De Guzman gets chance to show off skills in new national colours

Jeff Blair
The Globe and Mail
Saturday 09 August 2008

Jonathan De Guzman will break the soccer bank some day soon, but when Foppe de Haan, the coach of the Netherlands' men's Olympic team, says it's time for the Toronto native to "show us all what he has in his pocket," he is not talking of money.

"The Olympics is important for everyone," de Haan continued, "but for Jonathan, it is especially a great platform."

De Guzman is playing with the Oranje at the Beijing Olympics, six months after being granted Dutch citizenship. Thursday's goalless draw with Nigeria and warm-up games leading up to the men's competition were his first action in his new national colours. He knows that his playing for the Netherlands will not sit well with some people in Canadian soccer. His decision upset fans and officials who envisioned him playing for the Canadian team, just like his brother Julian, who plays for Deportivo Coruna in Spain.

"I watched a couple of Toronto FC games when I was back there in the summer and I had a couple of fans come up to me and say, 'Look, you can play in the Olympics, but then come back and play for Canada,' " Jonathan, whose Dutch team will face the United States in Tianjin on Saturday, said on Friday. "Technically, I could do it because I was a preselection for the Dutch [national] team, but didn't play. But, you know, I've made my decision."

The issue now isn't whether de Guzman, who will turn 21 on Sept. 12, is a Dutch player or a Canadian player. In interviews after he decided to take out Dutch citizenship, he explained patiently that because he "grew up" in Feyenoord Rotterdam's youth system, he feels he is a product of the Dutch system. (He moved to Rotterdam when he was 12 and boarded with a family.) The issue, it seems, is closed, and de Guzman is focused on establishing himself in the Oranje pecking order."I played on the right side regularly for the first time last year and that's how they're using me here," de Guzman said. "They want me to swerve around midfield. Be creative and use my speed. It really plays into my game, I think."

Teammate Ryan Babel, on the verge of establishing himself as a regular with Liverpool, describes de Guzman as "a great player, somebody you can count on to keep the ball and somebody who can create chances with the free kick."

De Haan says de Guzman could be "a very good player," but he was critical of de Guzman in the lead-up to the Olympics, saying he felt he was not giving his all.

De Haan had no problem with de Guzman's work in the game against Nigeria. His free kick in the 47th minute was a cracker that was pushed aside by goalkeeper Ambruse Vanzekin, and he curled another volley just wide.

De Guzman is aware that international glory is fleeting when you play for a country that generates soccer talent, as the Netherlands does. Only in soccer do players "announce" their retirement from international competition to focus full-time on a club team. The redoubtable Ruud Van Nistlerooy, 32, announced this week he will no longer play for the Dutch, and classy Ryan Giggs of Manchester United retired from playing for Wales in 2007 despite being productive at 33.

There are whispers that de Guzman has been targeted by English Premiership heavyweights Chelsea and Arsenal, with a transfer that could cost upward of $10-million (U.S.). Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, in particular, is a fan.

"This is a step right onto the A selection," de Guzman said.

"I think every time you get the chance to show your skills, you have to show it, and these are the tournaments to show them because not just Holland's watching, the whole world is watching. It's not just a great opportunity ... it's a beautiful opportunity."