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 early July 2025 and does not reflect any club moves or retirements thereafter. It is currently under construction.
1. Zack Steffen, 30 - Colorado Rapids
2. Matt Turner, 31 - Nottingham Forest (England.1)
3. Ethan Horvath, 30 - Cardiff (England.2)
4. Joe Willis, 36 - Nashville SC
5. Gabriel Slonina, 21 - Chelsea FC (England.2)
6. Matt Freese, 26 - New York City FC
7. Brad Stuver, 34 - Austin FC
8. Chris Brady, 21 - Chicago Fire
9. Roman Celentano, 24 - FC Cincinnati
10. Logan Ketterer, 31 - Lexington SC
One to Watch: USMNT #1, anyone? xG darling Matt Turner has finally lost favor with the USMNT fanbase, as the CONCACAF Nations League performances ultimately led to him losing his starting spot to Matt Freese at the Gold Cup. Freese had costly mistakes in almost every game he played, although his penalty heroics gave him some momentary buzz. Elsewhere, our options 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.
11. Carlos dos Santos, 24 - San Diego FC
12. Bill Hamid, 34 - Miami FC
13. Earl Edwards, 33 - San Jose Earthquakes
14. Jonathan Klinsmann, 28 - Cesena (Italy.2)
15. JT Marcinkowski, 28 - Los Angeles Galaxy
16. Patrick Schulte, 24 - Columbus Crew
17. Stefan Frei, 39 - Seattle Sounders
18. John McCarthy, 33 - Los Angeles Galaxy
19. Antonio Carrera, 21 - FC Dallas
20. Stefan Cleveland, 31 - Austin 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?
21. Drake Callender, 27 - Inter Miami
22. Andrew Thomas, 26 - Seattle Sounders
23. Luis Barraza, 28 - DC United
24. Brad Guzan, 40 - Atlanta United
25. John Pulskamp, 24 - Sporting Kansas City
26. Brian Schwake, 23 - Nashville SC
27. Tyler Miller, 32 - Free Agent
28. Sean Johnson, 36 - Toronto FC
29. Danny Vitiello, 29 - Sacramento Republic
30. William Yarbrough, 36 - Inter Miami
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.
31. Alex Bono, 31 - New England Revolution
32. Mike Lansing, 31 - Kristiansund (Norway.1)
33. Pablo Sisniega, 30 - San Diego FC
34. Evan Louro, 29 - FC Cincinnati
35. Gavin Beavers, 20 - Brondby (Denmark.1)
36. David Bingham, 35 - Charlotte FC
37. Jimmy Maurer, 36 - Houston Dynamo
38. Mason Stajduhar, 27 - Real Salt Lake
39. Sean Lewis, 33 - One Knoxville SC
40. Jeff Gal, 32 - Chicago Fire
One to Watch: Gavin Beavers. Can Beavers finally break the trend of American goalkeepers plateuing overseas? Brondby seems high on the young prospect but a broken thumb kept Beavers out of action for most of the spring, limiting his appearances with his new club. Already featured in some summer friendlies, Beavers has some work ahead of him. Whereas Slonina’s move to Eupen was centered around avoiding relegation, Brondby are eyeing trophies, which makes the challenge to get minutes there all the more difficult. If Beavers can play above his age and get a fair chance in goal, look for him to regain his momentum in 2025.
41. Kendall McIntosh, 31 - Oakland Roots
42. Jesse Gonzalez, 30 - Free Agent
43. George Marks, 25 - Charlotte FC
44. Danny Rogers, 31 - St. Patrick's Athletic (Ireland.1)
45. Rashid Nuhu, 29 - Union Omaha
46. Edward Delgado, 27 - Hailstorm FC
47. Vicente Reyes, 21 - Norwich (England.2)
48. Colin Shutler, 26 - Orange County SC
49. Julian Eyestone, 19 - Brentford B (England.1)
50. Nicolas Hansen, 24 - Colorado 2
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.
51. Jordan Farr, 30 - DC United
52. Michael Creek, 27 - Tulsa
53. Jake McGuire, 30 - North Carolina FC
54. Eric Dick, 30 - Pittsburgh Riverhounds
55. Hunter Sulte, 23 - Portland Timbers
56. Luis Zamudio, 27 - Charleston Battery
57. AJ Marcucci, 26 - New York Red Bulls
58. Isaac Walker, 26 - Crown Legacy FC
59. Richard Sanchez, 31 - San Antonio FC
60. George Tasouris, 29 - Digenis Morfou (Cyprus.2)
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.
61. Carlos Saldaña, 28 - Detroit City
62. Diego Kochen, 19 - Barcelona U19s (Spain.1)
63. Abraham Romero, 27 - Columbus Crew
64. Drew Romig, 27 - Charlotte Independence
65. Benny Diaz, 26 - FC Juarez (Mexico.1)
66. Jared Mazzola, 26 - Sacramento Republic
67. Adrian Zendejas, 29 - Vancouver Whitecaps
68. Elliot Panicco, 28 - MLS Pool
69. Jacob Jackson, 25 - San Diego FC
70. Ethan Bandre, 26 - Tampa Bay Rowdies
One to Watch: Diego Kochen. 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. Goalkeepers like Taishi Nozawa and Vincente Reyes are currently leaning towards Japan and Chile, respectively, while the US has managed to bring in the Barca product
71. Jacob Castro, 25 - Seattle Sounders
72. Lars Helleren, 26 - Tacoma Defiance
73. Alexandros Tabakis, 32 - New Mexico United
74. Christian Herrera, 28 - Colorado Springs Switchbacks
75. Wallis Lapsley, 28 - Forward Madison
76. Seth Torman, 26 - Greenville Triumph
77. Carlos Herrera, 27 - Detroit City
78. Carlos Merancio, 26 - Spokane Velocity
79. Andrew Pannenberg, 26 - Carolina Core
80. Brady Scott, 26 - Los Angeles Galaxy
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.
81. Alec Smir, 26 - Minnesota United FC
82. Will Meyer, 27 - Rhode Island FC
83. Trey Muse, 26 - Portland Timbers
84. Carlos Avilez, 26 - AV Alta FC
85. Benjamin Machini, 28 - Hapoel Raanana (Israel.2)
86. Johan Penaranda, 25 - Tulsa
87. Carlos Mercado, 25 - Orlando City
88. Matt Van Oekel, 38 - Birmingham Legion
89. Rocco Rios Novo, 23 - Club Atlético Lanús II
90. Ryan Troutman, 25 - Louisville City FC
One to Watch: Johan Penaranda.
91. Hunter Morse, 26 - Hearts of Pine
92. Evan Bush, 39 - Columbus Crew
93. Paul Walters, 21 - Cincinnati FC
94. Chituru Odunze, 22 - Charlotte FC
95. Alex Sutton, 25 - Carolina Core
96. Gunther Rankenburg, 25 - Greenville Triumph
97. Alex Rando, 24 - New York City
98. Emmanuel Ochoa, 20 - CD Cruz Azul (Mexico.1)
99. Damian Las, 23 - Austin FC
100. Max Weinstein, 21 - New England Revolution
One to Watch: Max Weinstein.
