cover photo from the Bundesliga
It’s been over a year since we’ve surveyed the top 100 American goalkeepers. The landscape has shifted with a number of (mostly) old guard retiring over the past 18 months, including Tim Howard, Nick Rimando, Alex Horwath, Andrew Dykstra, Matt Pyzdrowski, Mitch Hildebrandt, Matt Pickens, Scott Angevine, Carl Woszczynski, Dan Lynd, Kris Devaux, and Drew Shepherd. The new absence has left the door open for young goalkeepers, most of whom are taking full advantage of their chance. The top 100 are broken into groups of ten, with one goalkeeper highlighted that’s worth keeping an eye on.
1. Zack Steffen, 24 - Fortuna Düsseldorf (Germany.1)
2. Ethan Horvath, 24 - Club Brugge (Belgium.1)
3. Brad Guzan, 35 - Atlanta United
4. Steve Clark, 33 - Portland Timbers
5. Matt Turner, 25 - New England Revolution
6. Josh Cohen, 27 - Maccabi Haifa (Israel.1)
7. Sean Johnson, 30 - New York City FC
8. David Bingham, 30 - Los Angeles Galaxy
9. Tyler Miller, 26 - Minnesota United
10. Bill Hamid, 29 - DC United
One to Watch: Josh Cohen. While Steffen and Horvath certainly have intriguing aspects to their career currently unfolding, Josh Cohen’s journey to Israel takes the cake. With his 2018 campaign with Sacramento Republic being largely passed upon by MLS teams, Cohen’s dual citizenship helped pave a way to Israel, where he’s taken over the starting spot just a handful of games into the season. Heading into the weekend, Maccabi Haifa sit five points out from a spot in the UEFA Champions League, largely due to Cohen’s nine shutouts in seventeen appearances. It’s odd seeing Europe evaluate American goalkeepers higher than our own domestic league but Cohen’s meteoric rise doesn’t have any signs of slowing down.
11. Tim Melia, 33 - Sporting Kansas City
12. Luis Robles, 35 - Inter Miami
13. Stefan Frei, 33 - Seattle Sounders
14. Evan Bush, 33 - Montreal Impact
15. Jeff Attinella, 31 - Portland Timbers
16. Brian Rowe, 31 - Orlando City SC
17. Sean Lewis, 27 - FC Tulsa
18. John McCarthy, 27 - Inter Miami
19. Clint Irwin, 30 - Colorado Rapids
20. Zac MacMath, 28 - Real Salt Lake
One to Watch: Zac MacMath. While Sean Lewis and John McCarthy had excellent 2019 seasons in the USL Championship, the pressing narrative at the moment is centered squarely on Zac MacMath’s breath of fresh air. With Nick Rimando’s retirement, a door has opened for MacMath to become a full-time starter for the first time since 2014. Youngster David Ochoa has just recently be rewarded with the number one jersey, which only makes things more difficult for MacMath. It’s MacMath’s fourth team in seven years and he needs a strong 2020 to avoid being labeled as a perennial backup.
21. Adam Grinwis, 27 - Sacramento Republic
22. Spencer Richey, 27 - Cincinnati FC
23. Quentin Westberg, 33 - Toronto FC
24. Jimmy Maurer, 31 - FC Dallas
25. Diego Restrepo, 31 - Austin Bold
26. Joe Willis, 31 - Nashville SC
27. William Yarbrough, 30 - Leon (Mexico.1)
28. Joe Bendik, 30 - Philadelphia Union
29. Zac Lubin, 30 - Phoenix Rising
30. Matt Lampson, 30 - Columbus Crew
One to Watch: William Yarbrough. After six and a half years with Leon, Yarbrough is stumbling out of the club with only two league appearances in the past seven months. Yarbrough’s question marks have never been rooted in his talent, as the USMNT alum has acres of highlight tape, but rather his consistency in goal. It’s long felt like one step forward, one step back with him in goal. Yarbrough’s time with Leon seems to be coming to a close as the club was openly shopping him over the winter. If Yarbrough can regain some confidence and get a fresh slate, he could theoretically rejoin the national team in attempt to receive his fourth cap.
31. Cody Mizell, 28 - New Mexico United
32. Bobby Shuttleworth, 32 - Chicago Fire
33. Brandon Miller, 30 - Charlotte Independence
34. Kyle Zobeck, 29 - FC Dallas
35. Pablo Sisniega, 24 - Los Angeles FC
36. Jesse Gonzalez, 24 - FC Dallas
37. Evan Newton, 31 - Indy Eleven
38. Ryan Meara, 29 - New York Red Bulls
39. Brad Stuver, 28 - New York City FC
40. Brian Sylvestre, 27 - Miami FC
One to Watch: Pablo Sisniega. It’s not a stretch to say that Tyler Miller’s exit from LAFC was impacted by Sisniega’s arrival. Unfortunately for the Mexican-American goalkeeper, MLS coaches are known for selective memories when it comes to the number one position. Despite some promising moments, LAFC have brought in Dutch international Kenneth Vermeer for the number one spot. Similar to Cincinnati’s situation last year, there’s a decent chance Sisniega still earns playing time in 2020, but it’ll be an uphill climb. The black and gold clearly see something worthwhile in the young goalkeeper, but Sisniega needs to be careful that he doesn’t disappear for 2020. The best way to prevent it? Make the starting spot as difficult for the head coach as possible.
41. Matt Bersano, 27 - San Jose Earthquakes
42. Logan Ketterer, 26 - El Paso Locomotive
43. Alex Bono, 25 - Toronto FC
44. Eric Klenofsky, 25 - Toronto FC II
45. Chris Seitz, 32 - DC United
46. Jake Fenlason, 26 - St. Louis FC
47. Richard Sanchez, 25 - Sporting Kansas City
48. Bobby Edwards, 24 - Cincinnati FC
49. Brendan Moore, 27 - Atlanta United
50. Jon Kempin, 26 - Columbus Crew
One to Watch: Logan Ketterer. Ketterer has taken a long road to reach this point in his career. After two years of meandering with the Columbus Crew, Ketterer was ready to shine when he arrived in El Paso, where he reached the Western Conference final in his first year as a starter. With the universe and MLS ever-expanding, 2020 could be a rehearsal year for an MLS suitor in 2021. If Ketterer can clean up some of his decision making and movement in the box, he should be a frontrunner for taking a similar track as John McCarthy.
51. Andrew Tarbell, 26 - San Jose Earthquakes
52. Kendall McIntosh, 26 - New York Red Bulls
53. Stefan Cleveland, 25 - Seattle Sounders
54. Tyler Deric, 31 - Unattached
55. Alec Kann, 29 - Atlanta United
56. Matt Van Oekel, 33 - Birmingham Legion
57. CJ Cochran, 28 - Oklahoma City Energy FC
58. Bryan Byars, 28 - FC Tulsa
59. Mike Lansing, 25 - AC Horsens (Denmark.1)
60. Jacob Lissek, 27 - Hartford Athletic
One to Watch: Mike Lansing. While AC Horsens are no strangers to relegation battles (see the 2018-19 Danish Superliga relegation battle), they’re actually facing down a Europa League spot for 2020. After starting the first 14 matches, Lansing has found himself on the bench following a red card suspension from back in October. AC Horsens have picked up some valuable points since Lansing’s relegation, making his return to the field all the more difficult. European leagues can be much more cutthroat than MLS so his path going forward is a huge question mark now. At 25, it’s an interesting part in Lansing’s career as he’s not young but not old. If Lansing can get back to the field, he can establish his foothold again but if not, he might return to the States sooner than later.
61. Jeff Caldwell, 23 - New England Revolution
62. Andre Rawls, 30 - Colorado Rapids
63. Trevor Spangenberg, 28 - Birmingham Legion
64. Jeff Gal, 26 - Degerfors (Sweden.2)
65. Tim Murray, 32 - FC Honka (Finland.1)
66. Eric Dick, 25 - Phoenix Rising
67. Andrew Putna, 25 - Real Salt Lake
68. Connor Sparrow, 25 - Chicago Fire
69. Alexandros Tabakis, 27 - North Carolina FC
70. Bryan Meredith, 30 - Vancouver Whitecaps
One to Watch: Eric Dick. The Butler alum heads to Phoenix for 2020 on loan from Sporting Kansas City. It’s an interesting move as SKC, who still own Dick’s rights, are making room with their USL side for their teenage goalkeepers, but don’t want Dick to just sit around all year. It’s likely best to view this step as a tryout for 2021 for a new team, as SKC are likely moving on from him sooner than later. Theoretically, if Dick has a lights out 2020, he could put himself back in the mix for taking over Melia’s starting spot down the line, but he’ll have to outplay USL stalwart Zac Lubin, which will be a tough task. It’s not a backward step for Eric Dick, but he needs to find a way to keep his momentum going and not spend 2020 as a backup if he has aspirations to become an MLS starter.
71. Earl Edwards, 28 - DC United
72. Charlie Lyon, 27 - MLS Pool
73. Evan Louro, 24 - Tampa Bay Rowdies
74. Michael Nelson, 24 - Houston Dynamo
75. Cody Cropper, 26 - Houston Dynamo
76. Calle Brown, 27 - Loudoun United
77. Akira Fitzgerald, 32 - Richmond Kickers
78 Tomas Gomez, 26 - St. Louis FC
79. Kyle Morton, 25 - St. Louis FC
80. Alex Mangels, 26 - Chattanooga Red Wolves
One to Watch: Evan Louro. “Ships passing in the night” is an overused phrase and doesn’t quite fit here but I do think the USL-MLS relationship is changing. We’ve started to see MLS teams bringing up USL talent and Evan Louro could very well be the next pick of the litter. Louro replaces John McCarthy at Tampa Bay, giving a good foundation for Louro to spring into an MLS starting position down the line. Louro is a little undersized but makes up for it with his mobility. He may not pass the “eye test” as it can get a little frantic in goal but he was number one in goals saved last year in the USL Championship. If Louro can establish himself as someone whose talent exceeds the USL standard, he may not be with Tampa Bay very long.
81. Joe Kuzminsky, 26 - Maccabi Haifa (Israel.1)
82. Paul Blanchette, 25 - New York Cosmos
83. Rafael Diaz, 28 - Sacramento Republic
84. Ben Lundgaard, 24 - Atlanta United 2
85. Kyle Ihn, 25 - Oklahoma City Energy
86. Jake McGuire, 25 - Örebro SK (Sweden.1)
87. Adrian Zendejas, 24 - Nashville SC
88. Carlos dos Santos, 19 - Benfica (Portugal.1)
89. Justin vom Steeg, 22 - Los Angeles Galaxy
90. Thomas Olsen, 25 - Las Vegas Lights FC
One to Watch: Joe Kuzminsky. Maccabi Haifa now has two American goalkeepers, which means… who knows? It’s an odd move as Kuzminsky sits behind fellow American Josh Cohen on the depth chart. I can’t see another club paying for a transfer fee for Kuzminsky at the moment but perhaps he’s able to springboard to another place with playing time on the table. With both Cohen and Kuzminsky able to jump across the pond due to their passports, it’s unlikely this will set a trend for Israeli clubs picking up American talent. That said, it’s still a good sign to see European clubs keeping tabs on the USL and not just MLS. Kuzminsky is in some uncharted waters for American goalkeepers and it could either be the start of something big for Kuzminsky or a loud splash over nothing.
91. Jordan Farr, 25 - Indy Eleven
92. Chris Hubbard, 25 - Louisville City FC
93. Todd Morton, 24 - Philadelphia Union II
94. Will Dieterich, 32 - Chattanooga Red Wolves
95. Dylan Castanheira, 24 - Inter Miami
96. Jonathan Klinsmann, 22 - FC St. Gallen (Switzerland.1)
97. JT Marcinkowski, 22 - San Jose Earthquakes
98. Scott Levene, 24 - Memphis 901
99. Austin Rogers, 24 - KF Tërbuni Pukë (Alabania.1)
100. Rashid Nuhu, 24 - Unattached
One to Watch: Todd Morton. Morton has had an odd trajectory thus far, going from completely unused with Real Monarchs to picking up a chunk of the game time with Philadelphia Union’s USL team. The Union have brought in a new goalkeeper coach, Phil Wheddon, which can often reset each players, for better or for worse. Morton’s biggest challenge to the starting spot is U23 US goalkeeper Matt Freese, who has had an up-and-down tenure with injuries and U23 call-ups. The new blood in Philadelphia could help Morton live up to the promise he showed in college as a big man who wasn’t shackled in his mobility.