Julian de Guzman will be inducted into the Canada Soccer Hall of Fame this weekend. The ceremony will take place at halftime of Canada's Concacaf Nations League quarter-final second leg against Guatemala at BMO Field in Toronto on Saturday.

De Guzman earned 89 caps for the senior men's national team between 2002 and 2016, a record at the time of his retirement. He captained the side 25 times and was a fixture through four World Cup qualifying cycles and six Gold Cup tournaments. His club career was equally pioneering, as he became the first Canadian to play in Spain's La Liga with Deportivo La Coruña, where he was named the club's Player of the Year in 2008.

"Coming home to Toronto to celebrate this induction in front of my family, friends and Canadian supporters means the world to me," de Guzman said. "Every cap I earned for Canada was a privilege and an honour, and none of it would be possible without the teammates, coaches and staff who supported me throughout my career."

His international honours include being named the 2008 Canada Soccer Player of the Year and the Most Valuable Player of the 2007 Concacaf Gold Cup. Domestically, he won three Canadian Championships with Toronto FC, where he made 93 appearances from 2009 to 2012. He later won the NASL Fall Season title with Ottawa Fury FC in 2015 before retiring a year later.

Since hanging up his boots, de Guzman has moved into football administration. He served as president and sporting director of Simcoe County Rovers FC and, since 2024, has been the sporting director for MLS side New York Red Bulls.

The induction occurs as Canada prepares for a key away leg against Guatemala on November 14th. The team's recent form shows two wins and one loss from their last three matches, including a 2-0 victory over Peru and a 1-0 loss to the United States in October. The last meeting between Canada and Guatemala was a 1-0 win for the Canadians in January.

De Guzman will also host an autograph signing at the Canada Soccer Tent at BMO Field from 6:45 PM to 7:15 PM on match day. He joins the 2026 Hall of Fame class, which recently saw former international Melissa Tancredi inducted in a similar ceremony at the same venue.

This story first appeared at Waking The Red