Breaking down the “eras” of goalkeepers with the USMNT typically gets boiled down to World Cup starters but the in’s and out’s of how active goalkeepers were is a bit messier. For starters, the number of caps and available games during one’s career has greatly varied since day one. For some reference, let's revisit the graph from "What Does 100 Caps Mean?"
When looking at the annual games played for the USMNT, it’s easy to see how erratic things were for such a long time. But even the graph can be misleading as the US played a fair number of universities and clubs throughout the late 20th century, although zero official matches in 1981 is unbelievable to see in today’s context. So a goalkeeper’s ability to establish themselves on the national team really wavered over the years. For some, the route in was more accessible while others had to take what they were given.
Understanding there are significant limitations, the total amount of caps collected were broken into yearly percentages to showcase the different rise and falls of goalkeepers with the national team. Each goalkeeper is charted monthly on how many games they played over the previous 12 months. For example, December 2024 shows that Matt Turner played in 80% of the games over the 12 months leading up to the end of the year (including December). Only goalkeepers with over five caps were included to simply the charts.
The main chart we’ll be using today is from 1972 through 2025. We’ll break down each section to take a closer look but hopefully the chaos of the graph is already a good sign that it’s very difficult to break the timeline into eras, although there are some standout sections.
January 1924 - Summer 1972
Not to completely over look our early pioneers but, as stated earlier, this time featured very few games. Even after the US had the match of their lives in beating England 1-0 at the 1950 World Cup, the federation did very little to follow up on the success, letting the national team decay and not qualify for another World Cup for 40 years. This graph also doesn’t show Patrick Hughes and George Tintle, both of who are absent from the graph. Hughes was technically the first to represent a US national team as a goalkeeper, although the USSF doesn't count their official start until 1913.
Jimmy Douglas recorded the first World Cup shutout in 1930 and the heroic Frank Borghi was featured with the US before and after his World Cup showing. Victor Gerley and Gary DeLong both earned caps, but again, the time wasn’t heavily organized, and there were long absences from the national team playing any games whatsoever.
Fall 1972 - Summer 1986
7. Arnie Mausser (35 caps)
12. Winston DuBose (14 caps)
15a. Mike Ivanow (10 caps)
23b. Bob Rigby (7 caps)
26. David Brcic (6 caps)
26b. Mike Winter (6 caps)
26c. Alan Mayer (6 caps)
27. Other
The NASL era features many forgotten stalwarts. Tampa Bay Rowdy Winston DuBose had a six year tenure with the national team, although it would have likely been longer if not for Arnie Mausser. Mausser, who skipped college and eventually signed with the NASL, earned 35 caps, which still ranks 7th all-time for American goalkeepers. Mike Ivanow (San Jose Earthquakes), Bob Rigby (Philadelphia Atoms), David Brcic (New York Cosmos), Mike Winter (St. Louis Stars) and Alan Mayer (San Diego Jaws / Las Vegas Quicksilvers) all competed for time with the national team while plying their craft with their NASL teams throughout the rest of the year.
Summer 1986 - Summer 1995
2. Kasey Keller (102 caps)
3. Tony Meola (100 caps)
4. Brad Friedel (82 caps)
9a. David Vanole (22 caps)
11. Mark Dodd (15 caps)
17c. Marcus Hahnemann (9 caps)
20a. Juergen Sommer (10 caps)
27. Other
In the lead up to Tony Meloa’s run, where he notched 90% of games played in 12 months leading up to January 1992, it was David Vanole who championed the net. Vanole was the last goalkeeper to hit the 100% mark, which again speaks to the lack of caps during the 1980s. Mark Dodd would feature in his first of three stints with the national team, as he will return in later sections (see below). Kasey Keller (small red sections at the bottom) and Brad Friedel (purple) would make their debuts with the national team at this time as well. Meola would start for the US in the 1990 and 1994 World Cup but fairly soon after the competition with Friedel and Keller would heat up. Marcus Hahnemann earned nine caps but they’re separated by 18 years.
Summer 1995 - End of 2002
1. Tim Howard (121 caps)
2. Kasey Keller (102 caps)
3. Tony Meola (100 caps)
4. Brad Friedel (82 caps)
9b. Nick Rimando (22 caps)
11. Mark Dodd (15 caps)
20a. Juergen Sommer (10 caps)
17c. Marcus Hahnemann (9 caps)
20b. Zach Thornton (8 caps)
27. Other
After two relatively successful World Cups, Tony Meola stepped away from the national team and Steve Sampson would pivot to giving chances to over half a dozen promising goalkeepers. Keller and Friedel would eventually separate themselves from the group and split time at the 1998 World Cup, 1999 Confederations Cup, and qualification for the 2002 World Cup, although Friedel would eventually win the starting spot out for the 2002 World Cup. Meola would eventually re-enter the picture for some friendlies and World Cup qualification during the 2002 cycle, his last and 100th cap would come in a 2006 friendly against Jamaica while a young upstart named Tim Howard would enter the scene in 2002.
This period would feature as the start of the Golden Age of Goalkeeping for the United States, which was heavily bolstered by the highly competitive nature for the number spot and each goalkeeper’s individual pursuit to climb the ladder overseas. The largest share any goalkeeper would gain during this period was 63% due to the competitive nature of the position.
Early 2003 - Fall 2018
1. Tim Howard (121 caps)
2. Kasey Keller (102 caps)
3. Tony Meola (100 caps)
4. Brad Friedel (82 caps)
5. Brad Guzan (64 caps)
8. Zack Steffen (30 caps)
9b. Nick Rimando (22 caps)
13a. Sean Johnson (13 caps)
15b. Ethan Horvath (10 caps)
17c. Marcus Hahnemann (9 caps)
20b. Zach Thornton (8 caps)
20c. Bill Hamid (8 caps)
23c. Troy Perkins (7 caps)
27. Other
Looking to build off the 2002 success, the United States would continue to feature a competitive battle for the number one spot. Brad Friedel would remove himself from the picture in 2005, voluntarily stepping down to focus more on his club career, while Kasey Keller locked down the 2006 World Cup spot, although the US would once again fail to leave the group stage. As the Golden Age came to a close with Howard’s retirement, the US would struggle to find not only one, but any goalkeeper to compete on the level their predecessors did for the past 20 years.
Fall 2018 - End of 2025
5. Brad Guzan (64 caps)
6. Matt Turner (52 caps)
8. Zack Steffen (30 caps)
9b. Nick Rimando (22 caps)
13a. Sean Johnson (13 caps)
13b. Matt Freese (13 caps)
15b. Ethan Horvath (10 caps)
20c. Bill Hamid (8 caps)
27. Other
The post-Howard era quickly revealed the lack of available goalkeepers. Although Guzan (teal) was once a peer in the English Premier League, he wasn’t that much younger than Howard and the baton was once again passed on. Steffen and Turner’s rise to gaining entry to the EPL and loss of footing within the league are showcased on the graph, eventually allowing Matt Freese to try his hand at the position.
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So what are all the goalkeeper eras? It’s hard to concisely say X goalkeeper had such-and-such time as the number one. Even Howard, who had a long career with the national team, wasn’t always the most played goalkeeper, whether due to tough competition from Kasey Keller or stepping away for a one-year hiatus with the national team after the 2014 World Cup. Although there are some clear standouts (Mausser, Vanole, Meola), after that the timeline gets a little blurry until Howard gets the bulk of the time in net.