Born in Evergreen Park, Chicago, Illinois, Brad Guzan has gone from running around the various sporting fields of the suburbs of his home town to being a star performer for one of England’s most famous clubs, Aston Villa FC. Not only is Brad a top performer in the cauldron of the English Premier League, but he has also been a part of the USA squad for the last eight years and attended two World Cups. We talk to Brad about his player development journey.
PDP: How did you get involved with football and can you give us a brief outline of your playing history?
BG: Initially it started because I was dragged along by my two brothers and ended up playing with them. I didn’t really take it seriously until I was about 10, I just wanted to enjoy it and play soccer. As I got older I started getting involved with more serious teams when I began playing with the Chicago Magic.
PDP: Where did you grow up and is your family from there originally?
BG: I grew up in the southern suburbs of Chicago, Illinois and was there right the way through my years as a young player. I ended up in college for a year and a half before I went to Los Angeles and played for Chivas USA. Soccer was pretty big where I grew up despite all the traditional American sports, and interestingly a lot of guys have kicked on to play professionally from Chicago, people like Jonathon Spector at Birmingham City and Mike McGee, the current MLS MVP at Chicago Fire.
PDP: In Chicago, what was biggest sport whilst you were a young player?
Michael Jordan: a mentor for Guzan growing up in Chicago in the 1990’s. Photo: © Wickedgood | Dreamstime.com
BG: During the late 1990s when I was growing up, without a doubt, basketball was the biggest sport. The Chicago Bulls were on their run of back-to-back titles and so everyone in the city were pretty Chicago Bulls crazy.
PDP: Did you have any sporting heroes or mentors growing up?
BG: Given how big basketball was in Chicago, Michael Jordan was the guy who during my time growing up was my sporting hero. The way he played the game was phenomenal and inspirational. In saying that, my real mentors were my mum and dad. My parents taught me about discipline, hard work and how to go about achieving the things I wanted in life.
PDP: Did you always play in goal?
BG: No I used to play in the outfield a lot when I was younger, but one of my brothers was a goalkeeper, so I followed in his footsteps and really started to enjoy the position. In a lot of those outdated formations, we used to play sweepers or ‘stoppers’ so I was often played there and spent a lot of time in the outfield. It wasn’t until I was 17 or 18 that I really started becoming a specialist in goal.
…being a footballer is a wonderful opportunity and a great life, but we
all make sacrifices away from the game to try and pursue a dream.
PDP: The US consistently produces more top-level GKs than any other position. Why is this?
BG: I’ve been asked this quite a lot, but I can’t really explain it and think it would be interesting to research why it is the case. I think it’s possible that given the range of sports that require excellent hand-eye co-ordination in the USA, such as baseball, basketball and American football, this might be contributing to the number of goalkeepers at top level in the USA, but it’s hard to pin down an exact reason as to why it is the case.
PDP: Did you come through the college system in the USA and would you recommend this pathway to young players?
BG: I did, I went to University for a year and a half. I would recommend it, if it were the next logical step for a player. Everybody’s situation is different, and it depends what opportunities are presented to players. If it works for the individual, then yes I would recommend it. Because Academies in the USA are only just really starting to get big, it’s a good stepping-stone to go from high school, to college and then hopefully MLS.
PDP: When did you make the move to the UK and how was the transition?
BG: It was a huge transition. I was playing for MLS side Chivas USA and Aston Villa came in for me in the January transfer window of 2008. Initially, I was denied a work permit. The manager of Aston Villa at the time, Martin O’Neill, said he would come back in for me in the summer and luckily it came off. I still remember the phone call like it was yesterday. I was in Beijing with the US Olympic team and the club secretary called. She told me that I had received clearance and got my work permit. I have been here ever since.
It’s hard at the top level but it’s all about focus. You’re always training hard and you can never get complacent, there’s always someone trying to push you and take your place.
PDP: What where the biggest challenges or sacrifices you had to make?
BG: The biggest sacrifice and challenge is being away from friends and family. I have been lucky to keep in touch with my five or six best friends from back home; we’ve been friends since we were kids but you hear stories of them going to college parties, hanging out and so on. You miss family holidays, birthdays and various occasions so you do have to sacrifice things. People don’t realise you give all that up – being a footballer is a wonderful opportunity and a great life, but we all make sacrifices away from the game to try and pursue a dream. For me, those are the toughest ones, you’re on the other side of the world and your friends and family are back home, it is difficulty being away.
Brad Guzan (yellow) with his Aston Villa teammates, 2009. Photo: Domaw
PDP: Who was the biggest influence on your development as a young player and why?
BG: The biggest influence on my development from a soccer standpoint would be my club coach, Mike Matkovich. Mike created a professional atmosphere growing up and always expected the best from us. Travelling to different tournaments around the country, he taught us what it took to win and how to compete.
PDP: If you could go back and change one thing about your development as a young player, what would it be?
BG: I don’t think I would change anything. I really enjoyed all my experiences of playing soccer growing up and although some people may not agree with the path I took, I’m glad I did as it has made me the person and player I am today.
PDP: What area of your game are you a working hardest on to improve at the moment?
BG: It’s hard at the top level but it’s all about focus. You’re always training hard and you can never get complacent, there’s always someone trying to push you and take your place. In a game of football at the top level, you may only have to make one or two saves in a game but you have to be ready to make those saves and help your team.
Being a pro is not just about the two hours you train in the morning. It’s about going to the gym, about doing rehab, about maintenance work, about eating the right food. It’s about lifestyle, and you have to be disciplined.
Brad Guzan for Aston Villa. Photo: Ben Sutherland
PDP: Can you tell us a bit about the philosophy in terms of style and player development at Aston Villa FC?
BG: The manager is really good. He wants players to express themselves and play freely. The game is always changing. The ability of players to go 1 v 1 now is so good and you’re hearing more and more about counter attacking football these days. You want to try and keep the ball and keep possession, but at our level it’s about results. Our manager, Paul Lambert, encourages players to press in the game, push for a result, and tries multiple ways to break down a team – sometimes it comes off, sometimes it doesn’t. But in that one 90-minute period, so much of how we play is defined by how best we believe we can break down our opposition most effectively.
PDP: How much do you believe the work a young player does away from the training ground is of value?
BG: It’s huge value. Being a pro is not just about the two hours you train in the morning. It’s about going to the gym, about doing rehab, about maintenance work, about eating the right food. It’s about lifestyle, and you have to be disciplined. You can’t be going out partying every day, that will catch up with you. You have to take the right steps to be the ultimate professional and compete week in, week out.
PDP: Do you have any playing mentors?
BG: When I was a kid, I was a big Oliver Kahn fan. For me now, it’s about seeing how veteran players and senior players and how they cope with being a senior professional. Stilian Petrov who was the captain at Aston Villa for a long time, (and a very good one at that) is someone I speak to regularly. I look at experienced players, guys who go about or have gone about the game professionally as mentors and that adds value to me learning to be a better professional.
Oliver Kahn during his farewell match, Munich, September 2008. Photo: Tsutomu Takasu
PDP: What attributes do modern goalkeepers need to be successful at the highest level?
BG: In terms of goalkeepers, the key traits now are height, agility and speed, so many keepers are simply massive these days but they are extremely quick. Every goalkeeper has his own style. It’s always nice to watch how different keepers impose themselves on a game and help their team.
PDP: Have you had any career highlights to date that you’ve thought have been exceptionally special moments?
BG: One of the ultimate highlights is being able to represent your country. I have been fortunate enough to be
a part of two World Cups, although I haven’t played in the games, to be a part of a World Cup and part of a team, represent your team in such a prestigious tournament. Outside of that, you tend not to look at highlights, you have to look forward, strive for new highlights. I’m sure in time I will look back and enjoy the highlights, but for now, it’s really about looking forward.
Cover Image:
Brad Guzan for the USA vs Costa Rica. 2014 World Cup Qualifier. Photo: Daniel Petty/Getty Images
