AMSTERDAM
One poor kick paved the way for a goalkeeper change at Aston Villa last month.
All of the goodwill generated over the past few years could not save Brad Guzan. He kept his place for 108 straight league starts. He weathered storm after storm in goal during that period. He won club player of the year honors for his efforts during the 2012-13 campaign.
Those exploits did not matter after Guzan scuffed that attempted clearance against Manchester City with his club in the thick of a relegation battle. His high-profile error consigned him to the bench for the first time in three years.
Guzan watched as Shay Given steered Villa through the conclusion of the Premier League season and took his place in goal for the FA Cup final defeat to Arsenal on Saturday. His grip on the number one shirt for Villa -- particularly with the transfer window poised to spark to life in short order -- weakened along the way.
United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann monitored the developments as they unfolded. As he gathered his players in Amsterdam ahead of the pair of friendlies against Netherlands and Germany, he issued a full-throated defense of Guzan and reinforced his status as the U.S. number one heading into the CONCACAF Gold Cup next month.
"We are excited to have Brad Guzan back in our group," Klinsmann told ussoccer.com earlier this week. "He will be the starter in the Gold Cup. He is our number one, so it's really important for him to pick up games with us. It's exciting, even if he had some tough weeks at Aston Villa where suddenly the coach for whatever reason decided to put him behind Shay Given. That surprised us big time, but he fights through that and he will be sharp and hungry for the long summer."
Those strong words reinforced Guzan's standing within the group as he returns to the fold for the first time this year (he missed the March friendlies while awaiting the birth of a child). They also supplied a welcome boost for the 30-year-old as he prepares to embark on his first major tournament as a starter for his country.
"It's always nice when the manager or the coach gives his backing to players," Guzan said before the Americans went through their paces just outside Amsterdam on Wednesday. "But it's down to the players to go perform and go and play. In soccer, there are no guarantees. It's about going and doing your job. There's a reason why we're all involved with the national team. We're good players. It's a matter of going out and doing the job. When you do that, then the rest follows suit."
The trials and tribulations over the past month reinforced those maxims, but Guzan already knew them all too well. He excelled for Chivas USA and sealed a move to Aston Villa in the process, but he spent years toiling behind Tim Howard and waiting for his chance to impress for an extended period at the international level.
Howard's decision to step away after the World Cup cleared the way for Guzan to establish his dominion over the position. It is not a responsibility he takes lightly on the cusp of the Gold Cup. He grasps the need to make sure he performs to the expected standards. He also understands the importance of this pair of friendlies as the team takes shape ahead of the challenges ahead next month.
"First of all, we have a few new faces in camp," Guzan said. "We've got some younger guys who have maybe only been in a camp or two. For me as someone who has been fortunate to be with the national team for quite some time, you want to help these guys and you want to get everyone on the same page."
"With two tough games in Holland and Germany, we want to use these opportunities to do just that: to try and get guys on the same page and understand what international football is all about," Guzan continued. "It's different from club soccer, it's different from being with your teammates in a club situation where you are with them day in and day out. You try to get on the same page as quickly as possible."
Guzan knows that lesson all too well after this difficult period at Villa. It is time to put those frustrations behind him for now. There is nothing he can do now to alter his situation there. It is instead down to him to focus on the task at hand with the U.S. to ensure he grabs this chance and takes full advantage of it this summer.
