NCAA Men's Goalkeeper Rankings (Fall 2024)

Seniors

1. Nathanael Sallah (Omaha, Germany)
2. Luke Pruter (UC Irvine)
3. Trace Alphin (Wake Forest)
4. John Harms (Indiana)
5. James Lowell (Marist)
6. Khamari Hadaway (Princeton)
7. Erik Lauta (New Hampshire)
8. Carter Abbott (Fordham)
9. Djibril Doumbia (San Diego State)
10. Grant Calvert (Belmont)

11. Blake Franzen (Liberty, South Africa)
12. Enzo Carvalho (NC State)
13. Will Watson (Princeton)
14. Alex Lopez (Tulsa, Spain)
15. Oliver Townend (Colgate)
16. Tristian Himes (Coastal Carolina)
17. Eoin Gawronski (Long Island)
18. Harry Townsend (Missouri State, England)
19. Javier Ramirez (UCA, Spain)
20. Andrew Cooke (Penn State)

One to Watch: Erik Lauta. Lauta barely scraped out of college with twenty starts to his name but the senior goalkeeper has taken his opportunity and ran with it. Depsite having less than 300 minutes played going into this fall, Lauta and New Hampshire have anchored a 0.76 GAA defense, which has propelled the Wildcats into a top 50 spot in the RPI. Although a run in the NCAA tournament is out of the cards for New Hampshire, it’ll be curious to see if Lauta can continue his traction. Lauta is a little reminiscent of John McCarthy in that he will break from traditional passive “rule of thumbs” and instead trust his gut through aggression and taking forward space. With a short resume and loose play style, it’s anyone’s guess what will become of Lauta’s professional chances.

Juniors

1. Logan Erb (NC State)
2. Alec McLachlan (St. John's, England)
3. Freddie Lapworth (Bucknell, England)
4. Cabral Carter (Pittsburgh)
5. Andrew Cordes (North Carolina)
6. Zac Kelly (Michigan State)
7. Devin Armstrong (NJIT)
8. Tenzing Manske (Georgetown)
9. Joseph Andema (Clemson, Ghana)
10. KyMani Dade (Loyola Marymount)
11. Casper Mols (Kentucky, Denmark)
12. Leonard Stritter (Charlotte, Germany)
13. Eryk Dymora (Monmouth)
14. Valentin Kneis (La Salle)
15. Ciaran Dalton (Rutgers)

One to Watch: Devin Armstrong. The Wake Forest-to-NJIT pipeline has been bone dry over the last few years but Armstrong has done well to get out from under Trace Alphin’s shadow. You always have to respect someone who is willing to give up the prestige of a top school in favor of betting on themselves with a smaller stage. So after only 33 minutes with Wake Forest, Armstrong became the clear starter for New Jersey’s most technical institution and showed why he wasn’t just a perennial number two. However, if Armstrong has any professional aspirations, he’ll need to break the stigma of going to a smaller school by proving he’s still a big-time goalkeeper who can stand on his head when called upon, which he could have used more this year.

Sophomores

1. Wyatt Nelson (UCLA)
2. Nigel Van Haveren (FIU, Netherlands)
3. Aidan Crawford (Loyola-Chicago)
4. Rowan Schnebly (Stanford)
5. Jonathan Munteanu (UAB)
6. Alex Shields (UC Irvine)
7. Thomas MacAuley (George Washington, England)
8. Andrew Samuels (Princeton)
9. Viktor Sulc (Detroit, Czech Republic)
10. Dorian Drucks (Cal State Northridge, Germany)
11. Atahan Arslan (Northern Illinois, Turkey)
12. Aaron Salinas (Furman)

One to Watch: Nigel Van Haveren. The 6’6” Dutch goalkeeper is one of the few goalkeepers who make people ask “Why are you playing at this level?” Van Haveren clearly has top-end abilities but there were some clunky goals conceded against UAB and Tulsa this year, so properly evaluating his potential is difficult. The head-scratching question for Van Haveren is if he’ll be able to play at a top level consistently or if he’ll continually be a “what could have been…” story at the end of the day.

Freshmen

1. Blake Kelly (Notre Dame)
2. Marten Brink (Marquette, Germany)
3. Max Kerkvliet (Connecticut)
4. Leo Ledin (Wofford, Sweden)
5. Filip Versterre (South Carolina, Denmark)
6. Carlito Saylon (Tulsa)
7. Declan Finnegan (IUPUI)
8. Matisse Hebert (Wisconsin, Canada)
9. Jonah Mednard (Wake Forest, Haiti)
10. Alexander Yagudayev (Villanova)

One to Watch: Carlito Saylon. Let’s get it out of the way: he’s not the tallest goalkeeper. But fortunately for the SKC product, Tulsa has welcomed undersized goalkeepers if they can provide a service elsewhere on the field. Senior goalkeeper Alex Lopez has arguably the best distribution in the game for college goalkeepers, so filling his shoes will be tricky for Saylon but it’s been a good sign that Tulsa has already given the freshman goalkeeper minutes. Saylon will need to continue to develop if he doesn’t want to split time again for the next three years.

Past Collegiate Goalkeeper Rankings

2024: Preseason
2023: Preseason and Final
2022: Preseason and Final
2021: Preseason and Final
2020: Preseason and Final
2019: Preseason and Final
2018: Preseason and Final
2017: Preseason and Final
2016: Preseason and Final
2015: Preseason and Final
2014: Preseason and Final

NCAA Men's Goalkeeper Rankings (Preseason Fall 2024)

Seniors

1. Edu Rodriguez (Rhode Island, Spain)
2. Khamari Hadaway (Princeton)
3. Will Watson (Princeton)
4. Nathanael Sallah (Omaha, Germany)
5. Luke Pruter (UC Irvine)
6. Youssou Ouendeno (Western Illinois, France)
7. Blake Franzen (Liberty, South Africa)
8. Josue Hangi (Georgia State)
9. John Harms (Indiana)
10. James Lowell (Marist)

One to Watch: Hadaway / Watson. The two Princeton keepers have split time since 2022 and this season is shaping up to be no exception. Although a number of programs on the women’s side will look to split halves, the men’s game typically goes all in on one goalkeeper or the other. On top of that, senior year can often make or break players’ professional aspirations. Although Princeton most likely won’t be vying for a national championship, keep an eye out for which goalkeeper will make their case for Princeton’s number one, as well as the pro game.

Juniors

1. Logan Erb (NC State)
2. Casper Mols (Kentucky, Denmark)
3. Alec McLachlan (St. John's, England)
4. Zac Kelly (Michigan State)
5. Andrew Cordes (North Carolina)
6. Cabral Carter (Pittsburgh)
7. Tenzing Manske (Georgetown)
8. Gavin Roberts (Lindenwood)
9. Sam Joseph (UCLA)
10. Joseph Andema (Clemson, Ghana)

One to Watch: Logan Erb. The former Houston Dynamo product leaves San Diego State for the east coast in hopes of helping turn around NC State’s middling status. For several years now, NC State has been labeled as a school not quite tapping into its full potential, often missing the postseason due to just a few results going the wrong way. Look for Erb to not only push NC State into a more serious contender in the ACC but also position himself to collect individual accolades after attaching ACC prestige to his resume.

Sophomores

1. Wyatt Nelson (UCLA)
2. Jonathan Munteanu (UAB)
3. Seth Wilson (UNC Greensboro)
4. Aidan Crawford (Loyola-Chicago)
5. Jakub Grzesiak (Oral Roberts, Poland)
6. Alex Svetanoff (Louisville)
7. Zack Andoh (California)
8. Rowan Schnebly (Stanford)
9. Chema Preciado (Gonzaga)
10. Josh Caron (High Point)

One to Watch: Seth Wilson. After a limited run at Akron, the 6’5” FC Dallas alum mirrors Erb’s move to the east coast, joining up with a big fish in a little pond: UNC Greensboro. Nevertheless, expect Wilson and Greensboro to rear their head during the postseason as they have the potential to upset a Final Four candidate in November. Wilson has several of the tools pro scouts are looking for and playing spoiler would only bolster the young goalkeeper’s reputation.

Freshmen

1. Blake Kelly (Notre Dame)
2. Kyle Jansen (Syracuse)
3. Ryan Carney (Providence)
4. Filip Versterre (South Carolina, Denmark)
5. Charlie Reed (Clemson)
6. Jayden Quemada (Oakland)
7. Laurin Mack (Maryland, Germany)
8. Nash Skoglund  (South Carolina)
9. Levi Bieber (Washington)
10. Alexander Yagudayev (Villanova)

One to Watch: Blake Kelly. Although South Carolina will occasionally brag about being the place where top goalkeepers go, Notre Dame has clearly nailed down the top prospect for the 2024 season. As to how much of a role he’ll play in 2024, it’s hard to say at this point. But the former RSL academy goalkeeper is most certainly not going to be in college long. Don’t be surprised if Kelly is in and out in quick succession.

Past Collegiate Goalkeeper Rankings

2023: Preseason and Final
2022: Preseason and Final
2021: Preseason and Final
2020: Preseason and Final
2019: Preseason and Final
2018: Preseason and Final
2017: Preseason and Final
2016: Preseason and Final
2015: Preseason and Final
2014: Preseason and Final

The Top 50 USWNT-Eligible Goalkeepers

In conjunction with the USMNT depth chart, the top 50 is back with this summer’s best goalkeepers. Each goalkeeper is slotted by a number of factors: historical individual results, current individual level of play, and projected on-field performance. The top 50 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 March 2015, click here.

1. Bella Bixby, 27 - Portland Thorns FC
2. Aubrey Kingsbury, 31 - Washington Spirit
3. Alyssa Naeher, 35 - Chicago Red Stars
4. Phallon Tullis-Joyce, 26 - OL Reign
5. Jane Campbell, 28 - Houston Dash
6. Casey Murphy, 27 - North Carolina Courage
7. Katelyn Rowland, 29 - North Carolina Courage
8. Michelle Betos, 35 - Gotham FC
9. Emily Boyd, 26 - Chicago Red Stars
10. Katie Lund, 26 - Racing Louisville

One to Watch: Naeher’s replacement. As the 2023 World Cup looms, the chance of someone not named Alyssa Naeher starting for the US seems close to zero. The USWNT is slow to change (see the still relevant article on USWNT goalkeeping eras). However, following the World Cup/Olympics run, the US will most certainly look to fill Naeher’s placement immediately. For some reference, Canada’s Kailen Sheridan waited patiently until Stephanie Labbe retired and is now not only their starting goalkeeper but arguably the best in the world. The US has favored Casey Murphy, which puts her as the frontrunner to take Naeher’s place, but Bixby and Kingsbury have waited too long to not go down without a fight.

11. Cassie Miller, 28 - Kansas City Current
12. Lainey Burdett, 26 - Vittsjö (Sweden.1)
13. Adrianna Franch, 32 - Kansas City Current
14. Mandy Haught, 24 - Gotham FC
15. Jalen Tompkins, 26 - Valerenga (Norway.1)
16. Emily Dolan, 28 - Espanyol (Spain.2)
17. Carly Nelson, 25 - Orlando Pride
18. Samantha Murphy, 26 - Piteå (Sweden.1)
19. Katelin Talbert, 24 - Benfica (Portugal.1)
20. Shelby Hogan, 24 - Portland Thorns FC

One to Watch: Jalen Tompkins. The high flyer made a good name for herself in Norway with four trophies to her name. Now sitting convincingly in first place, as well as with Champions League matches coming up this summer, Tompkins will look to bolster her reputation even further. Although Valerenga was respectably rated as the 20th best team in Europe at the end of last year, it wouldn’t be hard to see Tompkins move to a top team in Europe. Although still over a year off, Tompkins could also venture a return to the States with the start of the USL’s Super League kicking off in August 2024.

21. Abby Smith, 29 - Gotham FC
22. Lindsey Harris, 29 - Free Agent
23. Ella Dederick, 26 - Houston Dash
24. Shae Yanez, 26 - San Diego Wave
25. Hillary Beall, 24 - Racing Louisville
26. Bridgette Skiba, 23 - Køge (Denmark.1)
27. Kaylan Marckese, 25 - Arsenal (England.1)
28. Brittany Isenhour, 25 - Angel City FC
29. Jordyn Bloomer, 25 - Racing Louisville
30. Kelsey Daugherty, 26 - Avaldsnes (Norway.1)

One to Watch: Lindsey Harris. For anyone that caught more than five minutes of TST’s highly publicized 7v7 tournament, they likely saw highlights of Harris repelling shot after shot. The quick reactions and “bet on yourself” ethos was the perfect setup to highlight her strengths at the tournament, despite instilling some chaos at times. Currently out of contract, Harris would be an ideal candidate for the USL Super League but she needs to keep traction until then. She’s spent time in Norway and Iceland before signing with the Houston Dash so don’t be surprised if she returns to Europe.

31. Kelly Rowswell, 25 - Valur (Iceland.1)
32. Devon Kerr, 26 - Houston Dash
32. Adelaide Gay, 33 - Fortuna Hjørring (Denmark.1)
33. Laurel Ivory, 23 - OL Reign
34. Aubrei Corder, 25 - Kalmar (Sweden.1)
35. Sophie Whitehouse, 26 - Lewes (England.2)
36. Kaylie Collins, 25 - Orlando Pride
37. Claudia Dickey, 23 - OL Reign
38. Alex Godinez, 29 - Monterrey (Mexico.1)
39. Macy Enneking, 22 - Iowa
40. Hannah Seabert, 28 - Sporting CP (Portugal.1)

One to Watch: OL Reign backups. With Tullis-Joyce holding onto the starting spot, sparse minutes for Dickey and Ivory won’t be enough to satisfy either competitor. Racing Louisville has done well to find matches for their backups with loans to Australia and the Nordic countries have historically been positive locations for many American goalkeepers, so there are opportunities out there. Hopefully, the Reign can help create avenues for their young prospects to continue their development, although having two same-aged goalkeepers is something that’s likely coming to an end, sooner or later.

41. Ruthie Jones, 22 - Duke
42. McKinley Crone, 24 - Orlando Pride Trailist
43. Jennifer Wandt, 24 - Trelleborgs FF (Sweden.2)
44. Jordan Silkowitz, 23 - Kansas City Current
45. Marisa Bova, 22 - North Carolina Courage
46. Angelina Anderson, 22 - Angel City FC
47. Kayla Thompson, 24 - Toluca (Mexico.1)
48. Savanna Mason, 24 - BYU
49. Cosette Morche, 26 - Valencia (Spain.1)
50. Monica Wilhelm, 23 - UMF Tindasoll (Iceland.1)

One to Watch: Monica Wilhelm. Although six goalkeepers heard their name called in the NWSL draft, Wilhelm took her talents to Iceland with newly promoted UMF Tindasoll. Tindasoll are currently sitting sixth out of ten clubs but can’t afford to drop even one spot if they wish to play in the championship round (Iceland’s form of playoffs). Wilhelm’s steady play has earned her a start every match, leading her team to a 2-2-2 record thus far. The Iowa grad will need to stay atop her game until Tindasoll’s offense starts clicking more consistently (only 5 goals in 6 matches) if they want to dream of a shot at the UCL.

Scouting Potential Foreign Goalkeepers for MLS (2022)

Following the previous fall report on potential signings for MLS, Everybody Soccer returns with another scouting report on possible foreign goalkeepers for MLS teams. The US’s top league has finally started to explore more avenues when it comes to buying and selling players, both domestic and foreign.

Eligible goalkeepers were limited to (1) being at least 21 years old, (2) listed as having less than a $1,500,000 market value by Transfermarkt, and (3) ones that would have the highest possibility of being re-sold by an MLS team. Additionally, certain eligible goalkeepers were removed from inclusion, as moving to MLS didn’t make feasible sense for the stage they’re currently at in their career.

Toni Fuidias - Girona, 21

Bill says: Fuidias left Real Madrid this summer for another La Liga club, Girona, on a free transfer. Although Fuidias future is a little clouded when it comes to Girona’s plans for the young Spaniard, what’s not as blurry is Fuidias’ ability in between the posts. Although competitive minutes were sparse in the highly competitive environment, Fuidias is your prototypical young, Spanish goalkeeper: highly mobile with a keen focus on the smallest nuances but without any of the paralysis that typically comes with that attention to detail. TM has Fuidias’ contract with Girona running through summer 2025 but if they continue to keep him on the bench, they may be willing to let him go for a low fee.

Transfermarkt listing: $355,000

Mees Bakker - AZ, 21

Bill says: Bakker is currently on loan from AZ to second-division Dutch club De Graafschap but has yet to break in with either club. Transfermarkt lists Bakker’s contract to end next summer, making him a perfect candidate for MLS clubs to pounce on a potentially profitable goalkeeper. Bakker’s lack of minutes have kept the Dutch YNT goalkeeper off the radar for most clubs but that hasn’t stopped AZ from developing yet another front-footed goalkeeper. There aren’t many more aggressive goalkeepers in the world than Bakker, which provides a high boom-or-bust possibility.

Transfermarkt listing: $118,000

Anthony Racioppi - Young Boys, 23

Bill says: Racioppi rings in at just over the one million mark but the Swiss YNT alum has struggled for consistent playing time. Since leaving Dijon this winter, Racioppi returned to Swizterland’s premier league with Young Boys but has still been relegated to the bench. Utilizing a fluid style that’s often seen in Italian goalkeepers, Racioppi does well to react to a multitude of situations. From short-to-long range shooting situations to leaving his line, decision-making comes naturally for him, even if it’s not always a “textbook answer”. Racioppi needs minutes ASAP to stay relevant in Switzerland’s goalkeeping depth chart and MLS has long struggled to find foreign goalkeepers to handle atypical and scrappy challenges in goal.

Transfermarkt listing: $1,100,000

Luca Philipp - Hoffenheim, 22

Bill says: The German youth international is closing on a decade with how long he’s been with Hoffenheim. Philipp has patiently climbed every step inside the club, from the youth academy to the U17s to the U19s to the reserves, and has now found himself on the bench for the first team. It’s hard to see Hoffenheim offload him at this point, unless the steady play of 32-year-old starting goalkeeper Oliver Baumann delays the switch to the point where Philipp is frustrated from waiting. Philipp isn’t very flashy in goal but he is classically German in his methodical approach. Although you’re likely to see fewer big highlight reel saves, you’re also less likely to see poor goals with his steady approach. TM has his contract ending in the summer of 2023 and the right fit might pull the young goalkeeper to a new environment.

Transfermarkt listing: $330,000

Lazar Carevic - Vojvodina, 23

Bill says: Spain are quietly developing a slew of game generals and Carevic is no exception. After four years with Barcelona, Carevic moved east on a free transfer to the Vojvodina, a Serbian first-division club. Allowing only 13 goals in his first 15 league matches with the club, Carevic has also notched his first start with his national team of Montenegro back in March. Carevic brings a unique nimbleness to the southeastern European league, although it’s difficult to maintain in environments that lean on power and speed (see Kepa’s difficult start with Chelsea). Although the Serbian SuperLiga could trampoline the goalkeeper to a higher league, MLS will offer more exposure for Carevic.

Transfermarkt listing: $220,000

Best of the Rest

• Cristian Rivero - Valencia, 24. Long time Valencia product with no clear route forward in the club. $220,000 listing.

• Markus Schubert - Vitesse, 24. German returning from knee surgery at a crowded dutch club. $660,000 listing.

• Luis López - Real Madrid, 21. One of the stalwart clubs in goalkeeper development with a goalkeeper struggling for playing time. $355,000 listing.

• Ortwin De Wolf - Royal Antwerp, 26. Former Belgian YNT whose value recently “dropped” from depth chart issues and is wanting to reignite his career. $592,000 listing.

• Manuel Roffo - Tigre, 22. Argentinian YNT looking to take his career forward from Argentina’s premier division. $740,000 listing

• Théo De Percin - AJ Auxerre, 21. “Shoot from the hip” style with high range, if he can find the right blueprint for himself. $178,000 listing.

• Andrea Zaccagno - Rimini, 25. Illustrious Italian YNT whose career has stalled in third division Italy. $118,000 listing.

• Ellery Balcombe - Brentford, 23. Contract reportedly expires in May 2023 for the English U20 goalkeeper. $355,000 listing.