Brad Guzan announces retirement

Nine seasons, 224 starts and 20,057 minutes in Atlanta

Atlanta United goalkeeper Brad Guzan has announced his retirement from professional soccer. Guzan first joined MLS in 2005 as a member of Chivas USA before leaving for Aston Villa in 2008. After 144 appearances with Villa, he spent one year with Middlesbrough before joining Atlanta United midway through the 2017 season. He proceeded to make 224 starts and play 20,057 for the Five Stripes, a club record that won’t be broken for a long, long time.

Guzan helped lead Atlanta United to an MLS Cup title in 2018, and U.S. Open Cup and Campeones Cup wins in 2019. In 2022, he suffered an Achilles tear that sidelined him for most of the season. He returned in 2023. In 2024, Guzan found perhaps the best form of his time in Atlanta at the end of the season, guiding Atlanta to a shocking playoff run that featured one of the most stunning upsets in MLS history. Guzan made 19 saves across three games as the Five Stripes stunned Inter Miami. This season, Guzan, in his age-41 season, started 25 games, eventually relinquishing the starting role to Jayden Hibbert.

It’s not clear what’s next for Guzan, but he has already spent time as a pundit for this year’s Club World Cup coverage.

Guzan will be remembered as an intense and passionate leader in the locker room, and an excellent ambassador for the club off it. Even when his form dipped, no one questioned how much this dude *wanted it*. There were multiple occasions where he returned from injury far earlier than expected when most of us would have just called it a career.

Regardless of what’s next, he’ll be welcomed forever at the club. If Atlanta starts a ring of honor, Guzan will likely be the first member. Unlike other older stars coming to MLS, he never treated this like a retirement stop. He always treated Atlanta like home. And, for that, he’ll be rightfully celebrated.