USA head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has admitted that he was "surprised" by Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood's decision to drop goalkeeper Brad Guzan for Saturday's FA Cup final against Arsenal at Wembley.
Sherwood played second-choice keeper Shay Given throughout the tournament and opted to stick with the Irishman for the final, which Villa lost 4-0 to the Gunners.
Despite the snub, Klinsmann has insisted that he will start Guzan for the USA in next month's CONCACAF Gold Cup next month.
"We are excited to have Brad Guzan back in our group," Klinsmann said in a Q&A session on the USA team's official website. "He will be the starter in the Gold Cup. He is our number one, so it's really important for him to pick up games with us.
"It's exciting, even if he had some tough weeks at Aston Villa where suddenly the coach for whatever reason decided to put him behind Shay Given. That surprised us big time but he fights through that and he will be sharp and hungry for the long summer."
The USA's first outing is to Amsterdam on June 5.
Danielle Joynson
