MLS: Top 5 goalkeepers in the league right now
By Matt Coles
3. Brad Guzan
Coming in at No.3 on our list of the best shot-stoppers who currently ply their trade in the American top flight is a man that spent almost a decade in the English Premier League before returning a few years ago, Atlanta United’s Brad Guzan.
Before turning professional, Guzan spent a couple of years at the University of South Carolina, where he played 38 times for the Gamecocks. However, he decided to forego the second half of his college time, signing a Generation Adidas contract with the league.
MLS Career & Honours:
- Chivas USA (2005-2008)
- Atlanta United (2017-)
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- MLS Goalkeeper of the Year – 2007
- MLS Best XI – 2007
- CONCACAF Gold Cup Golden Glove – 2015
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- MLS Cup – 2018
- U.S. Open Cup – 2019
- Campeones Cup – 2019
- CONCACAF Gold Cup – 2007
The American shot-stopper was drafted with the second overall pick in the 2005 MLS SuperDraft, with Chivas USA the side to select him. He immediately took the starting job with the franchise and went on to play over 75 league games for them in his four years at the club.
The 2007 season saw Guzan really make his mark on Major League Soccer, and in a big way. He helped the Los Angeles-based franchise to the top spot in the Western Conference with a league-high 13 clean sheets in just 27 regular-season appearances. He took the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year honour, along with earning a place in the MLS Best XI.
Also in 2007, a year after making his international debut with the USMNT, he was part of the American squad that lifted the CONCACAF Gold Cup title. He has since gone on to become his country’s No.1 in recent years and has 64 caps for the national side to his name.
Midway through the 2008 season, Guzan left the league, and the country, to go and play in England. During his nine-year hiatus from Major League Soccer, Guzan played over 170 times for Aston Villa, along with spells at Hull City and Middlesbrough, before returning to the league in 2017, signing for Atlanta United.
The shot-stopper signed for the expansion side in January of that year, but would only join up with the franchise in June, following the conclusion of the 2016-17 Premier League campaign. He has since gone on to nail down the No.1 spot at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and the American has been a huge part of the club’s recent success.
In the club’s second season in the league, they went on to win MLS Cup 2018, with Guzan playing a key role in goal for the Five Stripes, as he kept a clean sheet in the final against Portland Timbers. A year later, and the franchise won both the U.S. Open Cup and the Campeones Cup, and the American was an ever-present in between the sticks throughout the regular-season. The 2019 term saw Guzan rack up 14 clean-sheets, a career-high single-season mark for the goalie, and despite being 35 years of age, he has recently signed an extension through to the end of the 2023 season, showing his intent to stay in the league for plenty of years to come.