Cover photo Maor Alexelsi.
After nearly a decade of updates, the top 100 returns once again with this winter’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 true ability.
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.
This article is currently going under a re-work to represent the accurate standings heading into 2024.
1. Matt Turner, 29 - Nottingham Forest (England.1)
2. Ethan Horvath, 28 - Nottingham Forest (England.1)
3. Joe Willis, 35 - Nashville SC
4. Brad Stuver, 32 - Austin FC
5. Zack Steffen, 28 - Colorado Rapids
6. Josh Cohen, 31 - Atlanta United
7. Stefan Cleveland, 29 - Austin FC
8. Drake Callender, 26 - Inter Miami
9. JT Marcinkowski, 26 - San Jose Earthquakes
10. Earl Edwards, 32 - New England Revolution
One to Watch: Zack Steffen. A return to MLS could reset the once-promising goalkeeper… or be telling of what direction he’s headed. The game is the ultimate decider but he still has an easy six years left in his game, if not closer to ten. If he has a good year in MLS, does he continue to stay at the level or push himself for a more challenging league abroad?
11. Tyler Miller, 30 - DC United
12. Luis Barraza, 27 - New York City FC
13. Sean Lewis, 31 - One Knoxville SC
14. William Yarbrough, 34 - San Jose Earthquakes
15. Carlos dos Santos, 23 - Inter Miami
16. Roman Celentano, 23 - FC Cincinnati
17. Pablo Sisniega, 28 - San Antonio FC
18. Alec Kann, 33 - FC Cincinnati
19. Zac MacMath, 32 - Real Salt Lake
20. John McCarthy, 31 - Free Agent
One to Watch: Pablo Sisniega. Going from MLS to USL is typically a death sentence so Sisniega has his work cut out for him. Sisniega leaves Charlotte FC, where the highs were high and the lows were low. If Sisniega can showcase that he’s above the level of USL, perhaps he gets another chance at MLS. However if he can’t, a return to Spain’s lower divisions may be the next move.
21. Tim Melia, 37 - Sporting Kansas City
22. Chris Brady, 19 - Chicago Fire
23. Steve Clark, 37 - Houston Dynamo
24. Stefan Frei, 37 - Seattle Sounders
25. Sean Johnson, 34 - Toronto FC
26. Logan Ketterer, 30 - CF Montreal
27. Michael Nelson, 28 - Free Agent
28. Matt Freese, 25 - New York City FC
29. Jimmy Maurer, 35 - FC Dallas
30. Alex Bono, 29 - DC United
One to Watch: Chris Brady. How much longer does he stay in MLS? He’s closing in on becoming the best goalkeeper in the league but Slonina playing for a club that’s soon-to-be relegated doesn’t sound that appealing. With Turner and Steffen’s struggles overseas as well, Brady must be careful not to chase for prestige without proper development.
31. Ethan Wady, 22 - Millwall FC (England.2)
32. Cody Mizell, 32 - New York City FC
33. Andrew Tarbell, 30 - Houston Dynamo
34. Kyle Morton, 29 - Free Agent
35. Brad Guzan, 39 - Atlanta United
36. Mason Stajduhar, 26 - Orlando City SC
37. Mike Lansing, 29 - Kristiansund (Norway.1)
38. Jesse Gonzalez, 28 - Free Agent
39. Evan Louro, 28 - FC Cincinnati
40. Danny Vitiello, 27 - Sacramento Republic
One to Watch: Jesse Gonzalez. It seems like ages ago Gonzalez earned his lone cap for the USMNT but in June 2020 Gonzalez was suspended by MLS for alleged domestic abuse allegations. Three years later, Gonzalez resurfaced in Guatemala with Antigua GFC. A little rusty, Gonzalez still showcased why he was in the national team picture in the first place. A lot of questions circle around Gonzalez’s future and ability to re-enter the league.
41. David Bingham, 34 - Free Agent
42. Jonathan Klinsmann, 26 - Free Agent
43. John Berner, 32 - Atlanta United 2
44. Nathan Steinwascher, 30 - Detroit City
45. Tomas Gomez, 30 - Real Salt Lake
46. Adam Grinwis, 31 - Charleston Battery
47. Spencer Richey, 31 - Chicago Fire
48. Gabriel Slonina, 19 - Chelsea FC (England.1) #
49. Brian Schwake, 22 - Castellón (Spain.3)
50. Paul Blanchette, 29 - Oakland Roots
# - on loan with Eupen (Belgium.1)
One to Watch: Roman Celentano. Although there are many teen-aged goalkeepers to have plenty of excitement about, Celentano is one of the few goalkeepers in their early 20’s who is actually getting good playing time. Celentano still has room to grow but the question on most fans’ minds will be centered around his duration in MLS. Cincy’s starter currently has traction to theoretically make the jump abroad in a year or two but his old-school approach of a “less is more” mindset may be better served by staying stateside.
51. John Pulskamp, 22 - Sporting Kansas City
52. Eric De La Cerda, 22 - Free Agent
53. Antonio Carrera, 19 - FC Dallas
54. Patrick Schulte, 22 - Columbus Crew
55. Kendall McIntosh, 30 - Free Agent
56. Danny Rogers, 29 - St. Patrick's Athletic (Ireland.1)
57. Rashid Nuhu, 28 - Union Omaha
58. Andrew Thomas, 25 - Seattle Sounders
59. Ryan Meara, 33 - New York Red Bulls
60. Bill Hamid, 33 - Free Agent
One to Watch: Patrick Schulte. Schulte’s year started slow with some moments the young goalkeeper would surely want back but it didn’t matter in the end as the Columbus goalkeeper capped off the year by winning the MLS Cup. It’s an immense honor for a young player but when you compare to previous goalkeepers who have won the cup, it’s not a guarantee for higher success. Schulte has good momentum now but can he stay hot in 2024 to keep traction or will he regress back to the median?
61. George Marks, 24 - Charlotte FC
62. AJ Marcucci, 24 - New York Red Bulls
63. Jacob Jackson, 23 - New England Revolution
64. Evan Bush, 37 - Columbus Crew
65. Brooks Thompson, 21 - Hartford Athletic
66. Benny Diaz, 25 - Club Tijuana (Mexico.1) #
67. Joe Bendik, 34 - Free Agent
68. Chituru Odunze, 21 - Charlotte FC
69. Jordan Farr, 29 - San Antonio FC
70. Hunter Sulte, 21 - Portland Timbers
# - on loan with FC Juárez (Mexico.1)
One to Watch: Brooks Thompson. A once-heralded goalkeeper, Thompson now joins his fourth team in four years (including a loan to North Carolina). At 21, he’s still young enough to power through the tumultuous path and, admittedly, he looked good with North Carolina last year. In 17 matches, Thompson was only on the losing end three times, including winning the 2023 League One final in a penalty shootout. If Thompson can keep the traction going, he could reach the high expectations that were originally placed on him.
71. Vicente Reyes, 20 - Norwich U21 (England.1)
72. Jeff Gal, 30 - Chicago Fire
73. Clint Irwin, 34 - Minnesota United FC
74. Peter Swinkels, 26 - Free Agent
75. Rocco Rios Novo, 21 - Club Atlético Lanús II (Argentina.1)
76. Matt Bersano, 31 - Austin FC
77. Alex Borto, 20 - Fulham U21s (England.1)
78. Abraham Rodriguez, 21 - Free Agent
79. Eric Lopez, 24 - Orange County SC
80. Jared Mazzola, 25 - Sacramento Republic
One to Watch: Peter Swinkels. For a goalkeeper who went 0-5 in his professional starts, he oddly enough still has plenty of gas left in the tank. Swinkels has a bit of “squireliness” (patent pending) to his game who could see success if he and his defense were completely in sync. But for backlines who aren’t on the same page with their goalkeepers, it tends to be a quick opening of floodgates. If Swinkels can get some consistency and trust, he could carve out a decent career in the lower levels.
81. Phil Breno, 28 - Tampa Bay Rowdies
82. Benjamin Machini, 27 - Free Agent
83. Taylor Bailey, 26 - Oakland Roots
84. Will Pulisic, 25 - Free Agent
85. Andrew Pannenberg, 25 - Carolina Core
86. TJ Bush, 26 - Chattanooga Red Wolves
87. Quentin Westberg, 37 - Atlanta United
88. Austin Causey, 22 - Lexington SC
89. Will Palmquist, 26 - Richmond Kickers
90. Isaac Walker, 25 - Crown Legacy FC
One to Watch: Austin Causey. Son of former MLS goalkeeper Jeff Causey, may have had to wait a number of years to see Austin finally get his chance with a professional outlet. Now with Lexington SC, Causey has started five of their club’s first six matches and looks to be adding to that number throughout the season. Although some young goalkeepers look more like athletes than goalkeepers when they’re first starting out, Causey is one of the few prospects that actually plays like a goalkeeper first and foremost. He’s a little undersized for what scouts and coaches are looking for, however, if he can display a level of consistency that says he’s more than just a legacy appointment, don’t be surprised if an MLS team rewards him for his patience and determination.
91. Drew Romig, 25 - Memphis 901
92. Alec Smir, 24 - Minnesota 2
93. Joe Rice, 27 - Colorado Springs Switchbacks
94. Luis Zamudio, 25 - DC United
95. Carlos Saldaña, 27 - Sacramento Republic
96. Justin Garces, 23 - Free Agent
97. Damian Las, 21 - Austin FC
98. Carlos Merancio, 25 - Spokane
99. Trevor Spangenberg, 32 - Birmingham Legion
100. Daniel Faundez, 30 - Louisville City FC
One to Watch: Justin Garces. Garces was featured with Atlanta United’s Next Pro squad this past year and still wakes up at night in sweats from re-living the season. Although there are some that will criticize Garces’ stat line (27 goals allowed in 9 matches), he had the unfortunate task of trying to steer the ship of one of the worst teams in the third division. Garces did have an option to return to the MLS side but Atlanta declined it so now Garces gets to test the waters elsewhere. Does an MLS side look to try to get a return on the UCLA alum or will he try to lead a lower division side to hardware?