Brad Guzan

America's Latest GK Success Story

While the uniformed bandwagon jumpers cling to the glories of the big spenders, true fans of the game, especially those who support American soccer (seriously...why do I have to go to training sessions and look at kids with other nation's jerseys?  Have we no pride?!) and the American players who are striving to make it in the top leagues around the world are talking about the recent announcement of Brad Guzan as the Aston Villa Player's Player of the Year and Supporter's Player of the Year awards (read the AVFC.co.uk press release here).

Here's a small homage to his outstanding season...and bear in mind that AVFC scored 45 so far this season, conceded 67 (a minus-22 goal differential) and still they voted Guzan the best in the team...how much impact must he have to be seen as so crucial to the squad despite such terrible numbers?

CLICK HERE

(some bureaucrat thinks I might make a ton of cash on embedding a YouTube video on my blog)

Given that (despite this week's loss to Chelsea in a crazy 10 on 10 match) Villa look in decent shape to remain in the Premier League for next season, Guzan's broad shoulders can be given a lot of credit for carrying the team.  Imagine giving up 67 goals, and still going to work every day knowing on average 17 more shots are coming your way (though 5 will be blocked...) and that nearly 2 shots per game are going to need to be dug out of the back of the net.  While he is an unmitigated success, that's a lot of failures for his position.  Says a lot about his character and confidence.

At any rate, from the aforementioned Chelsea defeat, here's a couple looks at one save from the first half on Demba Ba that shows the courage and physical presence a top GK must possess.

Mata lofts a clever ball to Ba, who is running from the defense's right side (across American Eric Lichaij - "lee-high" ).  Guzan sits inside the 6 yard area just out of the frame; an indication of the respect GKs have for Mata's range and vision.  Villa are holding a fairly high line- the offside law in their favor, any pass into the space behind should end up with Guzan...

... Mata is as-advertised.  The ball lands on Ba's foot as Lichaij slips.  Here we see the ball bouncing after the first touch, Guzan clearly stuck as he cannot close down that first touch; he must remain set, athletic and ready to play the second touch should it go on goal...

... the bounce off the first touch isn't quite right, however, and Guzan makes a quick, aggressive move to the location of the upcoming second touch.  Here we see him stepping forward toward the ball (still in the air) and more crucially, toward the spot where Ba's foot will next touch the ball.  That point of intersection is all Guzan sees.  Not the 6' 2" forward about to kick at him, nothing but the point of contact on the next touch.  So it's a fairly simple forward, diagonal step forward with the left foot, and then he spreads arms and legs, blocks the shot and a defender recovered to clear the danger.

Three points here:

1. The Mata-to-Ba pass is a small miracle.  It was inch-perfect, and needed to be to create as much danger as it did.  Anything less accurate simply would't trouble Guzan and Villa.
2. Guzan shows tremendous discipline in holding his ground, staying on his feet and remaining in front of the ball.  This is not instinct.  This is bred of thousands of reps on the training ground where coaches repeat situations like this over and over until he sees nothing but the future: that moment in time a split second from now, when the foot hits the ball on the ultimate touch.
3. The bravery required is massive.  Demba Ba is a big guy.  And he, like any professional forward, cares not at all for the safety of the defender.  Not that he's a goon, just that he, too, is focused solely on the ball.  Only repeated technical work can make a GK trust the methods used to both stop the ball and protect him or herself; a player must have the guts to go through that training, being hit over and over; only thousands of repetitions can give an athlete the experience to react correctly to such an incisive pass combination.  At this point of Guzan's career, it's far less about "think-move" and more about recognizing cues in body language and anticipating.

Sean Johnson

In Guzan, and the Chicago Fire's Sean Johnson, the US can look forward to at least another decade of world-class goalkeeping.  Though we Philly-area fans can be a little smug after the Union beat the Fire 1-0!

Johnson added to USMNT roster for World Cup qualifiers.
Johnson getting some looks from Stoke City and Everton of the EPL



A great video for a young GK to watch: