St Johnstone’s David Wotherspoon will be a proud man if he makes his Canadian debut at the weekend.
The Perth midfielder has joined a 23-strong squad for a training camp in Spain this week, with a friendly against New Zealand at the end of it.
Wotherspoon, who represented Scotland at under-18, under-19 and under-21 level, started exploring the possibility of playing for Canada some time ago.
And now that he has got his call-up at the age of 28, the former Hibs man is determined to impress new national coach John Herdman and be part of his plans when the competitive matches come around.
“It has been ongoing for a while now after I put it out there,” said Wotherspoon.
“They were very interested and I had wanted to see what opportunities might be possible.
“My mum, Sheila, was born in Winnipeg and it is through her ties that I managed to get my Canadian passport. My grandparents were over there living for 12 years.
“The Canadian Federation have been very supportive and have been keeping in touch.
“I see it as a great opportunity for international football and who knows what the future holds after football for me and my family if I want to go there and live one day.
“I’m delighted to get the call now and be selected for the squad. The family are happy for me as well.
“I have been excited about the thought of it for a while now. I have had the training gear on and even that has given me a buzz.
“The prospect of playing for Canada really appealed to me. All the feedback I have been getting from the coaches has been optimistic. It would be great to play at full international level.
“It is never too late to get a call up for an international squad. I remember David Weir getting into the Scotland set-up at 27 or 28.”
Wotherspoon has followed the same path as Burnley midfielder Scott Arfield.
“He’s not on this week’s trip but I spoke to Scotty about it and he was very enthusiastic,” he said. “We played together for the Scotland under-21 side.
“He was very positive about Canada and that made me even more interested.
“It’s very reminiscent of his situation. Scotty said I should go for it and he was happy to help. Scotty was keen for me to get involved and was there if I needed any information.”
Wotherspoon added: “We play New Zealand at the weekend and obviously it would be great to be involved.
“The next get-together isn’t until September. Canada have Nations League games coming up against the Virgin Islands, Dominica, St Kitts and Nevis and French Guiana. They are also qualifiers for the 2019 Gold Cup.
“There will be a lot of travelling if I am involved in the next camps but it would be worth it. That wouldn’t bother me. I’d be happy to make the sacrifice to play for Canada. It is a great honour.
“The manager (Tommy Wright) has been very supportive. He had a laugh and joke about it and there have been the wind-ups in the dressing room that you’d expect. But everyone at St Johnstone has been very positive.”
