NCAA Preseason Goalkeeper Rankings - Men's 2017

Cover photo belongs to Kris Wright

It's that wonderful time of year again where we all get to speculate on the potential for every school and their respective players alike. While the seniors are only five months away from draft day, the underclassmen are still fighting to prove they're the number one goalkeeper. It's an incredibly short season jam packed with games so don't expect these lists to stay the exact same come December. Here are the top ten goalkeepers in men's college soccer, sorted by class. Be sure to scroll to the bottom to look back at past rankings.

Seniors

1. Jeff Caldwell (Virginia) - 21
2. Ben Lundgaard (Virginia Tech) - 21
3. Paul Christensen (Portland) - 21
4. Andrew Shepherd (Western Michigan) - 22
5. Michael Nelson (SMU) - 22
6. Kyle Dal Santo (SIUE) - 22
7. Eric Dick (Butler) - 22
8. Sascha Otte (Germany, Saint Louis) - 22
9. Collin Partee (Loyola Marymount) - 22
10. Nils Leifhelm (Germany, Rhode Island) - 23

Bill says: The seniors heading into the 2018 MLS SuperDraft are a strong core. U20 USYNT goalkeeper Jeff Caldwell leads the pack but 2017 PDL goalkeeper of the year, Ben Lundgaard, is one to keep an eye on as well. (Make sure to circle September 15th on the calendar when Virginia and Virginia Tech square off.) Paul Christensen has homegrown ties to the Sounders while SIUE penalty hero Kyle Dal Santo looks to build off of last year’s cinderella run. Foreigners face an added hurdle when trying to make the jump to MLS due to roster restrictions, but there's plenty of room for Sascha Otte and Nils Leifhelm in the USL and NASL.

Juniors

1. JT Marcinkowski (Georgetown) - 20
2. Bobby Edwards (Monmouth) - 22
3. Todd Morton (Delaware) - 21
4. Jimmy Hague (Michigan State) - 22
5. Ximo Miralles (Spain, Clemson) - 21
6. Ryan Cretens (UNC Wilmington) - 21
7. Austin Aviza (Connecticut) - 20
8. Sawyer Jackman (UIC) - 20
9. Luis Barraza (Marquette) - 20
10. Nick Gardner (Denver) - 22

Bill says: If there’s one goalkeeper that everyone is expecting big things from, it’s Georgetown’s JT Marcinkowski, who is generally viewed as the most complete goalkeeper in the college game. Bobby Edwards (6'6") and Todd Morton (6'4") possess the large frame modern teams are looking for and should make the transition to the professional game with relative ease when the time comes. Austin Aviza looks for a new beginning - and more playing time - after leaving Syracuse for Connecticut this offseason. UNC Wilmington’s Ryan Cretens’ playing style is akin to Nick Rimando’s, standing only 5’11” but covering the goal better than most collegiate goalkeepers in the college game.

Sophomores

1. Kevin Silva (UCLA) - 19
2. Parker Siegfried (Ohio State) - 20
3. Elliot Panicco (Charlotte) - 20
4. Arie Ammann (Penn State) - 20
5. Aron Runarsson (Iceland, Vermont) - 21
6. Jimmy Slayton (Hartford) - 19
7. Andrew Verdi (Michigan) - 19
8. Remi Prieur (St. Mary's) - 20
9. Andreu Cases Mundet (Spain, Wake Forest) - 20
10. Jared Brown (Canada, Florida Gulf Coast) - 19

Bill says: Kevin Silva keeps him number one spot from last season, but not without pressure from his peers. Columbus Crew product, Parker Siegfried, anchored the helm at Ohio State without much of a hiccup and Charlotte’s Elliot Panicco had a wonderful season, after being named to the Conference USA’s All-Freshmen Team as well as earning the John McCarthy look-a-like award. Philadelphia Union academy player Andrew Verdi adds more USYNT flare to the list and while Remi Prieur only has eight games to his college career so far, the San Jose product shouldn't have a tough time taking over the number one role for St. Mary's

Freshmen

1. Will Pulisic (Duke) - 19
2. Andrew Romig (North Carolina) - 19
3. Ben Hale (Furman) - 19
4. Joe Wheelwright (Utah Valley) - 21
5. Andrew Pannenberg / Dominic Peters (Wake Forest) - 18 / 17
6. Matt Freese (Harvard) - 18
7. Jake Gelnovatch (Louisville) - 20
8. Noah Lawrence (Cincinnati) - 18
9. David Abonce / Xavier Kennedy (Ohio State) - 18
10. Jack Butterfield (Appalachian State) - 18

Bill says: Predicting success of freshmen goalkeepers before they’ve even played a minute is always tricky (aka impossible). Will Pulisic returns from his time with Dortmund, after a previously successful run with the US’s U20s. While Andrew Romig and Ben Hale might not see playing time this fall, keep an eye on them in 2018 to transition into the starting position. Both Wake Forest and Ohio State have talented freshmen goalkeepers on their rosters, although both schools are starting sophomores in goal so we may not hear of these freshmen for some time.

Past Collegiate Goalkeeper Rankings
2014 (final)
2015 (preseason and final)
2016 (preseason and final)

How Important Is the MLS Superdraft for Goalkeepers?

cover photo by Andy Mead

The 2017 MLS Draft wrapped up last week and teams are racing to fill out their varsity roster, as well as sorting out who will spend the year with their USL affiliate. Depending on how much they want to stock up, each team is needing anywhere from three to six goalkeepers. The past month has seen scouting reports, projections, and several write-ups for recent senior graduates and possible roster signees, but for all the fanfare surrounding the rookies, it's no secret it wears off quickly.

Already we've seen two goalkeepers from the 2016 class - Ryan Herman and Chris Froschauer - be dropped by the team that drafted them without much of a word about it. I suppose "sophomore season" narratives aren't as engaging to readers but perhaps there are better options for MLS teams finding a goalkeeper.

MLS's Search for Starting Goalkeepers

Over the last twenty years multiple teams have brought in an older goalkeeper from Europe or South America. Goalkeepers are known for their longevity so signing a goalkeeper late into his career can still give the team four to five years to work with. There's no denying how excited fans get when they hear marquee names attached to the league, like the ongoing rumor of Iker Casillas coming over.

The disappointing reality is that MLS teams simply can't (or shouldn't) chase elite goalkeepers at this time. If salary cap or designated player rules get tweaked in the future, MLS teams might be able to spend more freely on the last line of defense. Until then, it doesn't make sense for MLS to spend millions on a position that could conceivably make zero meaningful contributions in a game. There's a reason why there has only ever been one designated player that was a goalkeeper, and it just happens to be the most iconic American goalkeeper of all-time.

Alternatively, every team would love to sign a homegrown goalkeeper and develop him to the point where he eventually takes over as their starter. There are several incentives for signing a young prospect. Fans are always buzzing over an academy player joining the first team, there is no salary cap hit if a player is under a homegrown contract, and signing a player that young gives the team more control over the player's development. Or so we would think. The truth is homegrown goalkeepers have been scarce since their beginnings, with the league only signing 11 since 2008.

As of right now, there are no signs that teams will start signing more goalkeepers as HGPs. Currently they're more than content to let them develop in the college game. Some MLS teams will even push for young players to sign with their USL affiliate, in order to not have to pay more with an MLS contract, even if it doesn't count against the salary cap.

Some teams have looked abroad to sign a young goalkeeper, also at a low price. New York City signed Norwegian YNT goalkeeper Eirik Johansen back in 2015 as a 22 year old and LA Galaxy also signed Clément Diop, a 23 year old French goalkeeper last year. However these are less seen than homegrowns, due to the numerous difficulties in bringing in a foreigner at such a young age.

While some are quick to dismiss the college draft, at the end of the day it's the best cost-effective route for getting goalkeepers into the league. Foreigners (that are worth bringing in) are going to cost more than an American goalkeeper. Vancouver's Danish goalkeeper David Ousted makes $360,000 while Tim Melia is only at $150,000, yet no one would say Ousted is twice the goalkeeper as Melia. Even if your starter is not going to be an American, you will need to save money on the backup, which likely will be a domestic goalkeeper from the college game. 

It should be noted that there are some examples of college grads making it into MLS that aren't American - most notably Andre Blake (UConn, Jamaica) and Bouna Coundoul (Albany, Senegal) - but most will be domestic players. In fact if a college grad isn't American, it's all the more unlikely for a team to use an international slot on a player that's not going to see the field for some time. 

Getting the Most Out of the College Game

For the rest of the article, this document is referenced. I listed every SuperDraft pick, combine invite (dating back to 2003), Generation Adidas signing, and homegrown goalkeeper. Some fun stats are scattered throughout the doc. 

Figure 1 - Includes drafted, homegrowns, and Generation Adidas goalkeepers. Essentially all goalkeepers that would be considered a prospect.

Figure 2 - The "1995 draft" is the inaugural draft, which was a little under half of college graduates but accurately occurred prior to the 1996 season The "1996 draft" is the college draft, also before the 1996 season.

The first question we need to answer is about the draft's relevancy. Is the draft merely there to fill out the roster or can it produce starters in the league as well?

Splitting the league's all-time goalkeeper pool into two camps, we start to see how important American development has been for MLS goalkeepers. Only 14% of all MLS starts have been from a goalkeeper who wasn't draft-eligible. These are mostly foreigners who played in another country, although there are some Americans skipped the draft to go pro (Friedel and Keller, for example). The other 86% of starts have been from draft-eligible prospects (college grads, Generation Adidas, and homegrown players). Again, the cost-effectiveness of the college game has played a large part in the league's goalkeeper history. Interestingly enough, 25% of starts have come from undrafted - but could have been drafted - goalkeepers, meaning that undrafted goalkeepers have almost been twice as involved in the league as imported talent.

Knowing there is talent in every draft class, now we are left wondering just how productive the draft is for teams. It's always tricky to predict who will or won't be a potential starter but clearly some teams have done better than others. For example, New England being unable to convert nine prospects into anything worthwhile isn't good. Sporting Kansas City and Colorado have also struggled to find a good fit as well. (See figure 1)

One starting point is comparing MLS starts of young prospects versus undrafted goalkeepers. For this exercise, goalkeepers like Jorge Campos or Brad Friedel will not be included because they weren't draft eligible. (See figure 2)

Looking at the first few years, MLS was getting it right for the most part. The inaugural draft missed some notable keepers with Scott Garlick (237 appearances), Pat Onstad (223), Mike Ammann (125), and Marcus Hahnemann (70) but after that, only Joe Cannon (342) and Preston Burpo (57) made waves in the league.

The main reason is likely that MLS only had 10-12 teams for the first decade, so they only had to scout the best of the best. There wasn't a need to be thorough because there was only so much room for goalkeepers. The best goalkeepers stood out in college and that was all that mattered. Teams held only two goalkeepers (around 20-25 goalkeeping spots in the league), as opposed to now where teams will field two to three times as many, with USL affiliates bolstering the number. As MLS started to expand, more slots started to open up to the point where we now see ten goalkeepers being selected in the 2017 draft.

It's too early to say the fate of the last four classes, but we can start to see the how after 2003, overlooked goalkeepers started to trickle in. Perhaps the most bizarre year was 2008, when incoming players combined for zero appearances. Folklore legends Josh Lambo (U17, U20 starter), Dominic Cervi (USMNT call-up), and Brian Edwards (Wake Forest standout and NCAA Champion) were all outplayed for the likes of Tim Melia (Division II Lynn University, 56 appearances), Joe Nasco (Division III Birmingham-Southern, 4), and Lance Parker (Missouri State, 4).

Even through expansion and additional roster spot openings, the draft has showed that it can still produce the desired talent despite teams regularly missing it.

Click here for more stats on goalkeeper prospects.

Press Doesn't Equal Success

Every combine goalkeeper since 2003. Gm/yr was maxed out at 10 years, as seen with Perkins and Kennedy.

It's an odd to see goalkeepers that are good enough for MLS go untouched. Surely teams would notice if someone could cover the admittedly large gap from college to the professional game. What's even more odd is comparing how heralded goalkeepers don't fare that much better than the table scraps.

Counting the appearances between combine invites (and even throwing in homegrowns, GAs, and first round picks) versus every other goalkeeper that could be drafted (again, leaving out Campos, Friedel, and others), it's only 53-47% in favor of goalkeepers who are receiving media attention. There are actually more combine washouts (supposedly the cream of the crop) than goalkeepers who are overlooked yet make it into the league (43-33).

In the first decade, MLS could simply rely on word of mouth for the best goalkeepers coming out of the college game. Now that more teams are vying for the best goalkeepers - and more are getting selected in the draft - teams can't expect the press or the combine to do their research for them.

The touted goalkeepers don't end up fairing that much better than the rest of the bunch. Dating back to 2003, the current combine invite has a median career game appearances of zero. Still, some teams are confident in just accessing the four to six goalkeepers invited to the combine.

So How Important Is the College Draft?

Incredibly, but that doesn't mean the press surrounding the draft is equally valuable. The college game isn't at the point where teams can just throw a dart at a wall and find a starting goalkeeper. 76% of combine invites get drafted yet only 29% of combine invites end up being a success within the league. Even worse, only 18% of prospects end up being a success for a given team, meaning teams are moving on too quickly moving on from their draft picks. 

+/- =  tm.succ - (prospects - tm.succ) - (lg.succ - tm.succ) ... essentially counting all the times a team got it right, with a penalty for losing a good goalkeeper

MLS's goalkeeping future is hard to predict. For teams trying to get the most out of their money, the emphasis should be on the academy to develop their goalkeepers. However, the majority of teams aren't as patient and resort to battling the rest of the league to find a promising goalkeeper in the draft. Perhaps we will see teams be more creative in how they bring in goalkeepers but that will likely be dependent on rule changes. Until then, it seems like the landscape isn't going to change and neither is the pipeline for American goalkeepers.

If teams aren't willing to craft their own goalkeeper, they have to do something to give themselves an advantage over their competitors. We know there is talent in the college game, it's just a matter of finding it early and not years after they graduate. As we enter 2017, teams are starting to separate themselves as to those who are content with listening to the noise, and those who know that finding a young goalkeeper starts before January.

End of Year NCAA Goalkeeper Rankings - Men's 2016

photo from Doug Hood

The women's rankings dropped last week and now we're on to the men's. This is third year we've had college rankings and you can look back on past rankings to see what goalkeepers have come through the college ranks.

2014 Rankings
2015 Rankings
2016 Preseason Rankings

The MLS Combine will be held on January 7th-12th with the SuperDraft on the following Friday the 13th. Combines and drafts haven't quite shown a proven track record of picking the right goalkeepers so don't be surprised if undrafted seniors show back up elsewhere.

Seniors

1. Eric Klenofsky (Monmouth) - 22
2. Alec Ferrell (Wake Forest) - 22
3. Bill Heavner (UMBC) - 23
4. David Greczek (Rutgers) - 22
5. Logan Ketterer (Bradley) - 23
6. Matt Gilbert (Boston U) - 22
7. Alex McCauley (NC State) - 22
8. Alex Kapp (Creighton) - 22
9. Kyle Morton (James Madison) - 22
10. Mike Kirk (La Salle) - 22

Bill says: It seems on the men's side the top goalkeepers are routinely at smaller schools. Klenofsky, Greczek, and Ketterer fit the modern mold as mobile, slim goalkeepers while Ferrell, Heavner, and Gilbert are more of the common stronger frame. One isn't necessarily better than another, but European goalkeepers typically fit the former build while Americans like the latter. Tulsa's Jake McGuire has received some press as well and could likely receive a combine invite.

Juniors

1. Jeff Caldwell (Virginia) - 20
2. Ben Lundgaard (Virginia Tech) - 21
3. Paul Christensen (Portland) - 20
4. Andrew Shepherd (Western Michigan) - 22
5. Bobby Edwards (Saint Joseph's) - 21
6. Michael Nelson (SMU) - 21
7. Kyle Dal Santo (SIUE) - 21
8. Eric Dick (Butler) - 21
9. Nolan Wirth (Oregon State, Canadian) - 21
10. Collin Partee (Loyola Marymount) - 21

Bill says: USYNT goalkeepers Caldwell and Christensen have long been a part of the best of the class while Lundgaard and Shepherd have done well to work themselves into the conversation. Edwards sat this year with a foot injury and will still have two years to play. Kyle Dal Santo made some noise this postseason, pushing SIUE past both Michigan State and Butler in penalty kicks, before falling to Alec Ferrell and Wake Forest. Other goalkeepers in the mix include Michigan's Evan Louro (graduating early) and recent National Champion Andrew Epstein at Stanford.

Sophomores

1. JT Marcinkowski (Georgetown) - 19
2. Todd Morton (Delaware) - 20
3. Jonathan Klinsmann (California) - 19
4. Luis Barraza (Marquette) - 20
5. Jonny Sutherland (East Tennessee State, English) - 22
6. Elliott Rubio (Utah Valley) - 20
7. Sawyer Jackman (Florida Gulf Coast) - 20
8. Jimmy Hague (Michigan State) - 21
9. Ryan Cretens (UNC Wilmington) - 20
10. Colin Hanley (Xavier) - 20

Bill says: All aboard the Marcinkowski hype train. At this rate, don't be surprised if he leaves college a year early. Morton earned first team all-CAA while Klinsmann and Barraza will try to build off the ups and resolve the downs from this year. Rubio, Jackman, and Hanley all split time and need to solidify the starting spot for their junior year. While a little older than his classmates, Sutherland brings English YNT experience to the states and was rewarded with first team selection in the Southern Conference.

Freshmen

1. Kevin Silva (UCLA) - 18
2. Parker Siegfried (Ohio State) - 19
3. Arie Ammann (Penn State) - 20
4. Elliot Panicco (Charlotte) - 19
5. Marc Olsen (Central Arkansas, German) - 19
6. Remi Prieur (St. Mary's) - 19
7. Andrew Romig (North Carolina) - 18
8. Titouan Le Roux (UC Santa Barbara, French) - 19
9. Jimmy Slayton (Hartford) - 18
10. Drake Callender (California) - 19

Bill says: It seems like a lifetime ago that Kevin Silva was starting in the Nike Friendlies and now he finished the season as UCLA's starter. The freshmen group are distinguished in a number of ways. Panicco earned top goalkeeper in the Conference USA, Romig trained with the USL's Richmond Kickers last year, and Siegfried (Columbus), Prieur, and Callender (both San Jose) have homegrown possibilities down the line.

End of Year NCAA Goalkeeper Rankings - Women's 2016

cover photo belongs to Katlyn Alapati/The Stanford Daily

Welcome back to Everybody Soccer's second annual NCAA Goalkeeper Rankings. We saw a number of the 2015 seniors do well in their first professional season - including the number three ranked senior earning Goalkeeper of the Year in Norway - and there aren't any lower expectations for this year's class. You can compare the lists to the 2016 preseason rankings if you're interested in seeing who has jumped up the rankings.

Seniors

1. Jane Campbell (Stanford) - 21
2. Sammy Jo Prudhomme (USC) - 22
3. Kailen Sheridan (Clemson, Canadian) - 21
4. Lindsey Harris (North Carolina) - 23
5. Emily Armstrong (Connecticut) - 21
6. Ashton McKeown (Long Beach State) - 22
7. Hope Sabadash (Southeastern Louisiana, Canadian) - 21
8. Hannah Seabert (Pepperdine) - 21
9. Sydney Drinkwater (Florida Atlantic) - 22
10. Lillie Ehlert (Stephen F. Austin) - 21

Bill says: The most known goalkeepers in this class are Campbell, Sheridan, and Sabadash, all of which were listed on the preseason Hermann trophy watch list. Even though they didn't make the final shortlist, don't be surprised to hear their names called at the NWSL draft in January. Prudhomme (National Champion) and Harris (semifinalist with UNC) saw their stock jump this postseason with some fairly clutch performances. McKeown (SoCal FC) and Drinkwater (Florida Krush) spent time in the WPSL this summer and will look to make the jump to the professional game in 2017.

Juniors

1. EJ Proctor (Duke) - 20
2. Emily Boyd (California) - 20
3. Lauren Clem (Northwestern) - 20
4. Katie Hatziyianis (Binghamton) - 20
5. Kat Elliott (South Florida) - 21
6. Caitlyn Clem (Wisconsin) - 22
7. Casey Murphy (Rutgers) - 20
8. Taylor Sebolao (Towson) - 21
9. Cassie Miller (Florida State) - 21
10. Miranda Horn (George Washington) - 20

Bill says: Proctor sets the standard for the group. Despite the lack height, she's rounded out the rest of her game to the point where she was a big reason why Duke returned Elite Eight for their second straight year. Clem was named first team all-conference in the always competitive Big Ten. Cassidy Murphy is probably the most notable name on the list after spending this fall with the U20 team at the World Cup but her performances can be streaky at times.

Sophomores

1. Jalen Tompkins (Colorado) - 19
2. Alexis Smith (UC Davis) - 20
3. Lainey Burdett (Arizona) - 20
4. Ella Dederick (Washington State) - 20
5. Charlee Pruitt (Loyola Marymount) - 20
6. Rose Chandler (Penn State) - 20
7. Olivia Swenson (North Dakota) - 19
8. Sarah Le Beau (Auburn) - 20
9. Samantha Leshnak (North Carolina) - 19
10. Amanda Poertner (Idaho) - 20

Bill says:  Tompkins had quite possibly the save of the season to secure a win against Washington. Le Beau and Swenson rightfully earned second team all-conference in their respective conferences. While a few goalkeepers missed the season this year, they shouldn't be overlooked moving forward. Portner was named the Big Sky's Goalkeeper of the Year as a freshman in 2015 but was sidelined this fall with an injury. Leshnak (behind senior Lindsey Harris) and Chandler (who was with the U20s) sat as well but both should be an active piece to their teams for 2017.

Freshmen

1. Amanda McGlynn (Virginia Tech) - 18
2. Brooke Heinsohn (Duke) - 18
3. Rylee Foster (West Virginia, Canadian) - 18
4. Mikayla Krzeczowski (South Carolina) - 18
5. Brittany Wilson (Denver) - 19
6. Teagan Micah (UCLA, Australian) - 19
7. Evangeline Soucie (Kentucky) - 18
8. Carly Nelson (Utah) - 18
9. Amanda Knaub (Monmouth) - 18
10. Haley Smith (Illinois State) - 18

Bill says: The freshmen group boasts some international flare with Foster (Canada) and Micah (Australia) making their names known early into their collegiate careers. Wilson and Krzeczowski share USYNT ties but McGlynn's performance this year for the Hokies was really outstanding. McGlynn, who graduated high school a year early, started 16 games in the ACC with .753 save percentage.