Three years ago, the Canadian national team travelled from different corners of the globe to the Murcia region of Spain.
It was late March in the quiet town of San Pedro del Pinatar. The sun was shining and, for many, it was the beginning of an exciting footballing chapter.
A friendly against New Zealand would signal the start of a new era under John Herdman, the County Durham-born head coach tasked with steering Canada to success on the international stage and working towards World Cup qualification.
He arrived with fresh ideas, a determination to raise the profile of the game and source the best possible players available for selection.
One of the names that surfaced was David Wotherspoon. The Scottish-born St Johnstone midfielder who was capped by Scotland all the way up to under-21 level. It was an intriguing find.
“When we took over in 2018 we did one of those massive trawls across all of the platforms we had available from Wyscout, InStat, Transfermarkt and beyond, looking at dual-passport players,” Herdman says.
“Now and again on these platforms you will see a Canadian flag pop up next to a Scottish flag or French flag. Then it’s all go from there.
“You start the contact and have the conversation. I remember speaking to David in February 2018 about whether or not it was something he would consider or be interested in. He was interested.
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“We worked hard for a month and a half to get his passport over the line and the change of association. Then there he was getting his first cap in our match against New Zealand.”
Wotherspoon, eligible for Canada due to his mother Sheila being born in Winnipeg, quickly caught the attention of Herdman and his coaching staff. Having a first touch tastier than Canada’s finest batch of maple syrup helps.
But the stats were backing up promising performances in training.
“David is just a wonderful human being,” continues Herdman. “He had a great character right from the onset and is a humble guy.
“His tactical IQ is very high and that is something we identified in the first camp. We do ratings every training session and David always seems to be in the top six. He has this ability to perform consistently.
“And I feel when he is around better players, the likes of Alphonso Davies and Junior Hoilett, he raises his game to another level.
“Players like David are really able to impose themselves on a game because they understand space and time. That is what the game is about.
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“What stood out was his ability to fit into our style of play. We changed the tactical identity of the Canadian team and he was somebody we could see to really drive our build-up play. He wants to be on the ball and can manage what we ask him to do.”
In an ideal world, Herdman would’ve had Wotherspoon involved in more camps across the past three years. But there is a realisation that family commitments often come first and new-born babies need looking after. His transition back into the set-up for their latest World Cup qualifying camp, however, was seamless.
“You are managing international careers with family life and that is often difficult,” Herdman explains.
“He has had to miss a couple of camps where he was managing his home life and football career. I’m hoping - now his kids are starting to get a little older - we can get more access to him through this really busy period.
“He is building his way into the thoughts of the national team coaching staff. He is a player we all like.
“We have Jonathan Osorio who is a designated player at Toronto FC, there is Atiba Hutchinson of Besiktas and Scott Arfield at Rangers.
“It was going to be a competitive group to break in but this latest camp, for me, he is really starting to ask the right sort of questions.”
Wotherspoon certainly asked questions of the Cayman Islands’ defence last month. He provided three assists and scored once in a record-breaking 11-0 victory for Canada.
Played in Florida, the St Johnstone midfielder’s main role was indeed to score goals and provide assists. He was, too, the official team ball collector throughout the 90 minutes. Herdman bursts into laughter.
“We were going for the record. So I said his job was, as well as putting it in the net, to get the ball back to halfway every time we scored,” he recalls. “He is a disciplined guy, doesn’t get carried away and is level-headed.
“Right from the onset it was about setting a Canadian record of highest goals scored. The guys enjoy that. It could easily have been a game that you win 4-0 or 5-0 and it just becomes a stroll in the park.
“You could see how committed David was to push for the record and play his part.
“There is a belief that, if people commit and are willing to make the sacrifices, then this team can do something.
“When you’re in that bubble and can sense you are on the cusp of something, it becomes quite addictive. We’ve come a long way and have a very talented squad now.
“Players from all around the world are willing to travel, sometimes 18 hours, to play a match.”
Wotherspoon himself had travelled back to Scotland from Florida via Atlanta and Amsterdam. He returned last midweek and was pitched straight into Scottish Cup action to help Saints knock Dundee out of the competition.
It has, undeniably, been Wotherspoon’s finest season in a Perth jersey and now attention turns to the potential of clinching European football in the summer. Five league fixtures remain of the Scottish season - and Herdman will be watching, no doubt about it.
“David is really enjoying playing for the new manager at St Johnstone,” he says. “The team has a different style of play which he is enjoying.
“You could sense that when he came into the camp. He was confident on the ball in the first couple of training sessions.
“I’ll watch his games and one of my assistants will look at all the midfield players. I get his report every week.
“We aren’t a country that has 120 players to track for a national team. We have a pool of around 45 who are around the first team. We are in touch with him and I’ll send him his clips and little bits of feedback.
“Growing up in England, I know it is a good and tough league in Scotland. To have maintained a career for so long shows his character - he is a loyal guy and his values are very strong. Again, the bit I enjoy, is how he can raise his game with better players.”
So is Wotherspoon, now 31, capable of testing himself at an even higher level in the years ahead? Herdman would not rule it out.
“One of the questions I pose to him is: ‘Have you ever thought about trying to push to a next tier in world football?’
“Is there a team in Belgium or Turkey or France that he has considered? I feel he has got the tactical IQ to move to another level.
“His international career could provoke that. He is getting on - he knows that - but at the same time it’s never too late.”
Just as well the former Perth High School pupil recently penned a new two year deal at McDiarmid Park. He has clocked up more than 300 appearances for the team he grew up supporting as a kid.
Most importantly for Herdman is that Wotherspoon continues to enjoy his football. And in that sense he considers himself a St Johnstone fan.
“I support a couple of teams in the Scottish league because they have a couple of Canadian boys in there,” smiles Herdman.
“Club life really does rub into international careers. Long may St Johnstone’s success last.”