Goalkeeper Owen Goodman living his dream as he finally begins his journey with Canadian men’s soccer team

Owen Goodman feels like he's always been Canadian. To play for the men's soccer team, he had to prove it.

Last month, the 21-year-old goalie received an email from his Toronto immigration lawyer asking if he could do a Zoom call. Goodman, who was born in England but lived in Alliston, Ont., for eight years as a child, suggested it was just another update in his difficult quest for citizenship.

“When you wait that long, that long, you start to lose hope,” he said. “That's where I was.”

But it turned out that this was the call he had been waiting for: where he lived as a child made him a Canadian in the eyes of the government, as well as in the eyes of his own. He is in Toronto this week for his first international appearance, including Thursday's friendly against Ecuador at BMO Field.

“I got a shiver down my spine,” he said after his first practice on a cold and windy Tuesday afternoon, recalling the call that made it possible. “I was jumping for joy.”

He called his English father and Nigerian mother (Goodman had received calls from all three national teams throughout his youth career) and then texted Ian Lang, the Canadian team manager. Lang immediately called head coach Jesse Marsh, who abandoned his dreams of having Goodman join his rising team.

Lang smiled Tuesday as he recalled that call. “Jesse was delighted,” he said.

Goodman had only the last step of his mission to complete: he had to come to Canada to take the oath of citizenship. The Crystal Palace player is currently on loan at Huddersfield Town. after his club team played Wycombe in League One at the end of October, he raced to catch a flight to Toronto.

He swore on his Bible in his solicitor's office, hugged Lang in the street and flew back to England, arriving just in time to resume training with Huddersfield.

“For me, it's kind of like getting to the finals and winning the finals,” Goodman said of the sudden end to his long journey. “That's how it was for me.”

Part of Goodman's selling point for citizenship—besides his memories of his childhood Tim Horton's order of a cinnamon-raisin bagel with cream cheese—was the promise of a career as a goalie. Just a few months ago, Nigeria offered him a place in their national team. He rejected his mother's country, refusing to give up the fight to represent Canada.

“A lot of the times I've had here have been some of the best times of my life,” he said.

Now all that remains is to think about his future – and he is far from alone in his doubts.

Deciding who would play in goal for Team Canada at next summer's World Cup was one of Marsh's most difficult decisions. He admitted that it cost him sleep.

Dane St. Clair and Maxime Crepeau have been in a nearly even battle so far, with St. Clair's height, athleticism and current form with Major League Soccer team Minnesota United giving him the recent edge. Crepeau's strengths—his fire, his leadership, his experience—are less tangible.

But with neither firmly in contention for the job, there was talk about whether one of Canada's third goalies, including James Pantemis and Jayden Hibbert, could get the job. After a chilling training session on Tuesday, Marsh appears to have at least put that debate to rest.

“I think Max or Dane will be the starting XI for the World Cup,” he said.

Goodman understands. He plays a position that requires wisdom more than any other, and his arrival at Canadian camp may have come too late for him to seriously consider his starting job next summer.

“At this point, I’m just happy to be here, to be honest,” he said. “I'm just enjoying every minute.”

But Goodman, who calls his ability to stop shots from close range his “superpower”, is a potential Premier League-level talent who will almost certainly be in contention for a place in the World Cup squad, if only to help him prepare for the 2030 tournament and beyond.

“For me, this was my dream,” Goodman said.

And he is a man who knows what it takes to make his dreams come true.