Brad Guzan on thriving at 40, halting Lionel Messi and why USMNT recall talk makes him ‘laugh’

After Atlanta United’s stunning win over Inter Miami on November 9, an Atlanta staffer approached the team’s charter bus outside Chase Stadium with a box full of Michelob Ultra beer cans. They were for the players, he said, a deserved reward after eliminating Lionel Messi and his teammates from the playoffs.

Among the last players to board the bus was captain Brad Guzan, who exited the stadium with a noticeable strut in his step. The 40-year-old former Aston Villa goalkeeper, who thwarted Messi on numerous occasions throughout the three-game series, was followed by a documentary videographer.

Atlanta’s 2024 has not gone according to script but Guzan’s heroics in goal have drastically changed their story arc.

“Forty is the new 21,” Guzan said at the time with a laugh, referencing his ability to turn back the clock during Atlanta United’s surprising playoff run. By knocking out Inter Miami, Atlanta recorded one of the biggest upsets in MLS history — Guzan was a major factor.

His shot-stopping has been excellent for the better part of the season. His clutch saves have been game-changing in the playoffs. The focus is squarely on Guzan, but he isn’t necessarily enjoying it.

“When you’re in this business as long as I’ve been, it’s not about whether you like something or you don’t like something,” Guzan tells The Athletic. “I’ve been on the other end of it when things haven’t gone great. I’ve made mistakes and cost the team.”

Yet, without Guzan’s performances, Atlanta would have already begun their offseason overhaul. This will include players leaving and new signings coming in, the hiring of a new sporting director, and potentially, a new head coach to replace interim manager Rob Valentino. But all of those decisions have been put on hold as Atlanta prepares to face Orlando City in the Eastern Conference semifinal on November 24.

Guzan made a string of crucial saves as Atlanta knocked out Inter Miami in Round One of the MLS playoffs (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Guzan’s future is also pending. He’s in the final year of his contract, with a 12-month option remaining for 2025. Guzan has avoided the subject of his future all season but reality is setting in for the veteran goalkeeper.

“It’s not about feeling younger,” Guzan said. “It’s about using my experience. It’s about using moments that I’ve been in before in terms of games and situations I’ve faced, and within a millisecond trying to analyze the situation that I’m currently in, and how to use my experience to help me make a save in that moment.”

Playing in goal in your late thirties and early forties is not unusual in professional soccer, but Guzan admits the emphasis on his age makes him “chuckle”.

“I’m not the first goalkeeper to be playing at 40 years old,” he says. “There are tons of guys that have come before me that have played in their forties in the Premier League, Bundesliga, World Cups. No disrespect to Major League Soccer but, you know, those guys are playing at a World Cup. If all of a sudden I’m playing in ’26, then we can have this conversation (about feeling younger).”

Could ’26’ mean a third World Cup on home soil? After Atlanta United’s win on Saturday, there were mentions on social media of Guzan deserving a recall to the U.S. men’s national team.

Guzan earned his first international cap 18 years ago and was part of two World Cup squads in 2010 and 2014. He was the first-choice goalkeeper at the 2015 Gold Cup and 2016 Copa America Centenario. He has a total of 20 clean sheets with the U.S.

There was a time when Guzan was synonymous with the national team, even when he was competing with renowned goalkeepers Tim Howard and Kasey Keller, but he thinks a return to the U.S. squad would be an indictment of the goalkeeper pool.

“I hope that’s not the case,” he says when asked if he was expecting a call from USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino. Guzan pauses briefly before laughing about the texts he has received from close friends about the possibility of renewing his international career.

“It’s not a joking matter but, in my eyes, it is,” Guzan said. “(My friends) were joking about it, as well, and for me, it is what it is. It’s just that. It’s a bit of a laugh and joke.

Guzan last played for the USMNT in 2019 (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

“Our goalkeeper pool… we are in good hands. We’ve got guys that maybe they’re not playing week in and week out, but they’ve proven to be capable of playing in those types of environments. So, yeah, I’m not anticipating a phone call by any means.”

U.S. No 1 Matt Turner, a backup with Crystal Palace, described Guzan’s output lately as “truly spectacular”. Turner called Guzan a mentor who supported him during the 2021 Gold Cup that the U.S. won. “A lot of people at his age, if they had the injury that he had, might call it a day,” Turner told reporters on Tuesday. “You can tell when (Guzan’s) flowing. You know he’s in that mental zone. I was happy for him.”

In Guzan, Turner sees what he called a “pathway” for goalkeepers who still play at age 40. “That’s always been my dream, to make it into my forties and just keep plugging away,” said the 30-year-old.

For a lot of U.S. fans, the last image they have of Guzan is his desperate attempt to get a hand to a Messi free kick at the 2016 Copa America. Argentina defeated the U.S. soundly 4-0 at the semifinal stage of the tournament. The narrative has since changed. Guzan is now most recently remembered as the man who stopped Messi — many, many times. Whether it was a finger, a heel or an outstretched arm, Guzan parried and blocked countless attempts by Messi over the three games.

Sometimes luck was on Guzan’s side, too. In Game 2, for example, a close-range shot from Messi screamed past Guzan’s near post and continued out of bounds. The two shared a brief embrace that was more like a sign of mutual esteem.

“My oldest (child) asked me afterwards, ‘Are you friends with him? Because he gave you a hug’,” said Guzan. “And I was like, ‘I don’t think he was giving me a hug’. It was more like he was in disbelief that it went wide and I was in disbelief that it went wide, as well. I probably had a look on my face like: ‘Damn, I was beat’. We dodged a bullet there but you have to have the utmost respect for someone like (Messi).”

In Atlanta, Guzan is a polarizing figure. He’s an MLS Cup champion and the club’s undisputed captain. Fans chant his name after a big save. Around the Atlanta United training facility, Guzan is a workaholic who sets the standard for his teammates. In March, he became the first player in Atlanta United’s short history to make 200 appearances for the club. His longevity is a sidebar to the spotlight moment he’s experiencing at present.

“When things like this happen it’s about timing,” says Guzan. “The fact that it’s happened kind of back-to-back-to-back, in terms of how the games have finished — that certainly adds to the excitement level.”

Guzan challenges Messi in Game One on Atlanta’s series win over Inter Miami (Rich Storry/Getty Images)

But some Atlanta supporters have seen enough of Guzan. His 2022 season ended in April of that year after he ruptured an Achilles tendon. Then, in 2023, Guzan didn’t perform like he has this season and the fans have let him know about it.

“I’ve had people literally come up to me, whether it be at my kids’ sporting events, their games or practices, or just out and about in town, (and) say, ‘Hey, we really love you. Thank you for everything you’ve done, but we’ve got to move on’,” he said. “I give them a thumbs up and it’s just like, I don’t know what to say or how to react to that, because, you know, it’s a club decision, right?”

If it were up to Guzan, he’d continue to play beyond this season. He isn’t battling with any inner feelings that tell him to retire. Guzan is driven by the day-to-day aspects of being a professional, down to the smallest details.

“I enjoy coming in here and putting on my boots, putting on the gloves, and taping my fingers for the gazillionth time, you know?”

He has discussed retirement with teammate Dax McCarty, 37, who has announced that he’ll call it a day at the end of the season. Guzan has also sought opinions from other friends and former players about their decisions to blow the final whistle on their careers.

“They’re just like: ‘I don’t want to go to practice. I don’t want to go outside. I don’t want to train’,” said Guzan. “And here I am, and I’m like: ‘OK, well, is that the sign that said it’s time to hang it up, because I don’t have that feeling?’. I want to be out there. I don’t know exactly what it is but I feel as if I can still contribute to the group. And most importantly, I feel sharp physically and mentally.”

In December 2023, Atlanta signed goalkeeper Josh Cohen, now 32, from Maccabi Haifa in the Israeli Premier League. Cohen had played in the UEFA Champions League and told reporters after he signed that he was there to push Guzan for his spot.

But Guzan didn’t feel threatened. He understands the club needs a succession plan.

“I’m not naive to think that I can play forever,” he said. Still, at the start of the year, the pressure was on Guzan. He finally had competition in Atlanta.

“If you need to have outside motivation, you’re probably not going to be in this business a long time,” Guzan said. “You need to have an internal motivator to push yourself, so I didn’t take that personally whatsoever.

Guzan is in the final year of his contract with Atlanta (Jason Allen/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

“I looked at last year knowing that it wasn’t good enough from the standards that I set for myself, both individually and collectively, and as a leader of this team.

“Playing in the Premier League for nine years and playing with the national team, competing against and with the best players in the country; that competition for places is normal,” he continues. “And if it’s not normal, then you need to start asking questions elsewhere.”

Inside the Atlanta United dressing room, ending Messi’s season and the content catastrophe it caused MLS and its broadcast partner Apple, isn’t a main talking point. However, it’s not lost on Guzan either.

“That was never the goal,” he said. “The goal was to win a trophy. The goal is to win MLS Cup. You know, we laugh and smile and joke about it now, because you see these headlines, and it’s like, that’s not our problem.”

Guzan’s nine-year-old son may idolize Messi but he would like to be more like Argentina and Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. A Villa goalkeeping kit is his son’s latest request. Thousands of miles away in Atlanta, Villa remains a part of the Guzan household. He follows his former Premier League club closely and keeps the city of Birmingham close to his heart.

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Both of his children were born in the city. Guzan still keeps in touch with ex-teammates Nigel Reo-Coker, Gabriel Agbonlahor, his former captain Stiliyan Petrov and ex-Villa winger Jack Grealish, among others.

“I look back on those years and I’m extremely thankful,” said Guzan. “When I was in high school, I said that my goal was to play for a big European club and go to Europe, and I lived my dream. Going to Europe, going to England, playing in the Premier League, being a part of a massive club like Villa for as long as I was — I don’t think I cherished those moments enough when I was in the moment.”

Guzan will have time to relive or reminisce about his past when his MLS career ends. For now, he’s too preoccupied with the moment he’s living presently.

A club spokesperson said that Atlanta United had received around 20 media requests for Guzan this week. After the international break, Atlanta United will travel to Orlando for the semifinal against their rivals. Guzan and his goalkeeping counterpart Pedro Gallese will be the two central figures in what is expected to be a tense affair in a hostile environment.

“It’s going to be a real dog fight,” Guzan said. “Hopefully afterwards, we’re celebrating, we’re taking another team photo in the locker room and we’re moving on to the conference final.”