In between regular-season Major League Soccer matches, Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan has also taken on a different, more high-profile task.
Guzan played the second half of the United States national team's friendly against England on May 28, picked up a 2-0 shutout against Columbus on Saturday and traveled to Europe on Sunday to prepare for the USA's match against Spain on Wednesday.
As the U.S. readies for a crucial upcoming World Cup qualifying series against Barbados, Guzan is trying to state his case for an increased role and more playing time with the U.S. national team. But Guzan also said he's willing to contribute whatever way possible.
"Whatever (coach) Bob (Bradley) decides," Guzan said when asked about his chances of playing against Spain. "If I play great, if not it's just another chance to be around Timmy (Howard) and be around the guys and hopefully help the team in whatever way I can, whether it's morally or on the field."
The reigning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, Guzan has now played in two U.S. national team games this year and has earned six caps overall. Against England, Guzan had the task of trying to keep the U.S. from falling further into a hole. Down 1-0 at the intermission, Guzan supplanted Howard in goal and manned the goal for the second half.
However, Liverpool standout Steven Gerrard had different thoughts. Gerrard took a pass from Gareth Barry and ran into the penalty area alone on Guzan. Gerrard coolly slipped the ball past Guzan as England went ahead by a pair of goals.
"It was a tough game, especially to come in at half. It's not the easiest thing to do especially when the game is going 100 miles an hour," Guzan said. "You come in at halftime and literally in the 46th minute I was already dealing with a set piece, through balls and this and that."
Overall, Guzan said the match served its purpose as a preparation game.
"We need tough games in Europe. The results aren't always going to go our way as much as we'd like them to. The important thing is that we take things away and now we can use what we learned against England and put that towards Spain," Guzan said. "If we can do that, then the game against England is that much more of a positive for us, despite what people might think from the outside it's important that we take the little things away from those games and help us continue improving and helping make our team stronger."
Though the U.S.-Spain match is slated for Wednesday, Guzan might not miss a minute of action for Chivas USA. Guzan could travel back stateside on Thursday and with Chivas USA playing at New York on Thursday, he might indeed make it back in time to play in this week's match.
Nonetheless, Spain is on the forefront of Guzan's mind at the beginning of this week. If England was any indication, Spain will pose a formidable test.
"We expect a tough challenge," Guzan said. "It's never easy to go to Europe and play, especially when you are playing against ... Spain and so we expect a good game and we're definitely going to be ready to give them a fight as well."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
