Looks like the U.S. national team may be in the market for a backup goalkeeper.
Brad Guzan not available for summer’s Gold Cup ... not in U.S. camp ... hmmm?
I stress the word "might." Read on ...
When Bob Bradley’s roster emerged last week for a pair of upcoming friendlies – Saturday against Argentina and Tuesday against Paraguay – one name was curiously absent: Brad Guzan.
I was making some calls and speaking to players, doing the reporting for a U.S.-Argentina advance in SI.com when I got around to talking about goalkeeping matters and the new face in camp, David Yelldell. I asked why Guzan wasn’t around? The response set of my little reporter’s alert: Guzan won’t be available this summer, and that’s about all they could say.
Hmmm. So he’s available this weekend, but not on the roster. That’s what we in the business like to call “interesting.”
There’s a chance this isn’t any big deal. Tim Howard is firmly entrenched as the United States No. 1. Beyond injury or a catastrophic drop in form, nothing will change that. So, you could argue that the U.S. backup goalkeeping position is somewhat ceremonial for the time being.
But injuries do happen, of course. A fairly benign shot two weeks ago in a Barcelona-Arsenal showdown took out Wojciech Szczesny, the Arsenal ‘keeper who sustained a finger injury and remains sidelined for weeks to come.
Marcus Hahnemann, 39, and Yelldell are the backups this week. Hahnemann isn’t playing much these days for Wolves, and Yelldell is an uncapped man playing in Germany’s 2 Bundesliga. Remove Howard from the equation, and that represents a substantial reduction in quality in the U.S. goal when one of these men stand between the pipes.
Guzan, of course, would bridge that gap. He’s a quality goalkeeper currently active in a good league (England’s second tier) and still a performer on the rise. Except he’s not here. And that’s the point to all this.
So, again, team officials have already confirmed that Guzan will not be available for this summer Gold Cup. Bradley and U.S. officials have told us repeatedly how important they regard the Gold Cup. See where this is going?
All this Gold Cup emphasis isn’t just about regional bragging rights. It’s more about that spot in the 2013 Confederations Cup that goes to the winner. The Confed Cup, in Brazil a year before the World Cup, provides a big leg up for the participants in terms of prep for the big show in 2014.
Bradley hasn’t said so, but if I were a betting man, I’d say that he’s not happy at all about Guzan’s lack of availability. Team officials haven’t confirmed why Guzan (who remains Aston Villa property although he is currently on loan at Hull City) won’t be available this summer, but previous reports have said 26-year-old 'keeper will get married this summer.
(How long do weddings take these days, by the way?)
Is Guzan jeopardizing his international career with this choice? I couldn’t say at this point – but it’s a situation worth watching going forward. It’s not a good sign for Guzan that he’s idle this weekend for Hull City but not part of the goings-on in the U.S. camp. We’ve certainly seen players frozen out of the national team scene for different reasons. On this one I would just say … “stay tuned.”
See More:
