FRISCO – FC Dallas has acquired midfielder Julian de Guzman from Toronto FC in exchange for midfielder Andrew Wiedeman, the club announced today. Per league and team policy, terms of the deal will not be disclosed.
“Julian has had a very experienced career, having played in both the German and Spanish first divisions,” said FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman. “He is a central midfielder, a holding midfielder and a very skillful player. He also has a lot of experience playing with the Canadian National Team. He will give FC Dallas an additional veteran that can solidify our possession style of play. He also has a bit of toughness to him that will help us win 50-50 balls and control the central midfield.”
De Guzman has logged 1,028 minutes for Toronto FC this season, picking up three assists in the process. A four-year veteran of MLS, the 31-year-old has two goals and eight assists in 65 matches since joining Toronto FC from La Liga side Deportivo de La Coruna in 2009. Originally signed as Toronto FC’s first Designated Player, de Guzman spent nine seasons in Europe playing for clubs in France, Germany and Spain before returning to his hometown of Toronto.
De Guzman has 56 career caps with the Canadian National Team. A 20-year-old de Guzman made his debut in a 1-1 draw with Martinique on Jan. 26, 2002. He represented Canada at the Under-20 level, competing in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina and has been a member of four CONCACAF Gold Cup squads (2002, 2007, 2009 and 2011). De Guzman was named tournament MVP in the 2007 edition of the Gold Cup.
Wiedeman, 22, departs Dallas after making eight MLS appearances. The Generation adidas forward made five of his eight appearances in 2012 and started his first match of his career against San Jose on July 7. Outside of MLS competition, Wiedeman netted one goal for FC Dallas, a 35-yard strike in a 2-1 loss to Tigres UANL on March 23, 2011. Selected in the second round (21st overall) of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft, Wiedeman made his professional debut on April 28, 2010 in a U.S. Open Cup match. A product of the University of California, Wiedeman had five goals and one assist in nine matches for FC Dallas this preseason.
