Cover photo by Alex Livesey at Getty Images.
I was asked to write a short analysis of Notre Dame goalkeeper Pat Wall on MLS Draft Scout's site. I somehow managed to receive the accolade "great goalkeeper evaluator" from Charlie although I don't think that's an official title.
Top NCAA Goalkeepers of the Week
1. Andre Rawls (Sr. - St. Mary's) - Made some crucial saves to pull off the underdog victory at #4 University of Washington's home pitch. A well-earned win for St. Mary's on the road.
2. Adam Grinwis (Sr. - Maryland) - Another unranked school giving a top team some fits. Grinwis, coming off his PDL championship run, helped grab a point against #12 Maryland. Keep an ear out for Grinwis this next MLS draft.
3. Kris Schultz (Jr. - UC Davis) - Extended highlights show Schultz keeping the score at one for UC Davis to hold on for the win against CSU Bakersfield. Superb 1v1 save at the 3:00 mark.
4. Alec Ferrell (So. - Wake Forest) - Really enjoyed his save (at 1:04) towards the end of the game. Full extension from a looped header aimed at the backpost.
5. Ben Lockler (Sr. - Virginia Tech) - Four chaotic saves against rival UVA but wasn't enough in the 0-1 loss. Still a solid performance
6. Earl Edwards (Sr. - UCLA) - Snagged the play of the game award versus Cal Poly last week. Check out the double save here.
7. Waleed Cassis (Jr. - Buffalo) - Not entirely sure he is American but he did have the best save of the week (at 0:54). Worst case scenario, Canada bolsters their keeper reserve.
8. Wade Hamilton (Jr. - Cal Poly) - Big reaction save in overtime to keep it level against UCLA.
9. Dylan Faber (Jr. - Northeastern) - Another goalkeeper in goal for a 0-1 loss. Six saves and beat by a deflected shot. Not the toughest saves to make but still notable.
Lead American export Brad Guzan was in goal for Aston Villa during their 1-0 win over Liverpool. The 2004 PDL Goalkeeper of the Year had a pretty quiet day but the victory is still nice to have on the résumé.
Quentin Westberg was released from Luzenac, along with rest of the first team players. The fate of club as a whole is unclear for the future as they are sitting out this entire season. Westberg had a very honest interview and its translation from French is a little rough. Here's an excerpt from the interview, in response to Luzenac's dissolution...
“It’s just a continuation of the whole affair. When it comes time to help a small amateur club, there’s nobody. Our only crime is not having built a concrete case to the last word. And what is the official reason for the denial? ‘The stadium in which we will play in does not guarantee the safety of fans who will come to see us play.’ It’s a joke. When we know that this stadium is filled every night by supporters of one of the best rugby clubs in Europe, it makes me laugh. There was no real basis in denial. When the club came before the DNCG in June, they did not talk about the stadium, they just said, “Beware of finances.” And once the that was set, they say “Ah, but you did not address the issue of the stadium?””
Westberg has not been signed by another club as of yet.
USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo recently surpassed Briana Scurry with her 72nd shutout, becoming the all-time leader for the women's team. The challenge wasn't that difficult as the US won 8-0 over Mexico but that's not to take away from the record. (For some reference, Kasey Keller, Tim Howard, Tony Meola, and Brad Friedel combined don't have as many as Solo and Scurry together.)
2015 is bringing several changes to MLS. Orlando City and New York City FC are making their debut while Chivas USA has a good chance at taking a break for a year. All-in-all, the stateside American goalkeepers should stay employed, just somewhere else. Paul Tenorio covered who OC has already signed, specifically no goalkeepers. He writes, "The Lions are seeking a veteran keeper to hold down the starting job in MLS" which seems to fit Dan Kennedy pretty well and makes sense. Typically expansion teams aren't going to gamble with a youngster in goal. And with Philadelphia seeming to be planning a future without Zac MacMath, don't be surprised if he ends up in New York.
Yet another Mexican-American goalkeeper is going south. U17 product Abraham Romero has switched alliances, some claiming because of the release of USYNT coach Hugo Perez.
USL's playoffs kicked off this past weekend. Notable performances included the dual-head gear battle in Los Angeles between Brian Perk (Galaxy II) vs John McCarthy (Rochester Rhinos). Highlights of the goalies kick in around the 2:03:44 mark. Other notable goalkeepers in the playoffs include Bradley Stuver, whose season ended with the Wilmington Hammerheads' 4-1 loss to Sacramento, and Ryan Taylor, who advanced to the semis with Richmond Kickers.
Over in NASL action Matt Van Oekel's Minnesota United and Josh Saunder's San Antonio Scorpions are battling it out for the number one spot. Van Oekel returned in early August after an injury has kept him out for most of the season.
University of Virginia celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of the team winning the College Cup in 1989. Tony Meola was amongst the few celebrated both at the UVA soccer and football game last weekend.
Ex-MLS and USMNT goalkeeper Kevin Hartman is now working with IMG Academy as their technical director. The interview covers a lot of topics, including Hartman's playing days as well as vision on the new position.
As Christopher McCollum pointed out, since Phil Saunders has joined BÍ/Bolungarvík they have had a distinct improvement, even escaping relegation territory. Saunders has surrendered six goals in the past six games to help bump BÍ to tenth place in Iceland's second tier.
Josh Lambo is still perfect on the year as Texas A&M's placekicker. He perfectly drilled a 47-yarder for his third field goal on the year and he has almost taken half as many extra points as he did last year.