Zack Steffen suffered his first loss as a Manchester City player on Saturday, with the club crashing out of the FA Cup in the semifinal round. The positive news for the U.S. Men’s National Team No. 1 though is he will get another crack at a trophy next weekend.
Pep Guardiola confirmed after Saturday’s defeat that Steffen will play in the Carabao Cup Final on April 18th vs. Tottenham. Steffen was at fault in the Citizens 1-0 loss to Chelsea at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, but will have to show a short memory with a new opportunity coming up.
“He’s going to play in the league cup final for sure,” said Guardiola. “He made a good save, brilliant with his feet. The goal, one save, and that’ all. We had more time but unfortunately we could not be more clear in the final third with the final pass.”
“Today was a tight, tight game. We were there until the end. They made good counter attacks. They controlled at the start of the second half but no more than that.”
Steffen made two saves in the match, but ultimately was part of the problem in the eventual game-winning goal for Chelsea. Timo Werner’s cross from the left wing eventually fell to a wide open Hakim Ziyech, who tapped home with Steffen out of position.
The 25-year-old tried to read the play, but unfortunately was left at fault as Chelsea eventually walked away with the semifinal victory. Steffen has seen ample time in cup competitions in his first full season with Man City, also appearing once in the UEFA Champions League and Premier League.
Now with the opportunity to help the Citizens claim a first trophy of a possible treble this season, the American is confident he and his teammates will bounce back.
“It’s a tough one,” Steffen said post match. “I think the boys did a good job, Chelsea are a tough team to play and their goal was indecision on my hands and I’ll learn from it. You have to keep going and I’m proud of how the boys fought and didn’t give up.
“The good thing is there is another game in three or four days so we can’t get too low on this one. We have to learn from it, come back together as a team and be ready for the next one.”
First though, Man City will take on Aston Villa in EPL action on Wednesday, looking to extend its lead at the top of the table back to 11 points over Manchester United.