Brad Guzan

Bradley Edwin Guzan (/ɡuˈzæn/; born September 9, 1984) is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Atlanta United FC and the United States national team.

Brad Guzan
Guzan with the United States national team in 2014 alongside Brad Davis
Personal information
Full name Bradley Edwin Guzan[1]
Date of birth (1984-09-09) September 9, 1984
Place of birth Evergreen Park, Illinois, United States
Height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Playing position(s) Goalkeeper
Club information
Current team
 Atlanta United
Number 1
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2004 South Carolina Gamecocks 38 (0)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004 Chicago Fire Premier 13 (0)
2005–2008 Chivas USA 79 (0)
2008–2016 Aston Villa 144 (0)
2011 → Hull City (loan) 16 (0)
2016–2017 Middlesbrough 10 (0)
2017– Atlanta United 83 (0)
National team‡
2008 United States U23 5 (0)
2006– United States 64 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 04:48, March 7, 2020 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 02:44, November 20, 2019 (UTC)

A college soccer second-team All-American for the South Carolina Gamecocks, Guzan was second overall pick in the 2005 MLS SuperDraft, signing for Chivas USA, with whom he was the 2007 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. In July 2008, he joined Premier League club Aston Villa for a fee of $1 million, where he made 171 total appearances across eight seasons. After a brief spell at Middlesbrough, he returned to MLS with Atlanta United in January 2017.

Guzan made his senior debut for the United States national team in 2006, earning over 50 caps. He was named in their squads for two FIFA World Cups and three CONCACAF Gold Cups, winning the latter in 2007 and 2017. He also featured for them at the 2008 Olympics, the 2007 Copa América and the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Club career

Early career

Born in Evergreen Park, Illinois, Guzan, who is of Polish-American ancestry, played in his youth at the Chicago Magic Soccer Club and for the varsity soccer team at Providence Catholic High School in Illinois, from which he graduated in 2003. He went on to play two seasons in NCAA competition as a member of the South Carolina Gamecocks men's soccer team, where he was a second-team All-American in his sophomore season.[2]

Chivas USA

After spending two years with the Chicago Fire Reserves in the USL Premier Development League, he chose to forgo the rest of his college years, signing a Generation Adidas contract with Major League Soccer (MLS). Chivas USA later drafted Guzan with the second overall pick of the 2005 MLS SuperDraft. On November 7, 2007, Guzan was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.[3] During his time at Chivas USA, Guzan was affectionately nicknamed "El Gusano."[4]

Aston Villa
Guzan (dressed in yellow) lines up with Aston Villa teammates prior to a UEFA Europa League match away at Rapid Wien in August 2009

On July 11, 2008, Aston Villa agreed a transfer fee in the region of £600,000, or $1 million, with MLS and Chivas USA to sign Guzan, significantly less than the £2 million agreed to in Aston Villa's failed move for the keeper in January 2008, the difference this time being that Guzan would have been out of his contract at the end of the 2008 season in November, allowing him to sign for Aston Villa during the January transfer window on a free transfer.

On August 1, 2008, Guzan was granted a work permit by the Home Office, allowing him to complete his move to Aston Villa.[5] He was due to be officially introduced by Aston Villa after competing for the United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Guzan was the second American goalkeeper called Brad to be signed during the summer by Aston Villa, following the capture of Premier League veteran Brad Friedel.

Guzan made his Aston Villa debut in September 2008 in the League Cup at home to Queens Park Rangers. He made his European soccer debut in the UEFA Cup game away at Slavia Prague on November 6, 2008. The match finished 1–0 to Aston Villa, with Guzan making several saves to keep a clean sheet. His performance led to his manager Martin O'Neill describing him as a "class goalkeeper in the making." He also started in Aston Villa's first leg against CSKA Moscow in the round of 32 of the UEFA Cup at Villa Park on February 18, 2009, also later appearing as a substitute against Liverpool after Friedel's red card.

Guzan played in every game that Aston Villa won during their success in the 2009 Peace Cup, against Atlante, Porto and Juventus. He then helped Aston Villa overcome the Italians in the final, most notably in the penalty shootout during which he saved the attempts of Vincenzo Iaquinta and Alessandro Del Piero.[6] The only game that Aston Villa did not win (in the group stages against Málaga) was the one in which Guzan did not feature.

Despite having a successful pre-season period, Guzan was dropped from the first team in favor of Friedel for Aston Villa's opening game of the 2009–10 season against Wigan Athletic. On October 27, 2009, Guzan saved four penalties in one match, one in normal time and three more in a penalty shoot-out win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in the last 16 of the League Cup. Despite these heroics, however, Friedel replaced him in goal for the final against Manchester United.[7]

Hull City (loan)
Guzan playing for Hull City in 2011

On December 31, 2010, Guzan was loaned to Football League Championship side Hull City on a one-month loan deal.[8][9] He made his debut for Hull on New Year's Day 2011, a 1–0 loss to Leicester City.[10] His second appearance for the club ended on a higher note, as his team went on to win 2–3 at Portsmouth.[11] He kept his first clean sheet for the club against Barnsley in a 2–0 win for Hull.[12] On January 25, Guzan extended his loan until the end of February.[13] He made a total of 11 league appearances for Hull before returning to Aston Villa on February 28.[14]

On March 8, however, Hull re-signed Guzan on an emergency loan deal due to an injury to goalkeeper Vito Mannone.[15] Guzan's first appearance back at the club was in a home match against Burnley.[16] Guzan's last game for Hull City came in a 1–2 win away at Watford on April 9, 2011, after which he returned to Aston Villa.[17][18]

Return to Aston Villa

On December 3, 2011, Guzan made his second Premier League appearance for Aston Villa, coming on for the injured Shay Given against Manchester United. Given had been ruled out for a month with a torn hamstring so Guzan retained his place in the first team, giving him an extended run in Aston Villa's first team.

Guzan was released by Villa at the end of his contract in June 2012.[19] However, he was linked with a return to the club over the summer in a situation similar to that of fellow Aston Villa goalkeeper Andy Marshall in 2010. On July 16, 2012, Guzan was included in new manager Paul Lambert's 25-man squad for Aston Villa's tour of the United States and on the same day, the player confirmed via Twitter that he had renewed his contract and rejoined the club.[20][21]

He made his return for Aston Villa against Newcastle United putting in a Man of the Match performance in a 1–1 draw at St James' Park.[22] He kept Villa's first clean sheet of the season in a 2–0 win against Swansea City and performed well enough to keep his position in the starting lineup. At the end of the 2012–13 Premier League season, he was voted the Aston Villa Player of the Year thanks to his large contribution to Villa's bid to avoid relegation.[23] On July 6, 2013, Guzan was rewarded for his play and signed a four-year contract extension with the Midlands club.[24]

On July 18, 2013, Guzan stated that he hoped to give Aston Villa the best years of his career and said that signing a new contract was a "no-brainer."[25]

On September 28, 2013, Guzan remarkably earned an assist on an Andreas Weimann goal in a 3–2[26] win over Manchester City in which Paul Lambert praised Guzan's distribution technique for goal kicks.

During the 2014–15 season, Guzan was dropped by new Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood after a high-profile error against Manchester City gifted Sergio Agüero the opening goal in a 3–2 defeat on April 25, 2015, with Shay Given taking his place for the final games of the Premier League season.[27] Guzan also missed out on Aston Villa's run to the 2015 FA Cup Final, with Given playing in every round.

Middlesbrough

On July 29, 2016, Guzan signed a two-year contract with newly-promoted Premier League club Middlesbrough, joining on a free transfer, after Aston Villa were relegated to the Championship.[28][29][30] He made his league debut for the club in a 2–1 win away at Sunderland.[31]

Atlanta United
Brad Guzan after the Atlanta United game on September 24, 2017

On January 26, 2017, it was confirmed that Guzan had signed a contract with recently formed MLS team Atlanta United on a free transfer, and would return to the United States following the conclusion of the 2016–17 Premier League season, after nine years in English football.[32] He left Middlesbrough with immediate effect on June 10, 2017.[33] For the remainder of the 2017 MLS season, Guzan wore the number 1 shirt.[34] Guzan made his Atlanta United debut on July 24, 2017, a 1–0 road victory against Orlando City SC.[35] During the 2017 MLS season, Guzan started 14 games, posted a 6–1–7 record, and kept eight clean sheets. He led the MLS in save percentage (79.2%) and won MLS Save of the Week three times.[36] In 2018 Guzan won the MLS cup with Atlanta United after a 2–0 victory over the Portland Timbers.[37]

International career
Guzan (right) with the United States national team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Since 2006, Guzan has established himself as the second-choice goalkeeper for the United States national team behind Tim Howard. He made his World Cup qualifying debut in the second leg of a second round qualifier against Barbados (with the U.S. up 8–0 and having all but secured advancement). He later started in two semi-final matches after the U.S. had secured advancement to the final round—a 2–1 loss at Trinidad and Tobago and a 2–0 win over Guatemala. When Howard was suspended for a match at El Salvador due to accumulated yellow cards, Guzan started and helped earn a critical 2–2 draw. Guzan also started the U.S.'s 3–0 win over Egypt in the 2009 Confederations Cup. On May 11, 2010, Guzan was named to the U.S. national team's provisional 30-man World Cup roster.

Since then, Guzan has sat back as a second-choice to keeper Tim Howard. While Howard was recovering from a back injury, Guzan started in two World Cup qualifier matches in the fourth round in March 2013. He did not allow a goal during either match, picking up a 1–0 win over Costa Rica at Dick's Sporting Goods Park and a historic 0–0 draw against Mexico at Estadio Azteca. Guzan also was capped for the U.S. during the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, as Howard decided to take a break from international soccer following the 2014 World Cup. Both Guzan and Howard were capped for the Copa América Centenario, but Guzan was chosen as the starting keeper.

Personal life

Guzan is a Christian. Guzan has spoken about his faith, saying, "My personal life, my faith life and my sport life – they all come together. I think they have to. You don't have one without the others, and you have to have Jesus in your life. That is how I get through my personal life, how I get through my professional life – following Christ. ... we all need Christ in our lives. Money, fame, all those objects, they don't mean anything if you don't have Jesus in your life. All of those things can be gone in the blink of an eye. We can't get caught up in it."[38]

Career statistics
As of match played October 15, 2017[39]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup League Cup/Playoffs Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Chivas USA 2005 MLS 24020——260
2006 MLS 1301020—160
2007 MLS 2700020—290
2008 MLS 15010——160
Total 7904040—870
Aston Villa 2008–09 Premier League 1010105[lower-alpha 1]080
2009–10 Premier League 0030502[lower-alpha 1]0100
2010–11 Premier League 0000102[lower-alpha 1]030
2011–12 Premier League 701010—90
2012–13 Premier League 3600010—380
2013–14 Premier League 3800000—380
2014–15 Premier League 3400000—340
2015–16 Premier League 2802020—320
Total 144070110901710
Hull City (loan) 2010–11 Championship 1600000—160
Middlesbrough 2016–17 Premier League 1003010—140
Atlanta United 2017 Major League Soccer 140001000140
Overall 2630140170903020
  1. Appearances in the Europa League

Honors

Club

Aston Villa

Atlanta United

International

Individual

References
  1. "Premier League Clubs submit Squad Lists" (PDF). The Football Association. February 2, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 27, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  2. "Chivas USA picks GK Brad Guzan – MLS SuperDraft 2005". OurSportsCentral. January 5, 2005.
  3. "Chivas USA's Guzan wins top goalkeeper". Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  4. "Rookie Guzan Becomes a Keeper for Chivas USA". Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  5. Michaels, Steve (August 1, 2008). "Villa Given Guzan Work Permit". Goal.com. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. McNulty, Phil (February 28, 2010). "Aston Villa 1–2 Man Utd". BBC Sport. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
  8. "Tigers land Guzan". Sky Sports. December 31, 2010.
  9. "Aston Villa loan Brad Guzan to Hull". Daily Mail. December 31, 2010. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  10. "Hull 0–1 Leicester". BBC Sport. January 1, 2011. Retrieved January 7, 2011.
  11. "Portsmouth 2–3 Hull". BBC Sport. January 3, 2011. Retrieved January 7, 2011.
  12. "Hull 2–0 Barnsley". BBC Sport. January 15, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
  13. "Hull City extend the loan of Villa keeper Brad Guzan". BBC Sport. January 25, 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
  14. "Hull City sign David Amoo but Brad Guzan exits". BBC Sport. February 28, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  15. "Hull City re-sign Aston Villa keeper Brad Guzan on loan". BBC Sport. March 7, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  16. "Hull 0–1 Burnley". BBC Sport. March 8, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  17. West, Jon (April 11, 2011). "Watford 1 Hull 2: Brad Guzan's Had A Hull of a Good Time". Daily Star. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
  18. O'Rourke, Pete (April 11, 2011). "Guzan seeks Villa talks". Sky Sports. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
  19. "Senior trio Guzan, Heskey and Cuellar head Villa released list". Aston Villa F.C. May 23, 2012. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
  20. "USA Tour: Confirmed Villa party set for flight". Aston Villa Football Club. Aston Villa F.C. July 16, 2012. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012.
  21. "Twitter / bguzan: Excited to be going back to villa and what the future holds! Was a relaxing break,but looking forward to seeing the boys today!". Brad Guzan. Twitter. July 16, 2012.
  22. Nursey, James (September 3, 2012). "Brad Guzan is determined to keep Shay Given out of the Aston Villa team". Daily Mirror. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  23. Creditor, Avi (May 7, 2013). "Guzan named Aston Villa's Player of the Year". Yahoo!. Retrieved June 13, 2013.
  24. "Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Guzan signs new four-year deal". Sky Sports. July 6, 2013. Retrieved July 6, 2013.
  25. "Guzan: I'm delighted to be giving Villa the best years of my career". Aston Villa F.C. July 18, 2013. Archived from the original on July 19, 2013. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
  26. Aston Villa – Manchester City : 3–2 (Lineups) ScoresPro.com
  27. Evans, Gregg (July 22, 2015). "Brad Guzan tipped to shine as Aston Villa No.1". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  28. "Brad Guzan: Aston Villa goalkeeper signs for Middlesbrough". BBC Sport. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  29. MFC. "Middlesbrough Football Club have agreed a deal to sign Brad Guzan from Aston Villa". Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  30. "Guzan joins Middlesbrough". Aston Villa F.C. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  31. Williams, Bob (August 26, 2016). "Brad Guzan savours new start with Middlesbrough". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  32. "Atlanta United sign US international Brad Guzan". Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  33. "Brad Guzan will join Atlanta United from Middlesbrough in summer". Sports Illustrated. January 25, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  34. "Middlesbrough FC goalkeeper Brad Guzan set for Major League Soccer return with Atlanta United". Middlesbrough Official Website. January 25, 2017. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  35. "Brad Guzan Shines in Atlanta United Debut". Atlanta United FC. July 24, 2017. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  36. "Brad Guzan profile". Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  37. "ESPN: The Worldwide Leader in Sports". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  38. "Brad Guzan".
  39. "Brad Guzan". Soccerbase. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  40. "MLS Fact and Record Book". Major League Soccer. p. 163. Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  41. "USA's Guzan captures Golden Glove award". CONCACAF.com. July 26, 2015. Archived from the original on July 28, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2015.
  42. "2018 MLS All-Star Roster". Major League Soccer. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  43. "2019 MLS All-Star Roster". Major League Soccer. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
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