Chivas USA goalkeeper Brad Guzan leaving to play in England
SOCCER
A 'very young' but 'very talented' goalkeeper from Saprissa in Costa Rica will replace the star, says Chivas part-owner Jorge Vergara. Aston Villa may be team he's headed for.
Jorge Vergara, the Mexican businessman who is a part-owner of Chivas USA, confirmed today that his star goalkeeper Brad Guzan would be leaving the club to go to Europe.
Vergara said Guzan, 23, would be joining an unnamed team in England.
"Yes, it's true," Vergara said. "He's leaving for Europe, to England specifically, and we're very happy and very glad that another Chivas player is going to Europe. We're going to replace him with a very talented goalkeeper from Saprissa in Costa Rica. A very young one but very talented."
There currently are three goalkeepers on Saprissa's roster: veteran Jose Francisco Porras, 37, Fausto Gonzalez, 30, and Keilor Navas Gamboa, 21.
Guzan, the first player drafted by Chivas USA when the club joined Major League Soccer in 2005 and the 2007 Goalkeeper of the Year, had been courted last year by both Celtic in Scotland and Aston Villa of the English Premier League, but he was not granted a work permit and any potential deal fell through.
At the time, reports suggested that Aston Villa was willing to pay as much as $4 million for the U.S. national team goalkeeper.
Guzan's agent, Richard Motzkin, said Thursday night that he was still talking to both clubs. Vergara's comments today suggest that Aston Villa is Guzan's likely destination.
Villa last season finished in sixth place in the Premier League. Its starting goalkeeper is England international Scott Carson, but his future is uncertain because he is only at Villa on loan from Liverpool. If Guzan does join Villa, he could step into a starting role when the Premier League season begins Aug. 16.
Zak Abdel, the U.S. national team goalkeeper coach, said a move to Europe would not necessarily prevent Guzan from being included on the U.S. team when that squad for the Beijing Olympics is named next week, even though the Games overlap the start of the English season.
On another matter, Vergara, who owns Saprissa and Chivas de Guadalajara in Mexico, said Friday that Chivas USA has no plans to acquire forward Carlos Ruiz should the Galaxy decide to trade the Guatemalan striker.
"As far as I know in talking to [co-owner] Antonio Cue, we are not interested in talking to Carlos Ruiz at the moment," Vergara said.
Chivas USA plays defending champion Pachuca of Mexico on Sunday in the first round of the eight-team SuperLiga tournament, but it was unclear today whether Guzan would be involved.
grahame.jones@latimes.com
