The soccer narrative in this country is littered with tales of promising young prospects who have snubbed Canada in order to play for other nations.
The list is long, but some of the more notable names include Owen Hargreaves (England), Teal Bunbury (United States), Asmir Begovic (Bosnia) and Daniel Fernandes (Portugal).
Keven Aleman insists his name wonโt be on that dubious roll call and that he is firmly committed to playing for Canadaโs senior national team in the future.
โRight now Iโm playing for Canada (at U-20 level). Thatโs the country Iโm playing for right now and thereโs nothing more to it. Canadaโs my home and I will play for my country,โ Aleman told sportsnet.ca on Friday.
Such a declarative statement might not seem newsworthy, but considering past instances with Hargreaves et al and the yet-to-be determined international futures of David Hoilett and Jonathan de Guzman, itโs a big deal whenever a young Canadian player who has options comes out and declares his international allegiance to Canada.
And considering Alemanโs potential, itโs especially important.
Aleman is a 17-year-old midfielder who recently signed a two-year contract with Real Valladolid in Spainโs second division. He grew up in Canada (his hometown is Brampton, Ont.) and developed as a player in the Canadian soccer system, representing his country at last yearโs FIFA U-17 World Cup in Mexico. Currently, he plays for Canadaโs under-20 team and he has yet to be capped by the Canadian senior side.
The attacking midfielder, who is a former member of Toronto FCโs youth academy, is one of Canadian soccerโs brightest and most talented young prospects, and the general consensus is that he could be a key player for Canadaโs national senior team for years to come.
But Aleman was born in Costa Rica and as a result he is eligible to play forย Los Ticos, as well as for Canada. Alemanโs international future became a hot topic of discussion last year when his father told a Costa Rican radio station that his son was considering playing for his birth nation.
Concern amongst soccer fans grew over the ensuing months, especially when Aleman went on trial with Real Valladolid, as the thought was that he might not feel the same ties to his country while living in Spain.
However, Aleman insists he is firmly committed to playing for Canadaโs national team and shoots down any possibility that he will represent Costa Rica.
To further underline his stance on his intention to play for Canada, Aleman said he rebuffed a recent invite from Costa Rican soccer officials.
โThey contacted me and to see if I would come down to a (U-20) camp a few months ago, but I said no,โ Aleman said.
Itโs important to note that Aleman could still play for Costa Rica and until he actually appears in a competitive match for Canada at the senior level he retains the option of turning out forย Los Ticos. However, his comments to sportsnet.ca suggest he has made up his mind.
A standout with Canadaโs under-17 side โ he finished runner-up in voting for Canadaโs U-17 player of the year for 2011 โ he has since graduated to the Canadian under-20 side, one step below the full senior national team.
Aleman participated in Canadaโs U-20 training camp in Florida last December, and is expected to be called up again when the under-20 team convenes for another camp this spring.
byย John Molinaro at sportsnet.ca