Recent acquisition David Guzman made his first introduction to the Columbus Crew Training Center at Obetz on Monday, May 6, and after participating in his inaugural training session with the Black & Gold, the Costa Rican international spoke reuniting with his former coach in Caleb Porter, his role and what he brings to the table, and what it will be like playing alongside fellow TicoWaylon Francis.
“I feel good. I feel happy. Just being here, I think it is important,” Guzman said in his introduction to the Club after spending his first three years in Major League Soccer with the Portland Timbers. “I feel like the guys have welcomed me here and I have liked it from what I have seen. Now we have to go out there and defend the crest as much as we can.”
Guzman mentioned how he's familiar with Porter’s style and that his transition will be that much easier because of the shared expectations.
“Caleb is a coach that wants to win. He wants you to go forward when you are attacking. He wants you to score goals,” Guzman said. “He is the kind of coach who wants to win trophies, which works for me because I am the same way. It is clear to know where you stand…And now I am on a team where they have goals, such as winning trophies and I want to help in that regard.”
Guzman came to the Timbers in 2017 and helped lead the side to an MLS Cup appearance last year, playing in five of their six postseason matches, including a combined 174 minutes in the Western Conference Championship series against Sporting Kansas City before clocking in an 82-minute performance in MLS Cup against Atlanta United.
Ironically, Guzman’s most recent regular-season goal came against Columbus last September, and though not known for his goal-scoring totals, Porter knows his versatility and expects to employ him as needed.
“He fits the vision that I have for the central midfielder. He offers a lot of flexibility; he can play the six, the eight. He’s played in a single pivot, 4-3-3; he’s played in a double pivot, 4-2-3-1, which gives us good flexibility,” Porter said.
“He’s good on the ball, he has good quality on the ball," Porter continued. "If we need him to start attacks in the build-up, he can do that. If we need to push on and play as the eight, he can do that, so he’s got quality on the ball to help us keep possession, which fits, again, our team here. And he also brings a lot of bite in the midfield, so I would say again he’s a complete midfielder.”
When asked about what he expects his role to be, Guzman put it simply:
“My role here is to come in and help whenever I am called upon.”
The Costa Rican international continued, saying “if they give me a chance, I am going to take it. I’ll do my best beside whoever I am playing next to. I am ready to defend our colors as best as possible and go forward with our goals.”
On playing with countryman Francis, Guzman said it will certainly help with the acclimation process.
“I think it is good. I am able to speak with [Waylon],” said Guzman. “He can let me know about what my teammates are like. He can let me know about what the city is like, so that will help me a lot.”
For Francis, who said he’s known Guzman for the last 10 or 15 years, it’s certainly a welcoming addition.
“For me, it’s nice having him here with me another Costa Rican who is going to be important. Also, I think he is going to help us a lot,” Francis said. “I think he is a really good player, so he is going to help us a lot. Also, he knows Caleb’s style of playing too.”
The Crew return to action on Wednesday, May 8 as the Club welcomes fellow MLS original in the LA Galaxy to MAPFRE Stadium for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff.
Fans can tune-in on FOX Sports Ohio or 97.1 FM The Fan, or stream the match on FOX Sports GO as well as stream the audio on www.ColumbusCrewSC.com.
