TORONTO — It was stick-or-twist for Marcel de Jong earlier this winter.

Three seasons in with Vancouver Whitecaps — nice and settled and ready for a fourth — the Canadian national team stalwart went into training camp uncertain of his role with the MLS side.

All the while, a couple of his old buddies, former Canadian national team members Rob Friend and Josh Simpson, were busy building something across the Strait of Georgia on Vancouver Island.

The Canadian international signed for the Van Isle club on Tuesday in front of supporters at a local pub in downtown Victoria, a short ferry ride from his now-former home in Vancouver.

‘MAYBE LATER’

Unlike many of the high-profile Canadian Premier League signings so far, de Jong wasn’t setting up a CPL move months earlier.

Still under contract in Vancouver at the start of 2019, de Jong told his friends at Pacific, “not now, maybe later.”

“It wasn’t really possible for the next little while,” de Jong told CanPL.ca. “I was going to keep focusing on the Whitecaps.”

The 32-year-old finished Vancouver’s 2018 MLS campaign as a piece of the puzzle; 22 appearances, mostly at left fullback.

But with a few new players added and a new gaffer in Marc Dos Santos, the wise veteran saw a chance to make the move that had been hovering around him for years.

“I met with the coach and asked what his plans were for me,” de Jong explained. “He said, ‘Yeah, I’m not too sure about (giving me solid playing time) this year.’

“I had a feeling I wasn’t going to play as much as I was last year, too.

“I don’t want to train my a– off every day and then sit on the bench. I want to feel like I’m wanted.”

FROM MLS TO CPL

It was then, on Feb. 4, the Whitecaps and de Jong parted ways.

The time was right to join Pacific FC.

“I spoke to Rob about it and he was really keen,” de Jong admitted.

As an experienced left-sided player, de Jong was not short of options. He had offers to go back to Holland, where he played for five seasons in his 20s, and to other interested teams in MLS.

Marcel De Jong has his own song already! ⚽️#ForTheIsle #marcelplaysfortheisle pic.twitter.com/0ECda7lvJm

— Pacific FC (@Pacificfccpl) February 20, 2019

“At this point in my career, I just want to enjoy soccer,” de Jong said. “This stage, I just want to start something new … to be part of a project. Being a part of a new beginning with the CPL is fantastic.”

A native of Newmarket, Ont., de Jong moved to the Netherlands at a young age, landing with PSV Eindhoven’s youth academy in 1996. After stints with Helmond and FC Roda, he moved to FC Augsburg. He spent five seasons there, four of which were in the Bundesliga, all the while serving as one of Canada’s first-choice defenders.

Moving back to North Amerca, De Jong had stops in Sporting KC and Ottawa Fury before landing on the west coast with the Whitecaps.

With a seven-year-old daughter and wife in tow, the Canadian international is happy to keep his roots on the west coast with Pacific FC.

“When I moved to Vancouver a couple years ago, we fell in love with the area almost immediately. We love this piece of the country,” de Jong gushed. “My daughter has been going to school here, she has already made friends, same with me and my wife.

“It’s nice not to take my daughter out of her comfort zone too much as well. She’s at a crucial age so it’s nice to set up a steady childhood.

“It’s good we can stay close to the life we have.”

STILL IN THE PICTURE

As the most-capped Canadian men’s national team player signed by a CPL club so far, de Jong has pedigree literally unmatched by other Canadians in the league.

At 32, and still in the national team picture, did he hesitate to come to the CPL where he’d be seen as a big fish?

“Absolutely not,” de Jong answered. “For me, this is the perfect opportunity to prove myself here.

“I’m still part of the program and intend to be part of it for bit longer … The coaching staff can change their mind, but I think I still have a role to play.”

As the inaugural CPL season approaches, de Jong is hoping to see a CPLer or two make the jump to the senior national team level, just as he has 56 times and counting.

“I think any player in this league can join the national team if they perform well.

“The coach (John Herdman) wants it, and we can make it happen.”