Q&A with Atlanta United’s Brad Guzan: ‘It’s been a fantastic journey’
Brad Guzan would rush home from school outside Chicago to watch the last 10 minutes of Champions League games.
Soccer wasn’t broadcast 24 hours a day on channels or streaming platforms like it is today. All Guzan had was knockout games in Europe’s biggest club tournament. He loved watching Oliver Kahn in goal for Bayern Munich.
Guzan’s dream of becoming a pro soccer player was born, fulfilled with more than 600 appearances for clubs and country, and will end with Saturday’s match between Atlanta United and D.C. United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Guzan announced his retirement Tuesday after 21 years as a pro.
“It’s been an unbelievable ride,” he said.
Guzan has proof of his dream. When he was a freshman in high school, a reporter asked him what he wanted to be. Guzan answered to play for a club in Europe.
Some of Guzan’s former teammates have sent him copies of that article, noting how cool it was that he lived his dream.
“There’s not many people that get to do that, and to say you’ve done that is outstanding,” Guzan said. “That part is never lost on me.”
On Friday, Guzan gave an exclusive interview to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Questions and answers have been edited for clarity.
Q: So what will you do Monday morning?
A: I don’t know. I would like to say I’m going to sleep in, but that’s certainly not going to be the case. I’ll probably look to work out and exercise.
I was talking to a couple of people and they’d asked the same question, and I don’t think the reality of it will fully set in probably until next spring, or when the preseason comes around, just because all our guys will essentially be in the offseason, as well.
I don’t know if it’ll fully set in by Monday, but as to what I’ll do, I’ll probably do the school run, maybe go for a coffee date with my wife and just kind of relax and plan for what’s next.
Q: That leads to my next question, have you worked on any kind of a continuing education degree? Is that something of interest to you?
A: I just finished a master’s degree in director of football from the University of East London through the Global Institute of Sport. That was a two-year program that I finished probably back in August.
I did that to see if I could utilize that in some way, somehow, and go from there.
Q: Well, you mentioned studio work or TV work (on Thursday), is front-office work something of interest to you?
A: It is. I’ve always thought it was unique in terms of being able to construct and put a team together and kind of see the inner workings of what goes on behind the scenes. That’s something that certainly piqued my interest and is why I pursued that degree in terms of learning more about it, and learning the ins and outs of some of the business side of professional soccer team and whatnot.
I had the opportunity with the Club World Cup in the media side. And so I think that’s where it comes into kind of sifting through the different possibilities and options and just trying to see what I enjoy and what I want to do.
As I mentioned yesterday, when you do something for as long as I have, people ask what is next? And the truth is, I don’t know because I’ve only ever done this (played soccer). And so now it’s: ‘What am I going to be passionate about? What am I going to enjoy? What am I not going to enjoy?’ And so just try and make an educated decision.
Q: Do you have a resume or LinkedIn profile?
A: I was joking with (someone) just yesterday, actually, about updating my LinkedIn, all these things and so I need to update it after Saturday night, officially. It’s something that I know in the corporate world, in the business world, that is needed.
Q: Have you and the club discussed a potential job?
A: I’ve had a few discussions with the club, and they want me to stay around and so what that position looks like, we need to discuss that further.
I wanted to focus on Saturday, and putting all my focus and energy into Saturday, and then there’ll be plenty of time to be able to sit down and have a chat about what the future looks like.
Q: How will you fill the adrenaline rush of having as many as 70,000 fans supporting the team you’re on?
A: I think that’s part of that buzz of competing, competing against an opponent, competing in a stadium in an atmosphere that is generated by 70,000 screaming fans.
I think as I’ve gotten older, even while playing, you have an appreciation for what’s going on around you a little bit more, and you’re a bit more aware of those types of atmospheres and environments.
But I don’t know exactly because, not being on the field, I don’t think you can replicate that in a business setting, in an office setting, and so you certainly have to try and find a way to tick that box of the competitiveness of the adrenaline rush.
From the first minutes until the 90th minute, when you’re sitting in a seat inside the stadium you don’t get to control what happens on the field, but you can do things Monday to Friday to try and affect that, be it personnel, be it different ideas that maybe you see from a different vantage point.
I think in that sense, you ultimately get to still feel part of that team that’s on the field.
Q: Will you keep anything after Saturday’s match?
A: Nike’s been very gracious in terms of boots, and things on my boots and gloves and jerseys. I’m sure the kids will want those things, and if they don’t, then I’ll hold on to it for a bit.
My wife, and probably more so me than her, she enjoys keeping things and just having those memories and being able to look back and say, ‘Yeah, that was a time when I was putting a big smile on my face as I was stepping on the field.’
I probably won’t appreciate it now, but maybe in a few years time, I’ll certainly look back with a big smile on my face and think about all the wonderful memories.
Q: What is your favorite piece of memorabilia?
A: When you think about what it means to be a player, when you think about why you play the game, it’s about trophies.
I think it’s certainly MLS Cup, it’s the trophies that you win. It’s the ability to say, ‘Yeah, I was a part of a team that we went all the way, and you’re successful, and we did it together.’ So there’s nothing that represents that more than MLS Cup.
Q: I’m going to give you some of your stats, and you tell me what each one means, if anything, to you.
We’ll start with 841 goals conceded for club and country.
A: I’m not a stats guy, so this isn’t going to go well. But that’s a lot of goals. A lot of goals.
Q: But 174 clean sheets.
A: Not enough.
Q: Do you have a favorite save or favorite win or favorite teammate?
A: I’ve been very lucky with the teammates that I’ve had. I’m lucky enough to call a lot of them friends.
In terms of saves and in terms of those kind of moments, I don’t look back on those and say, ‘Oh, that was my winner. This was great.’
I look back at the experiences, and I think back to being a part of World Cup teams, being a part of the Olympics, and the memories that we created, not from the games themselves of the Olympics, but from the bus rides. And I think about all the times that I traveled to different countries to represent the U.S., to represent the clubs that I played for and, for me, it’s about the experiences that I was able to have.
For that part, I’m forever grateful and in debt to the game of football, to the game of soccer. I hope to be able to try to repay that back to the game in some way, somehow.
Q: I think this last one will be important to you: 615, appearances for club and country.
A: That’s a lot of games. It’s been a journey. It’s been a fantastic journey. I’ve been very lucky. I’ve had an unbelievable support staff around me, from my wife and kids and my mom and dad, to my family, my friends, I mean, my best friends to this day that will be there tomorrow are still my best friends from when I was 4 years old in pre-K and in kindergarten. They’ll be there tomorrow.
It’s never lost to me that it was never just about me. It was so much more, so much bigger. I was just a piece of the puzzle. I’ve been very lucky to have support staffs, medical staffs that put me back together, doctors.
I’m just extremely thankful for all the people that have invested their time and energy into me. They believed in me as an individual, believed in me as a goalkeeper, gave me opportunities, and for that, I can never repay those individuals, and all I can do is hopefully inspire and push others to hopefully do the same.
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