Canadian defender Jason de Vos has called it a career after 18 years. (Tom Dulat/Getty Images)
Soccer: John F. Molinaro
'It was time to walk away': Jason de Vos
Last Updated Friday, May 16, 2008
by John F. Molinaro, CBC Sports
Jason de Vos never harboured any dreams of being a pro soccer player.
As a youngster growing up in London, Ont., all he ever dreamed about was playing for Canada at a World Cup, of pulling on that red and white jersey and representing his country on soccer's greatest stage.
Although De Vos never made it to the World Cup, he did, in fact, make a living as a professional for 18 years, the last four with the English club Ipswich Town, earning praise for his steely and determined performances as an uncompromising central defender and the club's captain.
This past season, de Vos came within a whisper of guiding Ipswich into the promotional playoffs in the Championship, English soccer's second division - Ipswich finished a single point out of sixth-place, a spot that would have guaranteed the club a playoff berth and a chance to win promotion next season to the Premiership, England's top division.
But instead of returning to help Ipswich climb to the highest rung on English soccer's ladder, de Vos, 34, announced his retirement earlier this month following Ipswich's final game of the season.
Time to move on
"I could have carried on playing. The offer to play for another year at Ipswich was on the table, but I just felt it was the right time to walk away from the game," de Vos told CBCSports.ca.
His decision to call it quits caught a lot of fans off guard, because they thought de Vos would want to stick around for another promotional push after coming achingly close.
De Vos said it was simply time to move on.
"It was a difficult decision because I think Ipswich will get promoted next year. I really believe they're good enough to get promoted," said de Vos.
De Vos was a fan favourite at Ipswich, and the feeling was mutual. After Ipswich's final game, a 1-0 win over Hull City, de Vos was given a guard of honour and a standing ovation by the Ipswich fans during the team's victory lap around the field. The Ipswich captain then stood alone on the field and thanked Ipswich's loyal army of supporters.
"When the game finished, to go out there on my own and thank the fans was wonderful because that's why you play the game, for that interaction with the supporters and the highs and lows," said de Vos. "There were a lot of highs this year but also a lot of lows, and the fans stuck with us the entire way."
Highs and lows
There were a lot of highs and lows during other stages on his career, too.
Capped 49 times for his country, de Vos scored the winning goal in Canada's 2-0 victory over Colombia in the final of the 2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the only major international tournament the Canadian team has won. He also captained Wigan Athletic to its promotion to the English Championship in 2002-03.
"Winning the second division with Wigan and being named the club's pla yer of the year, that was something … You have a year, a full season where everything falls into place. We only lost four games all season, which was incredible. We had a fantastic team," said de Vos.
The low point was his final season, in 2000-01, with Dundee United, when they were nearly relegated from the Scottish Premier League.
"It's a horrible feeling fighting relegation," de Vos said.
New career
With his playing days behind him, the former Ipswich captain is excited about focusing on the next phase of his life – his broadcast career.
De Vos is the newest member of the CBC Sports broadcast team and will be doing colour commentary on the network's telecasts of Toronto FC games.
De Vos, who worked for the CBC during its coverage of the 2002 World Cup, said the chance to start his broadcasting career at the national broadcaster played a big role in his decision to retire.
"The opportunity to come back and be a part of the boom in soccer coverage in Canada was very appealing to me. I've always believed there's an appetite for the game in Canada, that it's untapped, that we haven't had the same kind of media coverage compared to other countries. But that's starting to change," said de Vos.
And while the disappointment of not being able to help guide Ipswich into the Premiership division still lingers, de Vos looks back on his career without any regrets.
"I have disappointments, I have things I wish I was able to fulfill, but I have no regrets, because every day I was a professional footballer, I did the very best I could and with the limited ability I had, I was able to play for 18 years," he said.
John F. Molinaro is a reporter for CBCSports.ca whose chief love is international soccer. Contact John here.
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