Cover photo Maor Alexelsi.
After over a decade of updates, the top 100 returns once again with this spring’s lineup. Each goalkeeper is slotted by a number of factors: historical individual results, current individual level of play, and projected on-field performance. The top 100 attempts to remove exterior noise and team statistics to isolate the goalkeeper’s current level of play. Each block of ten names features a player to watch, giving a small bio about the goalkeeper and what to look out for in the coming months. To see how the top 100 rankings have evolved since July 2013, click here.
Author’s note: This article was published in late March and does not reflect any club moves or retirements thereafter.
1. Matt Turner, 30 - Nottingham Forest (England.1) #
2. Ethan Horvath, 29 - Cardiff (England.2)
3. Zack Steffen, 29 - Colorado Rapids
4. Joe Willis, 36 - Nashville SC
5. Brad Stuver, 33 - Austin FC
6. Matt Freese, 26 - New York City FC
7. John McCarthy, 32 - Los Angeles Galaxy
8. Gabriel Slonina, 20 - Chelsea FC (England.2)
9. Chris Brady, 21 - Chicago Fire
10. Roman Celentano, 24 - FC Cincinnati
# - on loan with Crystal Palace
One to Watch: USMNT #1, anyone? xG darling Matt Turner has finally lost favor with the USMNT fanbase, as the CONCACAF Nations League was yet another underwhelming outing for the current number one. However, our options elsewhere have yet to stand out on a consistent level. Steffen has about one month of good form under his belt while MLS as a whole is largely filled with washed-out European goalkeepers, aging yet uncapped American goalkeepers, and a handful of erratic younger goalkeepers that most national team managers will be reluctant to turn to. And now with Donovan’s excitement to become an overnight goalkeeping expert, his frustration with our goalkeeper situation is something most fans share, to one degree or another. Until a goalkeeper can step up on a consistent basis, Turner will likely keep the number one jersey for now.
11. Stefan Frei, 38 - Seattle Sounders
12. Bill Hamid, 34 - Miami FC
13. Josh Cohen, 32 - Atlanta United
14. Jonathan Klinsmann, 27 - Cesena (Italy.2)
15. Logan Ketterer, 31 - Lexington SC
16. Patrick Schulte, 24 - Columbus Crew
17. Brad Guzan, 40 - Atlanta United
18. JT Marcinkowski, 27 - Los Angeles Galaxy
19. Drake Callender, 27 - Inter Miami
20. Earl Edwards, 33 - San Jose Earthquakes
One to Watch: Jonathan Klinsmann. 11-20 largely features goalkeepers who have been out of the limelight for an extended time. As Frei and Guzan are in the twilight years, Ketterer and Hamid have revitalized their careers with impressive performances in March and April. However, it’s young Klinsmann who has truly emerged as an exciting goalkeeper to watch moving forward. After an underwhelming run with the U20s nearly ten years ago, Klinsmann bounced around Germany, the US, and Italy, rarely maintaining any momentum. Fast-forward to 2025 and Klinsmann has conceded just 20 goals in 19 matches with second division side Cesena and, most importantly, playing with a newfound confidence. As Cesena eyes promotion, don’t be surprised to see Klinsmann in Serie A come 2026 and re-enter the conversation for a potential national team goalkeeper.
21. Andrew Thomas, 26 - Seattle Sounders
22. Tim Melia, 38 - Free Agent
23. Antonio Carrera, 21 - FC Dallas
24. Steve Clark, 38 - Free Agent
25. Carlos dos Santos, 24 - San Diego FC
26. William Yarbrough, 36 - Free Agent
27. John Pulskamp, 23 - Sporting Kansas City
28. Sean Johnson, 35 - Toronto FC
29. Tyler Miller, 32 - Free Agent
30. David Bingham, 35 - Charlotte FC
One to Watch: Carlos dos Santos. West coast, best coast? Dos Santos left Miami on a trade in December, giving the new MLS franchise their starting goalkeeper in exchange for allocated money. Since arriving, dos Santos has been up to the task by helming a defense that’s only conceded four times in five matches. The Benfica alum is playing more fluidly and with a newfound confidence, showcasing a high proficiency of the increasingly popular spread save. Will opposing attackers figure out his brash approach in tight ranges, or will dos Santos be the first MLS goalkeeper to master the new 1v1 trend?
31. Danny Vitiello, 29 - Sacramento Republic
32. Alex Bono, 30 - New England Revolution
33. Mike Lansing, 30 - Kristiansund (Norway.1)
34. Pablo Sisniega, 29 - San Diego FC
35. Evan Louro, 29 - FC Cincinnati
36. Jimmy Maurer, 36 - Houston Dynamo
37. Brian Schwake, 23 - Nashville SC
38. Gavin Beavers, 19 - Brondby (Denmark.1)
39. Stefan Cleveland, 30 - Austin FC
40. Jesse Gonzalez, 29 - Free Agent
One to Watch: Danny Vitiello. Despite taking Sacramento to the US Open Cup final in 2022 and winning USL Goalkeeper of the Year in 2023, Vitiello has been perma-stuck in USL, as MLS teams are more willing to bring in floundering foreign talent over promoting a second division goalkeeper. But fortunately for the UAlbany alum, USL was granted a first division league (starting in 2027) so Vitiello’s chance of getting a fair shot at displaying his ceiling may finally come to fruition.
41. Luis Barraza, 28 - DC United
42. Spencer Richey, 32 - Free Agent
43. Sean Lewis, 32 - One Knoxville SC
44. Mason Stajduhar, 27 - Real Salt Lake
45. Tomas Gomez, 31 - Free Agent
46. Kendall McIntosh, 31 - Oakland Roots
47. Tyler Deric, 36 - Free Agent
48. Danny Rogers, 31 - St. Patrick's Athletic (Ireland.1)
49. Rashid Nuhu, 29 - Union Omaha
50. George Marks, 25 - Charlotte FC
One to Watch: Kendall McIntosh. Similar to dos Santos, McIntosh is yet another USYNT alum whose career seems to have never really taken off. After stints with Portland, RBNY, and SKC, the move to San Antonio was supposed to offer a resurgence for the Santa Clara graduate. Unfortunately for McIntosh, he has almost exclusively played on really poor teams (combined 0.9 PPG from 2016-2024) and rarely gets a long enough leash to showcase his skills. Here’s hoping that Oakland isn’t so quick to move off their starting goalkeeper so he can showcase how he could legitimately have the fastest reflexes in the entire US.
51. Ethan Wady, 23 - Millwall FC (England.2)
52. Edward Delgado, 27 - Hailstorm FC
53. John Berner, 34 - Free Agent
54. Taishi Nozawa, 22 - FC Tokyo (Japan.1)
55. Colin Shutler, 26 - Orange County SC
56. Paul Blanchette, 30 - Free Agent
57. Vicente Reyes, 21 - Norwich (England.2)
58. Jeff Gal, 31 - Chicago Fire
59. Jordan Farr, 30 - DC United
60. Michael Creek, 27 - Tulsa
One to Watch: Taishi Nozawa / Vicente Reyes. Not only does the USMNT enter 2025 with a floating question mark at the number one position on every fan-posted formation on Twitter dot com, but BigSoccer is running rampant with posts about dual-citizens who could technically suit up for the senior team. Nozawa and Reyes are currently leaning towards Japan and Chile, respectively, but both have reasonable buzz due to their highlight reel saves. Although neither are likely to even be an option in a couple of years, hey, it could happen.
61. Jake McGuire, 30 - North Carolina FC
62. Eric Dick, 30 - Pittsburgh Riverhounds
63. George Tasouris, 29 - Digenis Morfou (Cyprus.2)
64. Carlos Saldaña, 28 - Detroit City
65. Luis Zamudio, 26 - Charleston Battery
66. TJ Bush, 27 - Free Agent
67. Isaac Walker, 26 - Crown Legacy FC
68. Drew Romig, 27 - Charlotte Independence
69. Abraham Romero, 27 - Columbus Crew #
70. Richard Sanchez, 30 - San Antonio FC
# - on loan with Colorado Springs Switchbacks
One to Watch: George Tasouris. For those unfamiliar with Cyprus’ second division, simply re-envision the fields you played on in U14 soccer with a massive mud pit in front of the goal. Tasouris started at Grand Canyon in 2018 and did well for himself when he finished at the University of Portland in 2023. Tasouris fell off the radar for most and although Digenis Morfou have an uphill battle for promotion, expect Tasouris’ play to get rewarded with a bigger stage come August.
71. Adrian Zendejas, 29 - Vancouver Whitecaps
72. Elliot Panicco, 28 - MLS Pool
73. AJ Marcucci, 25 - New York Red Bulls
74. Hunter Sulte, 22 - Portland Timbers #
75. Benny Diaz, 26 - FC Juarez (Mexico.1)
76. Jared Mazzola, 26 - Sacramento Republic
77. Brooks Thompson, 22 - Lexington SC
78. Ethan Bandre, 26 - Tampa Bay Rowdies
79. Alexandros Tabakis, 32 - New Mexico United
80. Christian Herrera, 27 - Colorado Springs Switchbacks
# - on loan with Indy Eleven
One to Watch: Hunter Sulte. Of all the young goalkeepers, Sulte is certainly one that’s largely off the radar. The Timbers prospect has been throw into the fire at a young age and reviews have admittedly be mostly middling. However, for a position that can brutally punish goalkeepers who aren’t ready for the big time, Sulte is still treading water. Although a loan to the USL isn’t the most prestigious move, Sulte has amassed over 70 professional starts before he’s turned 23. Sulte is a technically sound goalkeeper but his return to MLS will likely be tied to his ability to find success with the scrappier moments that USL is well known for.
81. Wallis Lapsley, 27 - Forward Madison
82. Jacob Castro, 25 - Seattle Sounders
83. Will Meyer, 26 - Rhode Island FC
84. Lars Helleren, 26 - Tacoma Defiance
85. Jacob Jackson, 24 - San Diego FC
86. Carlos Herrera, 27 - Detroit City
87. Matt Van Oekel, 38 - Birmingham Legion
88. Seth Torman, 26 - Greenville Triumph
89. Carlos Merancio, 26 - Spokane Velocity
90. Andrew Pannenberg, 26 - Carolina Core
One to Watch: Wallis Lapsley. Since getting drafted by the Red Bulls in early 2020, Lapsley has bounced around with six teams over six years, finally joining Forward Madison in 2025. Lapsley has a similar play style to John McCarthy with a “bet on myself” approach that ranges from aggressively confident to frantic, depending on his run of form. So far Lapsley has looked sharp with Forward Madison, largely playing without any hesitation. If Forward can keep Lapsley settled, look for the UC Davis alum to find success with his unorthodox, aggressive audibles to deny chances on goal. Otherwise, Lapsley might be looking for a seventh team come 2026.
91. Julian Eyestone, 18 - Brentford B (England.1)
92. Alec Smir, 25 - Minnesota United FC
93. Brady Scott, 25 - Los Angeles Galaxy
94. Carlos Avilez, 26 - AV Alta FC
95. Trey Muse, 25 - Portland Timbers
96. Chituru Odunze, 22 - Charlotte FC
97. Evan Bush, 39 - Columbus Crew
98. Johan Penaranda, 25 - Tulsa
99. Diego Kochen, 19 - Barcelona U19s (Spain.1)
100. Andrew Rick, 19 - Philadelphia Union
One to Watch: Julian Eyestone. Although USYNT twitter accounts are largely focused on Kochen, it’s Eyestone that has been carving a good footing inside England’s unforgiving lower leagues. American goalkeepers used to be littered throughout the Premier League but those days seem like ancient history at this point. Similar to Chris Brady, Eyestone is a little less technical but has the ability for the big time save. Maintaining the balance of efficiency and intuition is a tough task when it comes to goalkeeper development, but if Eyestone can continue to follow in the footsetps of Friedel, Keller, and Howard when it comes to finding success on the field, doors will continue to open. However if the young Texan starts the mistake of padding his resume with more illustrious clubs than Brentford’s B side, then expect his craft to falter as well.