Seniors
1. Jassem Koleilat (New Hampshire, Canada)
2. Oliver Semmle (Marshall, Germany)
3. Dominic Peters (San Diego)
4. Kris Shakes (Penn State)
5. Michael Collodi (Columbia)
6. Ryan Troutman (Louisville)
7. Jonathan Burke (Drake)
8. Holden Trent (High Point)
9. Matt Frank (Stanford)
10. Marco Saborio Perez (North Carolina, Costa Rica)
One to Watch: Marco Saborio Perez. Saborio Perez leaves UNC with only five appearances to his name in the four years at Chapel Hill. However, the former Costa Rican YNT and New England Revs academy product came in with a lot of buzz and is clearly still trying to carve a route forward for himself. Saborio Perez needs minutes ASAP to keep his momentum going in the right way, which raises questions about his options going forward. He reportedly holds a Swiss passport that could get him to Europe but could also return to the college game with two years of eligibility remaining on the table. Keep an eye out to see how this once highly touted goalkeeper keeps his career alive.
Juniors
1. Jacob Castro (San Diego State)
2. Edu Rodriguez (Campbell, Spain)
3. James Lowell (Maryland)
4. Lute Lillo Portero (Omaha, Spain)
5. Ryan Schewe (Georgetown)
6. John Harms (Indiana)
7. Sam Fowler (Washington)
8. Holden Brown (Virginia)
9. Brendan Graves (Bowling Green)
10. Kash Oladapo (St. Mary's)
One to Watch: Edu Rodriguez. Rodriguez is one of the more complete goalkeepers in the college game. Unfortunately for foreign goalkeepers in the NCAA, their chances of signing with an MLS team are drastically lowered due to roster restrictions. And despite a global dominance in goalkeeping standards, Spanish goalkeeping isn’t rated among most American coaches. Add in the additional hurdle that Campbell isn’t typically known as a goalkeeper powerhouse, Rodriguez has his work cut out for him to catch on in the US after his time in college winds down.
Sophomores
1. Ben Martino (Virginia Tech)
2. Eoin Gawronski (Temple)
3. Trace Alphin (Wake Forest)
4. Luca Hatsios (NC State)
5. Alex Lopez (Tulsa, Spain)
6. Nathanael Sallah (Omaha, Germany)
7. Alex Bobocea (Loyola MD)
8. Colin Welsh (Memphis)
9. Nate Crockford (UCLA)
10. Brennan Klein (Boston College)
One to Watch: A lead goalkeeper. Typically classes have a goalkeeper or two that break away from the bunch but so far none have impressed to that level. For each goalkeeper listed, we’ve seen positives and negatives in their game thus far. The sophomore year for any goalkeeper is a tough transition as they’re finally starting to find their rhythm, yet they simultaneously need to start becoming a leader on the team. Be prepared to see massive changes in these names going forward as we’re due for a star goalkeeper in the sophomore class.
Freshmen
1. Jay Hibbert (Connecticut)
2. Paul Walters (Northwestern)
3. Andrew Cordes (North Carolina)
4. Mitchell Budler (Akron)
5. Alex Aitken (Houston Baptist, England)
6. Ryan Friedberg (Cornell)
7. Landon Carter (Utah Valley)
8. Seth Wilson (Akron)
9. Matt Tibbetts (American)
10. Michael Sly (Oakland)
One to Watch: Andrew Cordes. UNC hasn’t had a goalkeeper who started all four years since Michael Ueltschey graduated in 2001 and Cordes is on track to become the next one. Cordes received the bulk of the minutes this season (splitting with Saborio Perez) and seems prime to have a clear runway for the next three years. Cordes has a nice control on his movement in the box, keeping it light without distracting himself with busy footwork to find the “perfect” positioning. There’s a simplicity to his game that has worked very well for him. If there’s one name MLS scouts are starting to circle from this class, it’s likely Cordes.