If you were to ask either the USWNT or USMNT fanbase about who the starting goalkeeper should be for the upcoming World Cups, brace yourself for the variety of answers you’ll receive. Gone are the days when Hope Solo and Tim Howard were unanimous picks. The lack of consensus is partly due to the plethora of encouraging prospects but mostly because of the dearth of convincing performances with the senior teams. And while it may take longer to integrate new faces into the national team - Aubrey Kingsbury didn’t receive her first cap until 30, despite winning two NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year awards prior to - there are a number of fans who are vocal about their willingness to hand the keys to the car over to the prospects immediately.
Diving into the top U24 goalkeepers gives us an idea of what the rising talent pool looks like, although not to say that goalkeepers older than 24 are set in their ways with no outlook on development. But for these U24 goalkeepers, the rankings are centered on a combination of current form and projected ability to succeed at the next level. Younger goalkeepers receive less of a bump for potential, as they’re largely unproven, while the older goalkeepers are nearing their finished level. Ultimately, the group is sorted by their likelihood of reaching their respective senior national team, as viewed by Everybody Soccer.
USWNT Prospects
1. Izzy Lee, 22 - Illinois
2. Mia Justus, 23 - Utah Royals
3. Elizabeth Beardsley, 23 - Tampa Bay Sun
4. Liv Geller, 20 - TCU
5. Sonoma Kasica, 20 - Notre Dame
6. Victoria Safradin, 21 - Virginia
7. Olivia Shippee, 21 - Boston College
8. Teagan Wy, 22 - Gotham FC
9. Keegan Smith, 20 - Arkansas
10. Emmie Allen, 23 - Bay FC
11. Kate Ockene, 19 - Florida State
12. Caroline Dysart, 20 - Duke
13. Caroline Birkel, 19 - Stanford
14. Noe Henning, 19 - Michigan State
15. Jayden Emmanuel, 22 - Florida
16. Ellie Goodrich, 21 - Old Dominion
17. Aubrey Brown, 21 - SMU
18. Valentina Amaral, 21 - Wake Forest
19. Evan O'Steen, 18 - Seattle Reign
20. Annabel Austen, 22 - USC
21. Kate Phillips, 21 - Missouri
22. Cameron Gabrielson, 21 - Georgetown
23. Jordan Nytes, 22 - Denver Summit
24. Molly Pritchard, 22 - North Carolina Courage
TCU goalkeeper, Liv Geller, looks to collect more hardware in 2026.
Bill says: The USWNT largely breaks down into two categories: athletic vs. gamers. Although there are some hybrids at the top of the list, goalkeepers like Kasica, Wy, Emmanuel, Brown and Pritchard all have eyebrow-raising saves in their arsenal but they’ve all been a step behind on tactically more complex situations. But on the other side of the coin, goalkeeper like Geller, Ockene, and O’Steen aren’t the towering goalkeepers yet can handle some of the more complex moments of the games through grit and good goalkeeping intution.
All that to say, the pool feels a little incomplete. Whereas the men’s prospects are typically over crafted and edging on a souless entity in between the posts, the women’s pool leans the other way with goalkeepers leaning heavily on their improvability. It’s a sense of relief that there aren’t any robots in the women’s game so obssessed with being hyper-technical. Most understand that the priority is keeping the ball out of the net, not maintaining a perfect set shape. But atop the mountain sits Lee, Justus, and Beardsley who have all had impressive moments with their limited action but are just waiting on their chance to take over an NWSL side.
USWNT goalkeeper prodigees are often untested and, if things line up, their stock can skyrocket over night. None of them have a clear pathway forward as even the professional goalkeepers have struggled to obtain play time. But one thing is clear: for a goalkeeper to make it to the senior national team they have to be playing in a top league in the world. Typically that means the NWSL but Phallon Tullis Joyce’s success overseas has opened an alternative path for aspiring goalkeepers.
USMNT Prospects
1. Chris Brady, 22 - Chicago Fire
2. Julian Eyestone, 20 - Brentford B
3. Diego Kochen, 20 - Barcelona #
4. Gavin Beavers, 21 - Brondby
5. Gabriel Slonina, 22 - Chelsea FC
6. Kayne Rizvanovich, 18 - Minnesota 2
7. Ethan Scally, 18 - Los Angeles FC 2
8. Duran Ferree, 19 - San Diego FC
9. Jack Kortkamp, 18 - Sporting Kansas City
10. Paul Walters, 22 - FC Cincinnati %
11. Noah Newman, 18 - University of Washington
12. Adam Beaudry, 20 - Colorado Rapids
13. Andrew Rick, 20 - Philadelphia Union
14. Antonio Carrera, 22 - Tigres UANL
15. Fred Heath, 18 - Manchester United U18
16. Zackory Campagnolo, 19 - Colorado Rapids
17. William Mackay, 18 - Huntsville City
18. Nicholas Holliday, 20 - Charlotte FC
19. Nicolas Montoya, 19 - North Texas SC
20. Graham Syrett, 18 - Wake Forest
21. Aidan Stokes, 18 - New York Red Bulls
22. Giorgio De Marzi, 19 - Roma
23. William Lodmell, 18 - Sporting Club
24. Guy Bar, 18 - Hapoel Jerusalem
# - loaned to Lyngby
% - loaned to Bohemian FC
Bill says: After a middling World Cup result, the USMNT’s goalkeeping prospects have continued to skew towards the younger side. With Chris Brady, making the World Cup roster, he’s currently the leading candidate for the 2030 World Cup number one, despite entering the 2026 World Cup with only one cap to his name. Although he doesn’t have the technical cleanliness as Freese and Turner, he does have the ability to sell out for a game-saving moment. Time and time again, he’s done his best Tim Howard impression to keep the Fire in the game.
If you asked most people, the next runner up for 2030 would likely be Diego Kochen, who spent time in Spain’s fourth division with Barcelona’s reserve side. However, for the 2026/27 season, Kochen steps into the deep end with Lyngby BK, a recently promoted Danish side desperate to not face a return trip to the second division. It’s hard to set expectations as the move is very reminiscent of Slonina’s time with Eupen, where the young American played fine but not great and then was promptly relegated back to the bench with Chelsea. Over the past 12 months, Eyestone, Beavers, and Slonina have effectively been hiding from the public, causing concerns about their developmental track. This is an unfortunate problem for our young, professional goalkeepers that once they turn 20, they often times disappear and once they resurface, they’re not playing at a level that would make them competitive for the number one slot.
“18-year-old English-American Fred Heath has trained with Manchester United’s first team during their four-day road trip in Dublin. Born in England to an American mother, the 6’7” goalkeeper has been shining at the youth level for the Red Devils this season making 13 appearances with the U18s, keeping 6 clean sheets, and showcasing great presence and consistency between the post” - Footyaccess
Certainly some younger goalkeepers have caused waves for themselves but with so many previous goalkeepers getting so much buzz in their teenage years then flatlining, it’s hard to know how much to expect from the younger crew. Even something as simple as expecting Newman and Syrett to continue their momentum as first years at their respective colleges isn’t a sure thing, as the American goalkeeping logjam is well documented within the collegiate ranks.
For our European goalkeepers listed - Heath, De Marzi, Lomell, and Bar - they’ve all shown encouraging moments but so far they are either lacking consistent minutes or big time moments where fans would say “I’d like to see him in a US jersey”. There’s always excitement when a young goalkeeper is attached to a prestigious club like Barcelona or Manchester United but prestige only helps with development so much. The U24 is desperately in need of a goalkeeper who can put a game on his back and keep his team in contention with clutch saves and a willingness to accept the responsibility that comes with being a modern goalkeeper.