cover photo belongs to Naomi Baker/Getty
Both the USMNT and USWNT are at a crossroads when it comes to infusing young talent with their respective squads. The USMNT are notably sporting an already young roster while the USWNT are transitioning out of a legendary squad and have a number of players eager to prove themselves. Diving into the top U24 goalkeepers gives us an idea of what the rising talent pool looks like, as well as surveys where American goalkeepers are being developed. The following rankings are centered on a combination of current form and projected ability to succeed at the next level.
There are a few notable omissions, such as the Chicago Fire’s Gabriel Slonina. I have gone back and forth on this over the years but these current lists only include goalkeepers between the ages 18-24. Although starting for a professional side at such a young age is unquestionably an impressive accomplishment, ultimately I’ve never felt comfortable grouping 17-year-old goalkeepers with 24-year-old ones. There is already too much hype elsewhere on the internet for goalkeepers who have yet to reach adulthood and projections for 17-year-old goalkeepers are rarely correct or reasonable. So their exclusion is centered around letting them develop on their own timeline, not adding to the snowballing frenzy, and recognizing their relevancy with the national team is several years away.
Lastly, Brandon Austin was originally included as the second top prospect for the USMNT but he was confirmed by USSF that he is ineligible to play for the US. Vicente Reyes was added to keep the list at 24 names.
USMNT Prospects
1. Ethan Wady, 19 - Chelsea U23s
2. Brooks Thompson, 19 - Sporting Kansas City
3. Carlos dos Santos, 21 - Benfica B
4. Matt Freese, 23 - Philadelphia Union
5. JT Marcinkowski, 24 - San Jose Earthquakes
6. John Pulskamp, 20 - Sporting Kansas City
7. Rocco Rios Novo, 19 - Atlanta United 2 #
8. Jonathan Klinsmann, 24 - Los Angeles Galaxy
9. Nicolas Defreitas-Hansen, 20 - Swansea City U23s
10. Alex Borto, 18 - Fulham U18s
11. Zion Suzuki, 19 - Urawa Red Diamon (Japan.1)
12. Hector Holguin, 20 - Tampico Madero (Mexico.2)
13. Eric Lopez, 22 - Los Angeles Galaxy
14. Benny Diaz, 22 - Club Tijuana
15. Damian Las, 19 - Fulham U23s
16. Eric De La Cerda, 20 - San Jose Earthquakes
17. Justin vom Steeg, 24 - Los Angeles Galaxy
18. Hunter Sulte, 19 - Portland Timbers
19. Daniel Peluffo-Wiese, 18 - Unterhaching (Germany.3)
20. Tomas Romero, 20 - Los Angeles FC
21. Luca Lewis, 20 - New York Red Bulls
22. Abraham Rodriguez, 19 - Colorado Springs Switchbacks
23. Victor Vidal, 22 - Lleida Esportiu
24. Vicente Reyes, 18 - Atlanta United (USA.1)
# - on loan from Club Atlético Lanús II
What to know about Ethan Wady: For the first time in years, the U24 depth chart is a bit of a mystery at the moment. Although Steffen’s grasp on the position doesn’t look to be loosening any time soon, the most recent U23 outing left fans still wanting more. Olympic qualifying starter David Ochoa has switched his international alignment to the Mexican national team and the backups for the Olympic squad - as well as the rest of the list - have struggled to find consistent playing time.
Although the depth chart is largely lacking momentum, to Wady’s credit, he’s certainly passed the eye test with Chelsea’s U23s. Most recently, Wady has aided the U23s in reaching the second round of the EFL Cup, only allowing one goal in the two cup matches. The 6’4” English-American goalkeeper checks a lot of boxes in terms of what Premiership clubs are looking for: fluid movement, confident decision-making, and no fear in an added challenge. Although climbing the ranks at Chelsea is a tall order, it’s safe to say that even if he doesn’t become the Blues’ number one, he’s on track right now that another EPL club will be happy to groom him for their club’s starting spot.
USWNT Prospects
1. Mandy McGlynn, 23 - Gotham FC
2. Shelby Hogan, 22 - Portland Thorns FC
3. Hillary Beall, 22 - University of Michigan
4. Angelina Anderson, 20 - University of California, Berkeley
5. Bridgette Skiba, 22 - Oregon State University
6. Ruthie Jones, 20 - Duke University
7. Macy Enneking, 21 - University of Iowa
8. Lindsey Romig, 20 - University of Tennessee
9. Emily Puricelli, 19 - Saint Louis University
10. Katherine Asman, 21 - Penn State University
11. Brittany Wilson, 24 - Orlando Pride
12. Heather Hinz, 20 - University of South Carolina
13. Claudia Dickey, 21 - University of North Carolina
14. Jalen Tompkins, 24 - Valerenga (Norway.1)
15. Mia Justus, 18 - Florida State University
16. Nadia Cooper, 18 - Washington State University
17. Hensley Hancuff, 21 - Clemson University
18. Katie Meyer, 21 - Stanford University
19. Laurel Ivory, 22 - University of Virginia
20. Kaylie Collins, 23 - Orlando Pride
21. Cayla White, 20 - University of Virginia
22. Samantha Murphy, 24 - North Carolina FC
23. Jordyn Bloomer, 23 - University of Wisconsin-Madison
24. Lauren Brzykcy, 22 - UCLA
What to know about Mandy McGlynn: The unfortunate reality for graduating collegiate players, especially goalkeepers, is that the NWSL is an extremely difficult league to break into. It’s not a developmental league - not that it claims to be - but it raises a question about how young American players should develop. The most common routes have been to train in-house with an NWSL side for a few years or try to find traction overseas.
In two years since leaving Virginia Tech, McGlynn has earned only 44 minutes in NWSL action despite being a former U20 USYNT goalkeeper. McGlynn has a number of tools at her disposal with her balanced blend of mobility and athleticism. However, there’s a fine line between appropriately prepping a player and having them rot away on the bench. McGlynn is in need of minutes so hopefully either Gotham FC will grant them to her in 2022 or she can obtain them outside the country. Sweden, Iceland, and France’s leagues have typically been kind to American goalkeepers over the past 5-10 years.