page_title: Brad Guzan
section_title: Aston Villa
hierarchical_section_title: Brad Guzan / Club career / Aston Villa
caption_attribution_description: Starting eleven of Aston Villa just before the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League play-off round match against SK Rapid in Vienna. Top (L-R): Emile Heskey, Habib Beye, Carlos Cuellar, Brad Guzan, Curtis Davies, James Milner. Bottom (L-R): Ashley Young, Nigel Reo-Coker, Nicky Shorey, Steve Sidwell, Craig Gardner.
context_page_description: Bradley Edwin Guzan is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Atlanta United FC and the United States national team.
  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.
context_section_description: 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. 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. 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.
caption: Guzan (dressed in yellow) lines up with Aston Villa teammates prior to a UEFA Europa League match away at Rapid Wien in August 2009
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