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Canadian options - To defect vs. remaining loyal.


Robert

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Does anyone recall any players who have had the option to play for Canada and they were approached to play for another association, and then still picking Canada? In other words, are the defectors (or as some may call them, "the whores") outnumbering those loyal to the Maple Leaf? If this is the case, should we not be examining why this is the case?

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quote:Originally posted by El Hombre

Wasn't Hume approached by Scotland?

De Guzman approached by Jamaica?

Not sure about either of those, but I think I heard that somewhere.

Yes, I have heard that Julian de Guzman was not just approached by Jamaica; they were quite intent on capping him and that you can thank his father for convincing him to play for Canada. This was quite some time ago (after the U17 cut and before U20).

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quote:Originally posted by BrennanFan

radzinski and klukowski would both have played for poland if they had been good enough when they were younger and uncapped. does that count?

I recall reading that Klukowski once attended a Polish camp but stated he felt more Canadian and opted to play for Canada.

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quote:Originally posted by kclee

I recall reading that Klukowski once attended a Polish camp but stated he felt more Canadian and opted to play for Canada.

in an interview this year he stated that he was happy with his choice to play for canada, but if he had known when he made his choice how far he would have gotten in the game, his choice would have been different. or something like that.

was johnson ever approached by the US?

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It is indeed very revealing to know that most MNT players have foreign parents.In fact I can't think of one who does not.I am sure tere are but the majority and this has always been the case have forign parents.

It is still very prevelant certainly here in Ontario that most rep players also have foreign parents.On the girls side there are those that have Canadian born parents.I always felt this to be one of the reasons to promote girls soccer.

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Isn't all you need to qualify for another nation is one grand parent from there? Hell almost everyone from Canada meets that qualification, even on the east coast. In that case good thing I never made it big, my only other option would be to play for Nothern Ireland [8)] A lot of Englishmen with Irish parents and grand parents play for Ireland.

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Isn't all you need to qualify for another nation is one grand parent from there? Hell almost everyone from Canada meets that qualification, even on the east coast. In that case good thing I never made it big, my only other option would be to play for Nothern Ireland [8)] A lot of Englishmen with Irish parents and grand parents play for Ireland.

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quote:Originally posted by Soccerpro

Isn't all you need to qualify for another nation is one grand parent from there? Hell almost everyone from Canada meets that qualification, even on the east coast. In that case good thing I never made it big, my only other option would be to play for Nothern Ireland [8)] A lot of Englishmen with Irish parents and grand parents play for Ireland.

Makes me think of the German strike force at this past World Cup, Podolski and Klose. They could have been with Poland, right?

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quote:Originally posted by Soccerpro

Isn't all you need to qualify for another nation is one grand parent from there? Hell almost everyone from Canada meets that qualification, even on the east coast. In that case good thing I never made it big, my only other option would be to play for Nothern Ireland [8)] A lot of Englishmen with Irish parents and grand parents play for Ireland.

Makes me think of the German strike force at this past World Cup, Podolski and Klose. They could have been with Poland, right?

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A player should play for the country that he feels most connected to.

That's why Hargreaves decision is unacceptable to me, because he had lived in Canada and then Germany for most of his life. At the time he chose England, had he even been there? That is in comparison to Jonathan De Guzman, who if he chooses Holland, would be understandable to me because he has lived there for some time, and surely feels Dutch in many ways.

That being said, playing Nationally should reflect your loyalties, and one should consider martyrdom only at the club level.

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Loyalty:

[Origin: 1350–1400; ME loialte < MF. See loyal, -ty2]

—Synonyms 2. fealty, devotion, constancy. Loyalty, allegiance, fidelity all imply a sense of duty or of devoted attachment to something or someone. Loyalty connotes sentiment and the feeling of devotion that one holds for one's country, creed, family, friends, etc. Allegiance applies particularly to a citizen's duty to his or her country, or, by extension, one's obligation to support a party, cause, leader, etc. Fidelity implies unwavering devotion and allegiance to a person, principle, etc.

So it appears the definition of "loyalty" goes beyond merely the country of origin. I could care less about Hargreaves, but I can never accept calling him a "whore". We would have to paint too many other players with the same brush who turned their backs on where they developed their football. I remember reading about Hargreaves when he first rec'd the offer from Bayern to train with them when he was 16. Even then there were signs that his allegiance was not with Canada. Probably more to please ole Dad than anything else.

At least the CSA has used the Hargreaves "Incident" to ensure that young talent is tracked and identified to avoid these situations in the future. In fact, this board does an amazing job of doing just that.

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