Brad Guzan leaving Aston Villa; helps U.S. cause

May 23, 2012, 8:28 AM EDT

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An inconvenient truth regarding the gold-standard stable U.S. goalkeeping situation: trusty Tim Howard won’t be around forever.

Howard is only 33, so the 2014 World Cup is safe, and quite possibly beyond.

But eventually an understudy will be promoted into the top spot. Yes, there is a whole classroom full of young up-and-comers, Bill Hamid, Sean Johnson and Ryan Meara just to name three. Dan Kennedy and Tally Hall, slightly older but plausibly able to make the international jump, are options as well.

Still, the need exists for someone handy of glove to be at the ready in event of injury, or for the day Howard commits 100 percent focus to his remaining club days.

All of that is why today’s news involving Brad Guzan is good for the U.S. cause.

Guzan says he is leaving Aston Villa in pursuit of a first-team spot. It doesn’t look like Shay Given is going anywhere, so Guzan has opted out of Villa Park, set to change addresses in the summer transfer window.

Guzan, in the running with Real Salt Lake’s Nick Rimando for current U.S. backup, proved his worth as a potential starter during a successful seven-game winter run while Given was injured.

To be the best he can be in U.S. goal, Guzan needs to be a starter. Somewhere. And it looks like he just took a step in that direction.

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wesbadia - May 23, 2012 at 9:23 AM

Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Meara declare his status for Ireland just a few weeks ago? I understand that it’s not official until he makes his appearance with them on the international stage, but there’s nothing saying that he’s interested in re-declaring for the US. If that’s the case, then we’re still stuck with Hamid and Johnson, both of which I have little faith in in the long-term, despite what Howard says about Hamid.

Personally, I like Kennedy as a stop gap keeper until either the two aforementioned youngsters make developmental progress or a new personality makes his way to the stage. Kennedy may be older (26, I think?), but that’s a relative teenager compared to the longevity of most goalkeepers.

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Steve Davis - May 23, 2012 at 9:40 AM

I guess I see Meara as so far from actually being tied to Ireland that I still consider him a US candidate. So, we’ll see…

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mikeevergreen - May 27, 2012 at 4:33 PM

If Ireland wants him, I think Meara should go. After Howard/Guzan/Rimando, you have Hall/Kennedy/Hamid/Johnson. Unless this kid is Superman and can work his way past all those keepers (and EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM IS REALLY GOOD), then he has no chance to play for the US.

This is especially wise since Shay Given is 36, which from the international perspective is “Last Legs.” Club-wise, still in prime, of course (Ask Brad Friedel what old is, and he’ll tell you Tony Meola), but playing for your country-wise, no. If Ireland doesn’t make it to 2014, Given won’t be playing in a cup, Meara will if he declares for Ireland..

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