Providence alum Guzan starting to fit in

Brad Guzan's cell phone lit up on May 22 with text messages from nearly all his friends, most of them wanting to know one thing: tell what it was like to give up a goal to Stephen Gerrard.

It wasn't exactly a question Guzan was eager to answer. He'd just allowed a penalty kick to the Liverpool superstar during a 5-0 rout in his very first breath of an English Premier League match-up with new club Aston Villa, and Guzan was searching for a bit of perspective.

But at 24 years old with a year in England under his belt, perspective is increasingly easy to come by. The Providence Catholic alum can coolly take a minute now to see just how far he's come, from the fields of Homer Glen all the way to the storied pitch of Anfield.

"I was disappointed, because we got our butts kicked, but when I took myself out of it I realized the weight of that moment," said Guzan, who came on after Aston Villa starting goalkeeper Brad Friedel was issued a red card for a tackle on Liverpool star Fernando Torres. "I look back on it now, and it's absolutely one of those moments: 'Wow, that was very cool.' "

Guzan - who is back in town tonight as the U.S. National Team squares off with Honduras in a World Cup qualifying match at Soldier Field - is stable and more introspective on this homecoming tour, a long way from where he was less than a year ago.

The last time he breezed through Chicago for business was with the U.S. team for a World Cup qualifying win over Trinidad and Tobago in September, when he had just played in the Beijing Olympics and had jumped through seemingly endless hoops for a work visa to suit up for Aston Villa.

And now? Guzan is all smiles about his career, despite the fact he's backing up both his British club and the U.S. squad with a mix of hurry and humility.

"I was all over the place last time I was here," Guzan said. "Now, to be able to see where I am to see the progress I've made, this is a great point in my career. But there are obviously a few steps to take from here."

Those steps come out of the shadows with both Aston Villa and with the U.S. team, where he backs up two EPL veterans not eager to give up their spot. Friedel is a 38-year-old stalwart abroad, and Everton star Tim Howard was the man reporters swarmed when the Americans touched down in Chicago for tonight's crucial match.

Last month, Guzan received the endorsement of the Aston Villa coaching staff for his first-year efforts, and Guzan expects a more open competition for the starting nod next season. But he won't usurp Howard in such a clutch game tonight, especially after the Americans' 3-1 flop Wednesday against Costa Rica put an extra bit of pressure on the U.S. for an essential three points this time.

It's that waiting game - which Guzan admitted he never quite experienced while rocketing through the college ranks and Major League Soccer - that has humbled him, without dulling the edge Guzan has honed just to make it this far.

"I've never considered myself a No. 2 goalkeeper, where I have to back off one bit," Guzan said. "My job is to push Brad and Tim to make it a tough decision for the coach to make. If I've done that, I think I've done my job, but the rest is out of your hands."