at the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament, where his inspired play and crucial goals helped lead Canada to a strong third place finish and resulted in being named MVP of the tournament. Most importantly for Canadian fans, Julian and his Team Canada teammates sent a clear message that they are a team to be taken seriously in the CONCACAF region and real contenders to qualify for World Cup 2010.

Considering all of his achievements in 2007, his on-field qualities and his outspoken dedication to his sport and his country, it is quite natural and appropriate that Julian de Guzman should win so strong an acknowledgment from Canadian supporters

Julian de Guzman Factoids

Houston Dynamo midfielder Dwayne de Rosario enjoyed yet another championship winning season in Major League Soccer and earned another MLS Cup Most Valuable Player award in 2007. As a result, he has the runner up to Julian de Guzman for the 2007 Voyageurs Canadian International Player of the Year award, appearing on over 89% of the submissions. This marks the second consecutive year in which Mr. de Rosario has finished in the top three in polling for the Voyageurs award. This highly skilled, crafty and always entertaining attacking midfielder continues to prove his quality and appears to be a text book example of a “late blooming” footballer whose best days may yet be ahead of him.

Two of the most intriguing stories for Canadian soccer in 2007 belonged to Pat Onstad and Lars Hirschfeld so it is appropriate that these two goalkeepers tied for third place in this year’s balloting. Both men won equal numbers of first, second and third place selections, something which has never occurred before.

Mr. Onstad was pressed into emergency international service for Canada at the Gold Cup tournament due to an injury to original starter Greg Sutton and showed why goalkeepers are often like fine wine and improve with age. He provided leadership and confidence to the Canadian side throughout the Gold Cup and made some highlight worthy saves. Furthermore, he enjoyed another stellar year at the club level with Houston Dynamo of MLS, combining with Dwayne de Rosario to lead them to their second consecutive MLS Cup title.

Mr. Hirschfeld, the acrobatic shot stopper for the Norwegian club Rosenborg BK, drew international praise in 2007 with his stellar UEFA Champions League performances and, to the delight of Canadian supporters, he recommitted himself to the Men’s National Team after having stepped aside for a few years as he sought to secure his position at the club level.

2007 was an exciting year for Canadian soccer and 2008 looks to be potentially even more memorable as the Canadian Men’s National Team seeks to make positive progress towards the ultimate goal of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.