91. Bob denton
After stints with Disston (1929-30) and Lighthouse (1931), Denton would make substantial waves for himself in 1933 after a quarterfinal finish in the National Challenge Cup with the Philadelphia German-Americans, as well as capturing the first of two back-to-back trophies in the National Amateur Cup (‘33 and ‘34). Denton would add to his trophy case with an ASL Championship in 1935 and winning the 1936 National Challenge Cup. The success with the German-Americans made Denton a mainstay in the conversation for top goalkeepers in the country during the 1930’s, whether amateur or professional.
For the 1936 Olympics, Denton earned an invite into the 17-person squad. Although Denton didn’t feature in the Olympics - starter Frank Bartkus was lauded as being the second best goalkeeper at the entire tournament after conceding only one goal to eventual champions, Italy - Denton continued his strong run in ASL play through the back part of the 30’s. A nearly career man with the Philadelphia German-Americans, Denton is one of Pennsylvania’s top goalkeepers of all time.
92. Ray Voltz
It’s not often a 20 year old goalkeeper suits up for the US, but Ray Voltz wasn’t your average goalkeeper. After being in the professional league for just a year, Voltz quickly established himself as one of the top goalkeepers not only in the American Soccer League, but the US as a whole. In 1937, the US called on 43 potential players to later trim down to a small squad for a three-game series against Mexico. Voltz was selected, being picked over other notable goalkeepers like Stanley Chesney and Frank Bartkus, but the trip ended up in disaster, with three blowout losses for the US as the Americans were clearly a level (or two) below the Mexican team at the time.
Unbeingknown to Voltz at the time, these would be the last matches for the US for ten years, not playing again until 1947. Despite the federation’s disappearance, Voltz returned to Philadelphia to keep playing with Philadelpia Passon, shining brightly before joining the Philadelphia German-Americans in 1939. Before stepping away at the age of just 26 years old to join the war, Voltz had racked up two Lewis Cups and an ASL championship, as well as deep National Challenge Cup runs in ‘42 and ‘43.
Although Voltz never got a chance to redeem his time with the national team and his club career was cut short due to the war, Voltz was a top goalkeeper in the country and a significant “what if” story for an emerging goalkeeper in the league.
93. Gino Gardassanich
Thinking of today’s youth goalkeepers’ pathway to reaching the USMNT, the discussion often does not include being born in Flume (a former independent state that is now a part of Croatia), saving people from the SS when Nazi Germany occupied his hometown, and playing for a decade before ever setting foot in the US. But Gino Gardassanich’s pathway was not like most other kids’.
After playing several years across Europe, an eventual marriage led to his move and, reportedly, earned his citizenship with the US without Gardassanich even knowing he had obtained it. Gardassanich joined the Chicago Slovaks in 1949 and was promptly named to the 1950 World Cup roster as a replacement when fellow Chicago goalkeeper Joe Silovsky stepped down. Although Gardassanich never played for the USMNT, he would go on to have a successful ten-year run with the Slovaks in the hotbed of Chicago, winning the National Soccer League’s top goalkeeper award in 1950, three league titles (1951, 52, and 54), the 1951 Peel Cup, and was a finalist in the 1953 National Amateur Cup. Gardassanich’s time with the national team was brief, but his winding road is a testament to the goalkeeper’s great composure and positioning, not letting his hardships prevent him from being at the right place at the right time.
94. Dragan Radovich
Over the many years of college soccer’s existence, there have been many standout goalkeepers, including Randy Phillips, Skip Gilbert, Peter Mannos, Peter Arnautoff, and Ed Gettemeier. Although all these goalkeepers were standouts for a time, Radovich matched their efforts and then some. A 1978 graduate of St. Francis College, Radovich was a three-time first-team All-American goalkeeper and a first-round draft pick for the NASL’s Washington Diplomats. Radovich reached the playoffs in his rookie season but was later signed by the Timbers in 1982, before the team - and then soon after the league - both ceased operations. Radovich finished with 48 appearances in the NASL during his limited time, 11th all-time for American goalkeepers.
Despite the NASL closing its doors, Radovich’s passion for the game would not be subdued, playing wherever he could for as long as he could. In 1986, Radovich was featured in the NY Mundalito (a "Long Island version of the World Cup") while in1989, Radovich was featured in the Northeastern Super Soccer League All-Stars squad, facing off against Zalgiris Vilnius of the Soviet Union's First Division. But Radovich’s career was not without its bumps in the road. In 1989, Radovich and the Greek-Americans made it to the US Open Cup final only to fall in extra time. The following year was even more heartbreaking for Radovich, now with the Brooklyn Italians, as a soft goal by the Croatian-American ended up leading to a 2-1 loss in the final. However, in 1991, Radovich’s third trip to the final would appropriately cap off a long and winding career with a 1-0 win over the Richardson Rockets. “We kept our cool,” Radovich would say after the game.
Radovich would later go on to tackle other great feats of strength, but his career can be summed up as a goalkeeper who did everything to continue playing, regardless of each setback and hurdle placed in front of him.
Hartford Courant (1965 07 25)
95. Victor Gerley
In 2015, I interviewed Gerley when I realized there was nearly zero information on the goalkeeper available online. The interview was originally published on Soccer Over There (RIP) but like most things in American soccer, it too has gone the way of the dodo. But Gerley embodies a lot about the time he grew up. Gerley played on local semi-professional clubs but never got a shot in the NASL, all the while the federation was largely spinning its wheels in mud. Despite the lack of professional opportunities or decent backing from the federation, Gerley and the US almost slipped past Mexico in the 1966 World Cup qualifying but a controversial penalty was called in the US’s home game against the heated rival, leading to a tie and still being a thorn in Gerley’s side later in life. “So I just brushed him, barely touched him. And he fell to the ground, faking it. Faking it! And the referee gave a penalty kick, which I didn’t save. I should have saved but I didn’t. It would have been wonderful to make it to England.”
Like most goalkeepers in the era, Gerley wouldn’t get another shot at playing in such a high-profile game for the USMNT, despite continuing to play for many years after. Unsurprisingly, Gerley was a talented multi-sport athlete as his skillset translated well to handball, leading him to represent the US one more time, in the 1970 World Championship in France. Although Gerley’s career is filled with “what ifs,” Gerley shone bright in the limited opportunities the late 60’s and early 70’s.
96. William Yarbrough
The pathway to the national team has never been a straight shot. For some, they attend a prestigious university or a heralded European club overseas, while Yarbrough is one of the few American goalkeepers to first find success in Mexico, before playing professionally in the US. Yarbrough played almost a decade for Leon, capturing several titles from 2011-2014 for the club, earning the nickname “White Puma”, as well as a call-up by Jurgen Klinsmann in 2015. Yarbrough’s swapping from Mexico, where he played with their youth national teams, marked the start of a bigger wave of Mexican-Americans who would be highly sought after by both nations. Yarbrough earned three caps with the national team and eventually joined the Colorado Rapids for a four-year stint, with the high point being runner-up in the league table in 2021. Looking back to goalkeepers from a hundred years ago, when the sport was still in its infancy in the US, Yarbrough’s career is a strong reminder that American goalkeeping can include those who weren’t born in the US but were still willing to dive into the fray for their team and country.
97. Jack “Chick” Albion
Like most top goalkeepers in the early 20th century, Albion’s fame was heavily tied to his performances in the National Challenge Cup. A three-time finalist (1916-1918), Albion won the cup twice with Fall River Rovers (1917, 1918). After winning his first final in 1917, The Evening Herald praised Albion’s performance after playing “a wonderful game and three of his six stops were spectacular and seemingly beyond the realm of possibility”. Although Albion reached the American Cup semifinals twice (1916, 1921) and showed well in his lone season with Morse Dry Dock, notching another semifinal appearance in the National Challenge Cup (1919), his “sensational goaltending” (The Standard Times, July 22, 1921) against the talented Scottish side, Third Lanarks, earned him the right to being a part of “the best team in the States today”. Albion’s ability to hold the Third Lanarks to a 2-2 tie broke a 24-game win streak during their summer tour.
In the spring of 1922, Albion became severely ill with stomach trouble. A match was organized by Albion’s former teammates, raising $425 ($8168 in 2025) for Albion. The star goalkeeper had his gratitude published in the Evening Herald. Albion wrote, “I want especially to thank my former teammates, Connie Lynch and Martin Riley, who worked so diligently to put this benefit across. Both of these men have won my lifelong admiration and have certainly given me the greatest of aid through their kindness and sympathy for me in my trouble… Thanking everybody again for their brilliant testimonial. I remain yours in sport, ‘Chick’ Albion”.
Although Albion would not suit back up to play in goal, except for the occasional Old Timers game, Albion’s strong connection with his teammates resonates with every goalkeeper who has had a defender clear a shot off the line, make a perfectly timed tackle, or help them get out of the mud after an opposing shot found the back of the net.
98. Marianne Johnson
Although Title IX was signed into effect in 1972, it would be almost a decade before NCAA women’s soccer would see a fraction of today’s level of investment. Marianne Johnson would join goalkeepers such as Lori Kats, Karen Richter, and Joan Schockow as early pioneers to navigating the position without any blueprint to look to. No YouTube, female goalkeeper coaches, or former goalkeeping teammates could really help goalkeepers like Marianne Johnson, because they hadn’t existed yet. Johnson’s reign at UNC was short, playing only two years before graduating, but impactful. While UNC goalkeepers would later split time or get overlooked when it came to postseason accolades, Johnson really shined for the Tar Heels, winning second-team All-American honors in back-to-back years and established herself as the starting goalkeeper as a first year, earning praise from Dorrance himself saying that “She’s awesome” and “I venture to say she’s the best goalkeeper in America.” Although there was no professional scene, nor national team around in 1983, Johnson’s final year with UNC, Johnson stood tall despite having nearly zero hints as to how to play the position and truly embraced the DIY aspects of goalkeeping to its fullest.
Reder (right) with Boston Red Sox teamtes Earl Webb (left) and Marty McManus (central).
99. Johnny Reder
As the debate on specialization vs. multi-sport rages on in 2026, it’s nothing new, as Johnny Reder faced this problem 100 years ago. Like many American goalkeepers, Reder was praised in a losing effort during the 1929 National Challenge Cup before joining Fall River FC later in the year, starting a three-year stretch where the defensive standout won six trophies. With no goalkeeper coming near his exploits at the time, Reder put his boots in the backseat at just 23 years old, favoring his glove and bat. Reder joined the Boston Red Sox in 1932 as the American Soccer League started waning in money and investment. Reder’s abilities carried over well and helped him become a defensive standout, although his offensive contributions at the plate limited his ability to find success at the top level. Still, the multi-sport standout continued earning praise for his work with his new leather glove. Although many can weigh in on the debate for specialization, Reder is a good reminder that everyone’s pathway is a little different, and that ultimately only the individual can make the hard decisions of where and when they should dive into the dirt.
100. Mark Dougherty
For a generation that grew up on the glitz and glamor of the NASL, it seems criminal that those players had to navigate an era without a fully professional league to aspire to, not to mention their alma mater shutting down their soccer team not long after their college graduation. Mark Dougherty was a standout player at Fresno State (a top four school from 1986-1987) and successfully navigated the wild wild west of post-NASL but pre-MLS years. After appearing in the WSL/APSL final three years in a row with the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks (1989-1991), Dougherty was rewarded as a first-round pick in the 1996 MLS inaugural draft. (The second goalkeeper selected in the draft? Fellow Fresno State alum, David Kramer.) In spite of Dougherty’s first MLS team eventually closing its doors, Dougherty’s pathway is a great testament to individual determination and a reminder that just because a team doesn’t suit up anymore, it doesn’t mean their players weren’t willing to test their mettle as far as it could go.
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