Chivas goalie to play in England
Brad Guzan, who in three years rose from obscurity to become arguably the best goalkeeper in the United States, is leaving Chivas USA and heading for Europe.
Mexican businessman Jorge Vergara, a part-owner of the Major League Soccer team, confirmed Friday that Guzan, 23, would be joining an unnamed team in England, most likely Aston Villa. “He’s leaving for Europe, to England specifically, and we’re very happy and very glad that another Chivas player is going to Europe. We’re going to replace him with a very talented goalkeeper from Saprissa in Costa Rica; a very young one but very talented,” Vergara said.
That player is believed to be Keilor Navas Gamboa, 21, the third-string goalkeeper for the perennial Costa Rica champions. If so, he and Dan Kennedy, Guzan’s backup at Chivas, would compete for the now-vacant starting spot.
Swapping the red and white stripes of Chivas for the famous claret and blue colors of Aston Villa would be a huge move for Guzan. The 134-year-old club is a seven-time English champion, a seven-time F.A. Cup winner, and was European champion in 1982. It is consistently among the title contenders. The club finished sixth in the Premier League last season, just behind Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Everton.
Guzan would become the third American goalkeeper playing in the Premier League, joining Brad Friedel at Blackburn Rovers and Tim Howard at Everton. There would have been four had Marcus Hahnemann’s Reading not been relegated last season.
Guzan’s switch to a much higher level will significantly aid his development and should allow him to challenge Howard for the No. 1 position on the U.S. national team heading into the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Aston Villa, coached by fiery former Northern Ireland international Martin O’Neill, will be an entirely different experience, calling on all of Guzan’s shot-stopping abilities.
Whether he will start is debatable. Ahead of him in the pecking order are Danish international Thomas Sorensen and English international Scott Carson, although the latter is on loan from Liverpool and his future is uncertain.
Aston Villa had sought to land Guzan earlier this year, but despite a reported $4-million offer the deal fell through because Guzan was denied an English work permit. He had also been pursued by Scottish champion Celtic.
The English season starts Aug. 16, but Zak Abdel, the U.S. national team goalkeeper coach, said that an immediate move to Europe would not necessarily prevent Guzan from being included on the U.S. team when the squad for the Beijing Olympics is named next week.
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