Chivas USA and U.S. national team goalkeeper Brad Guzan may have made his last save in MLS for a while. “The 23-year-old reportedly is on the verge of signing a contract in Europe,” writes Graham L. Jones, “most likely with Aston Villa of the English Premier League, although sources said Celtic of the Scottish Premier League was still in the running.”
Jones described that final save in dramatic fashion when, in the last minute of Thursday’s 1-1 tie with the L.A. Galaxy, Guzan saw “the wave approaching. David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Edson Buddle and Carlos Ruiz, the four horsemen of the Galaxy attack, swept down the field in one final concerted effort to grab the winning goal. But Guzan did not flinch, and when Ruiz unleashed his shot, the keeper stuck out a leg and made an excellent foot save.”
A move abroad would mark the end of “an amazing three years for a player who came virtually out of nowhere to carve out a noteworthy career” at the club, says Jones. “On Thursday night, his control of his goal area and his leadership from the back were everywhere in evidence, and if Sacha Kljestan was the best player on the field, Guzan was not far behind.