AMSTERDAM – Aston Villa backstop Brad Guzan continued his stingy start to the season on Saturday afternoon, blanking Premier League guests Newcastle in a 0-0 stalemate.
The former Chivas USA star made two saves, with the best one coming when he tipped a Daryl Janmaat header over the bar just after the break. Guzan also aggressively denied Magpies sub Siem de Jong with two minutes left and added a strong punch to clear some danger near time.
Guzan now has consecutive shutouts for the first time since last November, becoming the first Villa goalkeeper to achieve the feat to start an EPL season since former England international David James did it in 1999. With the result, the Villans are unbeaten through two rounds for the first time in three seasons.
Greg Seltzer covers Americans based in Europe for MLSsoccer.com.
