What's Going to Happen to NASL Goalkeepers?

Bill Reno December 8, 2016

With the New York Cosmos announcing that they would cease operations, the NASL is teetering on the edge of closing up shop themselves. The uncertainty leaves the future for NASL goalkeepers to anyone's guess right now. A 2017 NASL season isn't completely out of the picture but teams are reportedly eyeing a switch to USL. While the NASL is a lower division under MLS, there are still a few goalkeepers we should keep an eye on.

Jimmy Maurer (29) - New York Cosmos

For anyone who has watched Maurer's play, he's clearly the most complete goalkeeper in the league. He may not be the quickest or the strongest, but he's going to limit mistakes in the back and keep his team in games. Compared to the current MLS crop, he could very well not only earn himself a contract in the senior league but perhaps a starting spot. Assuming Maurer doesn't explore options overseas, NASL will have something to boast about if he signs with MLS.

Sammy Ndjock (26) - Minnesota United

Probably the goalkeeper with the most guaranteed spot of landing somewhere next year. MLS's latest expansion team, Minnesota United, could carry him over from the jump but even if they don't, Ndjock's reflexes alone should peak someone's interest. Lots of fans want to believe their team's goalkeeper has quick reactions but Ndjock is in North America's top five quickest paws. Unfortunately Ndjock's biggest Achilles' heel is consistency. One moment he will wow you with an unbelievable save and the next he'll end up on ESPN's Not Top Ten Plays of the Week.

Jon Busch (40) - Indy Eleven

The last American goalkeeper to play into their 40's was Brad Friedel. So needless to say, Busch is in good company. Teams aren't always going to want to give a starting spot to someone late in their career but every team wants a veteran to steward their young goalkeeper. Busch is still wanting to play next year but Indy Eleven's plans are unclear at this moment. With Indy Eleven being one of the more stable teams in NASL, he may just stay put in Indiana.

Brian Sylvestre (24) - North Carolina FC

Sylvestre has already spent time in MLS, playing for the Philadelphia Union in 2015 after being released by the Whitecaps back in 2012. So it's not a shock to think Sylvestre will most likely end up back in the league one way or another. NCFC has made their intentions known they'd like to get to MLS down the line. They haven't officially left the NASL but it's a strong possibility they'll slide to USL for a few years with a good chunk of their roster.

Trevor Spangenberg (25) - Puerto Rico FC

Probably overlooked by even fans inside the league, Spangenberg finished as Puerto Rico's starting goalkeeper by the end of the season, allowing just fourteen goals in twelve games. Spangenberg is at a great point in his career that if an MLS team needs a starter, he's had the game time to step in without jitters but if a team wants to loan him to USL, they can still get a return from him there as well. As a previous backup for Chivas and the New England Revolution, he could see a return to MLS sooner than later.

Matt Van Oekel (30) - FC Edmonton

Van Oekel was awarded NASL's Golden Glove in 2016 with a 0.55 GAA. While that will give him a foot in the door, the question becomes if he'll be content with taking a backup spot somewhere in MLS. There have been some rumors of Canada starting their own league, albeit unlikely for 2017. If Van Oekel is wanting to start somewhere, Scandinavia may be his best shot.

Matt Pickens (34) - Tampa Bay Rowdies

Beloved in Colorado for his time with the Rapids, Pickens is in a similar boat as Busch. Teams will be looking for that added experience and he will be cheaper than bringing in a foreigner. Tampa Bay may slide to USL so Pickens might not have to pack up but if a team wants to open the starting job up, Pickens could relocate to throw his name in the ring.

Ten MLS Goalkeepers Who Could Get Selected in the Expansion Draft

Bill Reno September 14, 2016

In December, MLS will host their tenth expansion draft to welcome in Atlanta and Minnesota. In the previous nine drafts, seven of thirteen new teams selected a goalkeeper so there's a decent chance we'll see at least one goalkeeper selected. Atlanta needs two more goalkeepers - they have already signed a twenty-three year old Greek-American goalkeeper, Alexander Tambakis - while Minnesota still need to pen three.

Expansion teams are looking for one of two things when selecting a goalkeeper in an expansion draft. First, if they can get a starter at a reasonable price, they will pick them up. The "reasonable price" varies from team to team, but teams can definitely be pushed away if a player is wanting too much, regardless of how good he is. Expansion teams are allowed to renegotiate contracts with selected players but if they can't agree on a salary, it's a wasted pick. Typically teams do their homework going into the draft to avoid the problem. The second route a team can look when selecting a goalkeeper is picking up a cheap, reliable backup. A backup makes around 60-80k in 2016 and if either team has another starter in mind, it makes sense to grab a goalkeeper to solidify the position if the money lines up.

No team has released names for the expansion draft yet so it's hard to say who will and won't be protected. On top of that, each team will only get five picks each this year, so it's not unlikely that both will pass on goalkeepers entirely. However, there are a number of goalkeepers we could see getting selected in the expansion draft.

1. Sean Johnson

The five-timed capped goalkeeper is most likely on his way out of Chicago. Johnson hails from Georgia so it would make sense geographically-speaking for Atlanta to pick up the goalkeeper. However, after another mediocre year at $250,000, neither team is exactly foaming at the mouth to select him. If Johnson agrees to a pay cut, or if one of the teams is willing to spend big, Johnson could see himself relocate for 2017.

2. Zac MacMath

It'll come down to the cost but the twenty-five year old has made it clear he wants to play. Most would agree that MacMath has reached the quality to start for an MLS team and at $140,000, he isn't a bad buy. If MacMath isn't selected in the expansion draft, he'll probably leave Colorado soon after either way. There's a place for MacMath to play, it might be with the new expansions or it might be elsewhere.

3. Joe Willis

Willis has filled in for Deric wonderfully this season and true to backup goalkeepers' nature in MLS, he has gone completely overlooked by almost everyone. He's a cheaper alternative to Johnson/MacMath and has shown he can start for a team with causing little worry. At $94,500, any team would benefit from having Willis in goal.

4. Alec Kann

Kann has been in the league for a while but it wasn't until last year that the mustached custodian finally got his first start. Now he's picked up seven starts for Sporting Kansas City and at $63,000, a team could roll the dice with ease. He'd most likely be a strong number two in the goalkeeper chart, with a chance at pushing for the starting spot like he's done with SKC.

5. Travis Worra

Worra continues to defy the odds. Undrafted out of college, he's played for DC now thirteen times. Granted, he's not completely polished, but at $53,000, the expansions teams aren't going to find a better rate for someone who's played as much as Worra has. He'll be a work in the making but could easily pay off.

Five other names to keep an eyes on

6. Cody Cropper - $70,000-90,000 - We don't know what Cropper signed for yet but it's doubtful New England brought him in just to lose him in an expansion draft. He's from Minnesota, so heading there makes sense on paper. Hypothetically a deal could be made between the two teams to benefit both sides, like how Portland covered a lot of Donovan Ricketts' contract when Orlando selected him.

7. Ryan Meara - $75,200 - Meara is most likely not going anywhere but to be fair, there were rumors of RBNY trying to trade him last SuperDraft. Robles still has time with the Red Bulls and Meara may be eyeing a starting spot somewhere else.

8. John McCarthy - $79,000 - McCarthy clearly appreciates being at Philadelphia but Philadelphia are committed to Andre Blake. If McCarthy is looking out, this would be his shot.

9. Brad Stuver - $63,000 - If either team has done their homework, they'll know Stuver is more than a competent backup. He's worked with Canadian goalkeeping legend Pat Onstad in a very tough system at Columbus and should be able to translate to another team with ease.

10. Jeff Attinella - $90,000 - It's not clear how much time Rimando has left but it can't be long. Attinella knows this and will be given a shot at starting for RSL in a year or two at most. If Attinella wants out, Atlanta or Minnesota could use him but it'll be a gamble leaving a mostly-sure situation with RSL.

2016 American Goalkeeper Destinations

Bill Reno December 2, 2015

cover photo belongs to Rob Carr at Getty Images

The first ever 2015 American Goalkeeper Destinations went well last year so we're following up with another edition. Here you can find hot takes on each club's goalkeeper depth chart. Not much has changed from last year's set up except for the lineup of teams. We have nine more teams than last year for a grand total of sixty-three.

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