Guzan to make 1st US appearance in 13 months

EAST HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Brad Guzan is set to make his first appearance for the United States in 13 months when the Americans play Peru in an exhibition on Tuesday night.

The 34-year-old Guzan has not played for the U.S. since Sept. 5 last year, a 1-1 draw at Honduras in a World Cup qualifier. He has made 58 international appearances and was the No. 2 goalkeeper behind Tim Howard at the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.

Zack Steffen, 23, had started the four previous matches under interim coach Dave Sarachan, but he left training camp last weekend because of a tight right hamstring.

Sarachan said Monday that Guzan is getting the start over 23-year-old Ethan Horvath, whose only U.S. appearances were exhibitions against Cuba in October 2016 and at Portugal last November.

Sarachan has given debuts to 19 players in nine matches since Bruce Arena quit after the Americans lost at Trinidad and Tobago last October, ending a streak of seven straight World Cup appearances. Howard was in goal for the final two qualifiers.

Captain Michael Bradley also returned to the team for the first time in a year, and the midfielder played in Thursday's 4-2 loss to Colombia.

It is not clear whether a new coach will be hired before the year's final pair of exhibitions, at England on Nov., 15 and against Italy five days later at a European site to be announced.

"I feel very good about the work we've done," Sarachan said Monday. "It's up to people who are in that position to make decisions on my future and the future of this position to take into account the body of work and the process from where we started to where we're at. ... I have what I feel is the right eye for what is needed as we move forward."