Everybody Soccered - Week 36 (2014)

On Wednesday, the USMNT travelled to Prague to beat the Czech Republic 1-0. Brad Guzan and Nick Rimando combined for the collective shutout and prompted an absurd from MLS's site. (Last I checked, Rimando was at 60.5%.) While Rimando has superior footwork, Guzan is as good if not better in every category. He's taller, stronger, handles crosses better, catches more instead of swatting at shots, has better 1v1 technique, and can get from post to post quicker. People praise Rimando for his distribution, which, while it is good at times, is such a small part to goalkeeping and not that much better than Guzan's.

Rimando is a really good goalkeeper (it's a unbelievable that he's never won MLS Goalkeeper of the Year) but Guzan is coming into his prime and Rimando is thirty-five. On a side note, Rimando has the longest current streak of undefeated play for the US National Team, at 15 games (13-0-2) and him trading jerseys with Petr Čech after the game does bump up his street cred.

Top NCAA goalkeepers from last week:

  1. Tyler Miller, (Sr. Northwestern) - Set the school record for shutouts at Northwestern with his thirtieth clean sheet.
  2. Conor Leland, (Sr. Vermont) - Hard to follow a career mark like Miller's but Leland stopped a 1v1 and a penalty to preserve Vermont's 2-1 win.
  3. Ben LaCourse, (So. Oral Roberts) - Grabbed a shot out of the air like it was nothing and kept the game at 1-0, sealing Oral Roberts' victory against Missouri State (skip to 2:00).
  4. Chris Knaub, (Jr. Bryant) - Couldn't capture the win for Bryant but still had some good saves in the 3-2 loss against Canisius, including the cover save on the home page.

Moving to the professional game, Los Angeles Galaxy backup Brian Rowe had a needless shutout performance as his team tallied six goals against Colorado last weekend. Rowe is still largely unknown as he's sitting behind Jaime Penedo. Penedo's contract ends this year so don't be surprised if both Rowe and Penedo aren't sharing a locker room next season.

Both of FC Dallas' young, Mexican-American goalkeepers are on the move. Jesse Gonzalez is currently on a trip with the Mexico U20 National Team to China and Richard Sanchez seems to be finally leaving FC Dallas. While the deal was announced back in June that he was going to Tigres, he has been making the gameday bench for FC Dallas since. Sanchez kindly announced his departure on Twitter recently, in more than 140 characters...

“I want to take the time to thank FC Dallas for all that was given to me during my time there. From the people at the front office and the staff upstairs, to the coaches and trainers and kit-men, to my teammates, and all the way to the people that keep the stadium looking spectacular, I want to thank you for your friendship. To the fans and Dallas Guardians I say bye for now as I embark on a new journey with Tigres. Knowing that this beautiful game we call soccer has it’s twists and turns, I’m sure we’ll cross paths in the future!”
— Richard Sanchez

John McCarthy notched ten shutouts with the Rochester Rhinos and earned the team's Rookie of the Year award. McCarthy ended with the lowest GAA in the league and is a strong candidate for Goalkeeper of the Year. The Rhinos take on LA Galaxy II Saturday for the first round of the playoffs.

Josh Wicks has only allowed four goals in his last five games with AFC United. Wicks, who turns 31 in November, is captaining his team in Sweden's third division. AFC sit in first place and are aiming for promotion.

Steve Clark has apparently been doing this "Yes!" chant with some of the fans. I know nothing about it but I've seen about five different videos so I suppose it's somewhat common.

columbuscrew's video on Instagram

Pothunting reminded us that September 3rd was the 41st anniversary of the first American goalkeeper making the cover of Sports Illustrated. Bob Rigby earned six caps for the USMNT and was an unused goalkeeper at the 1972 Olympics. Similarly, keep an eye out for Tim Howard's enlightened face on Howler's sixth publication, out in October. Howard has also spent some time helping FIFA get their goalie gameplay better.

Toney Review

Hey Toney, was watching some of your footwork and I think you would really benefit from mimicking goalkeeper Pat Wall. Pat was the starter for Notre Dame's 2013 championship run, where they beat Maryland (who was starting Zac Steffen in goal at the time). Pat has since retired to go into aerospace engineering, which you can't blame the career move.

So take a look at 2:10, 0:50, 1:17, 1:36, and 1:44. Watch his feet before the shot is taken. They are in a constant, rhythmic motion until the shot is taken, which he then springs out. There is never a pause and the rhythm is consistent until he breaks for the shot. One thing I would change about his approach is the last jumpset goes significantly wider than the previous ones. This is common for goalkeepers and it really limits lateral movement. It's not the worst thing to do but it can really get out of hand, which is what Tim Howard is struggling with now. Notice how wide his stance is.

But the bigger point is that Wall's "hot feet" (I don't know what the technical term is) keep him sharp, ready to explode, and, most importantly, in rhythm to give him the most time to react.

Watching your highlight video (here), your footwork is a little out of sorts. I was actually there watching the filming (you can here me at 0:40) so I remember seeing you then and am glad Eric put this up. Going to the third shot (around 0:10) you have a slowing series of jumpsets that eventually stop you completely, causing you to to take an additional jumpset to get back into it.

While it looks like a good save, you're actually behind the shot. Notice you take three jumpsets. Two before the shot is taken, then you pause for too long. Because you are still for so long, you have to take another jumpset to get the spring back in your legs. All the while, the ball is traveling to you and you are losing time on the shot. Here are some stills to show you footwork.

Seven pictures in all. 

  1. Notice how tall you are here. You are at the peak of your first jumpset.
  2. You have now landed and are about to start your second jumpset. This is a good 6-8 drop, a clear indicator your first jumpset is too much. Textbook "hot feet" doesn't move your upper body hardly at all. You keep your legs moving but your upper body is still for the most part.
  3. You have now landed from your second jumpset, around a 12 inch drop. Your legs are actually more in control here (your heels aren't getting off the ground as high as the first one) but you are needlessly squeezing your body low. Within a second you have moved about a foot and a half down. It's a lot of needless movement and if you don't time it right, like we see here, you are behind the play. Also, since you are staying still for too long, you lose any spring you would have from the second jumpset.
  4. The shot is taken and you are starting your third jumpset to get the spring back.
  5. The ball is about a quarter of the way to you (from starting point to final destination) and you are at the top of your jumpset.
  6. The ball is half way to you and your left foot has finally landed, giving you your first chance of moving your upper body towards the ball. Your right foot is actually still in the air here.
  7. Your right foot has finally landed, allowing you to transfer power and move your upper body towards the ball. This frame is a little behind but you get the idea.

There are some more egregious examples in the video but this one gives us the clearest picture. 0:37 is probably the shot you are the most behind. Try to pause the video to see when your right foot finally hits the ground from the jumpset. Sure, a good shot, but you're not in any position to make a play on it. Again in 0:55, all you can do is watch the shot sail on you because you're behind it.

I know this was from months ago, and only a one minute clip of a few shots, so I don't put a ton of stock into it. However, assuming your jumpset is still the same, you are getting stuck in the mud and losing all spring a jumpset gives you. Because your two jumpsets are so big and out of sync, you must take another jumpset to get the spring back. While you are doing this, you have lost around 50% of your time to move towards the ball. When you do this pre-shot routine, you are taking a shot from eighteen yards out and essentially making it a shot form nine yards out because you must wait on a third jumpset. Now, the ball is halfway to you and this is a reaction save instead of incorporating any more lateral movement. You'll notice you rarely shuffle on any of the shots because your time is so limited.

So there are actually two cues you can pick up on when you should time your final jumpset. We have the obviously visual cue of the striker planting their foot and striking of the ball but we also have the audio cue of the ball being hit. (The latter is very important for when there is a crowd or defender in front of us and our visuals are a little obstructed.)

Apologies if that was a little harsh but just wanted to bring it to your attention. If you get into a specific rhythm with your jumpsets, you will start to really extend your limits of shot stopping. So the next time you are taking shots, really pay attention to your timing. Are you giving yourself the most amount of time to react to the shot? Or are you cutting it in half because your timing is off? There's not a whole not better than making a save that leaves a striker with his hands on his head.

All the best, 

Bill

Everybody Soccered - Week 35

The NCAA soccer season has finally kicked off! Videos are hard to find but I've started collecting the ones I could find on a Big Soccer thread. I'm sure all those links will be dead in a year so enjoy them while they last. Top goalkeepers this past weekend were

1. Grayson Rector - Take note of his lanky, Friedel-like wingspan. Belmont lost 1-0 to South Carolina, but Rector made some great saves to keep it just at one goal allowed.

2. Pat Wall - Named to the IU Classic All-Tournament team, an annual tournament hosted by IU.

3. Jeff Caldwell, Paul Christensen - Two freshmen keepers who started for University of Virginia and Portland University. Not an easy task in itself and they only allowed one goal between them.

Honorable Mention: Tyler Miller picked up an assist in Northwestern's first game. No video but I trust the box score.

There were other goalkeepers that performed well but those were the top three (five) in my book.

Tim Howard has a dismal outing with Everton last weekend, losing 6-3. I say dismal because regardless of what happens it's a awful feeling you get in your stomach when you're scored on six times. The game prompted Tim Hill to blast Howard and almost bring up a really good point but instead he settled for really worn quips to finish the article. If you don't want to read it, Hill brings up the question,  "Is it time for Jurgen Klinsmann to turn to someone else?" He could have provided a little more in-depth analysis on what exactly he was doing that made him a "not great goalkeeper" instead of reaching at buzz words and digging up bad goals Howard allowed over a decade ago. 

Could not locate photographer. Not my photo.

Could not locate photographer. Not my photo.

On a lighter note, Howard had an interview with the Huffington Post and I really enjoyed this quote,

“So the fact that kids are now watching the television and then go out in the backyard and want to be goalkeeper is a cool move.”
— Tim Howard

Klinsmann called in three goalkeepers for the Czech Republic game on Wednesday: Brad Guzan, Nick Rimando, and Cody Cropper. Guzan has started his EPL season to a strong start by only allowing one goal in the first three games. As for the other two, I don't understand the call-ups. Rimando is 35 and while his club has basically solidified their playoff spot, surely there are other options out there that actually have a shot at making the next World Cup. As for Cropper, I can't imagine he'll play. I suppose it's good training for him but couldn't he get the same at his club? There aren't that many European-based American goalkeepers so I guess I give USMNT a pass on this one although it is sending mixed messages to the public. Cropper, still 21, has a long way to go and USMNT call-ups should be used for something more than training grounds.

FC Kansas City topped Seattle Reign FC 2-1 in the NWSL Championship on Sunday. Seattle goalkeeper Hope Solo was caught a little too far forward on both the goals. On the first one, her defender is still in the picture so she doesn't need to leave her six. If she stays back she can force the shooter to make a tougher shot than what she ends up taking. 

The next goal, Solo is sliding up in preparation for the 1v1 but again she takes too many steps. You can see her reeling backwards for the shot.

I'd like to see Solo show a little more patience in both situations although her aggressiveness has worked in the past so I don't fault her.

The U20s are convening for a ten day trip in Argentina. Jeff Caldwell (University of Virginia) and Santiago Castaño (New York Red Bulls) were called in. University of Michigan goalkeeper Evan Louro was on the roster but now he's not. He might have been recalled like some others.

Brad Stuver had to play bodyguard for a teammate a couple of weeks ago. You can skip to 2:25:00 in this video to see a scuffle break out near Stuver and then watch Stuver literally pick his player off the ground and carry him away. Things get even more hectic after that. An assistant coach (ex-goalkeeper Matt Glaeser) kicks a placed corner kick ball away from the opposing team when the ref isn't looking. All the players run off the field to break up the second altercation. Glaeser was later suspended three games for his actions.

A couple of firsts that caught my eye: Joe Nasco finally started an MLS game. He suited up for the Rapids on the 30th. Kyle Zobeck made his first professional appearance with the New York Cosmos after Jimmy Maurer picked up a red card.

Tony Meola is in the running for the Manager position in Philadelphia. It sounds like they're going to wait a while to make a final call on it.

Zac MacMath was awarded the US Open Cup's Player of the Round for his penalty heroics against FC Dallas, propelling the Union to the final. Even if MacMath is on his way out, he's having his best season to date and will have no trouble landing a gig in the US for 2015.

Dual-international William Yarbrough recently broke his right ring finger on the crossbar when he was attempting to make a save. Recovery time is a minimum three weeks. Some good news for American fans, he has still yet to commit to either Mexico's or the US's national team.

Luzenac had their latest appeal to advance into Ligue 2 rejected due to their stadium situation, which was deemed not suitable for Ligue 2. They are having yet another court date soon but who knows if that'll be the last one.

Scott Angevine is relocating within Finland. He wrote a nice message to his old club, Sporting Kristina, before moving to Vasa IFK.

Lastly, Babe Ruth played goalkeeper growing up. Not a huge surprise that Ruth played the position with the least amount of running in it.

Everybody Soccered - Week 33

I was going to wait until next week to post but with Howard's announcement of taking off time with the national team I was called into duty. Everyone is comparing his taking of leave to Donovan's sabbatical last year, which my thoughts on that subject are that is a really boring topic to spend time on.

So moving on, where does that leave the US? Howard has said that he is planning to return in September 2015, after the 2015 Gold Cup but well before the 2016 Copa America. Even though the winner of the 2013 Gold Cup didn't receive a bid to the following Confederations Cup, the US did fine without Howard in goal. Nick Rimando played very well in the five games he started in and even Sean Johnson held the fort down against Costa Rica. In World Cup Qualifying, Brad Guzan held up his end in by shutting out Mexico and Costa Rica. So we shouldn't be worried about his absence affecting the USMNT. However, there are two situations that are a little murky.

1. Who moves up on the depth chart? Make no mistake, a shaky goalkeeper will not make the World Cup roster. We saw Klinsmann dispel the myth of taking a younger player for experience by selecting Rimando over Sean Johnson as well as Tony Meola being the third stringer in 2002 when a then twenty-three year old goalie named Tim Howard was vying for the last spot. But the US has some time on their hands to figure out who will go in 2018. The goalkeepers we see in the next year should be ones that put the US in a position to win and can contribute to the next cycle. Rimando might help in the 2015 Gold Cup but I don't think he will still be competing for a roster spot in 2018 when he is 39. So who's left?

The popular selections are Bill Hamid, Sean Johnson, and Cody Cropper. Typically the USYNT tag is a bright one that goes without questioning. If a player can impress in one good game with the U17s or U20s, then they rate very high in people's book and receive many second chances later in their career. Even if they disappear for a bit, well they were still on the U20 team so they must have something left in the tank. On top of that, a lot of hope goes into extreme amounts of athleticism. If they have an explosive dive, then the rest should just fall in line, right?

The problem with the three goalkeepers is that they're still young. Their approaches to the game are all still developing. You'll hear a lot of talk about consistency being key for goalkeepers but that can mean a lot of different things. Truthfully, it's vague talk because it's tough pinning down what the issue is with the player. All three are incredibly different goalkeepers that are all battling different things that are inhibiting consistency. Cropper has had hand issues for a while. Where to keep them in certain situations, holding a shot, general shape, etc. Hamid's body shape is out of this world. Some times it's great and other times it hurts him. He's erratic on 1v1s and awkward situations with a ball bouncing in the box. You'll see a starfish-looking dive at the ball (although this year I've seen it less, to be honest). Johnson, like the other two, will have great stretches of games and saves but unlike the other two, he struggles not with technique but awareness. I've seen him be surprised by a shot far too often and watch the ball trickle into the net. The Open Cup semi is the most recent example. However the Fire are really bad this year so I won't dog him too harshly.

Up to now, their records don't warrant call ups at this moment. Their club careers aren't any more notable than others'. Cropper isn't exactly in line to get any starts with Southampton's first team as he's sitting fourth string and Hamid and Johnson, while starting in MLS, are looking for that consistency that pundits default to. Rest assured, all three will all have illustrious careers, I have no doubt, but they're still very young. (Reiterating: they are all good goalkeepers.) The faith in the USYNT tag is a bit much and we shouldn't be looking to develop goalkeepers on the international stage, that's the job of clubs. Once they're ready, then let's get them on the field. I understand wanting to take a closer look, and that's fine to call them into a camp to train with them, but there are several other older, less shaky goalkeepers waiting in the pool. 

(All that to say, here's a good article by Pablo Maurer on Bill Hamid and USMNT goalkeeper coach Chris Woods attesting to his potential.)

2. What happens when Howard returns? Howard knows he's taking a gamble with the depth chart. I can't imagine him doing anything but competing for the starting position when he returns but this looks like a changing of the guard situation. I can see Howard making the 2018 World Cup roster, but there's a lot of uncertainty in all of this. Perhaps September rolls around and Howard decides to retire from international play completely. Maybe he gets a little restless and comes back early. We don't know. Either way come September 2015, Klinsmann will go with the hot hand, and that takes into account club play.

Until then the US defense will have to pay attention to who is in goal. Guzan and Howard are not the same. Howard likes to insert himself into the game much more. He plays a significantly higher line than Guzan, who feels comfortable sitting back. Which one works better in our system? We're about to find out.

But since we're here let's take a look at Howard's first cap with the Men's National Team:

 

Luzenac Still Seeking Promotion - Oft forgotten French-American goalkeeper Quentin Westberg is in the middle of a battle for promotion, months after they thought they had earned it. Westberg's club, Luzenac AP (pronounced loos, not luhz) has been halted entrance to Ligue 2 because of financial issues. To read more into it I'll direct you to the Big Soccer forum, which has done a decent job of keeping up with Westberg and Luzenac. I know, I know, it's Big Soccer, but this thread does a better job of explaining the situation than I could. I'm just a goalieman, not a French sociologist.

I'll start you on page four so you can notice the time stamps. (Westberg signed with Luzenac in the summer of 2012 and being in the third division in France, we didn't hear too much about him here in America.) The next page takes a pretty big tangent (MLS vs. foreign leagues, bleh) but eventually it starts with the drama that's been ongoing since April of this year. If you don't feel like reading the whole thing, basically Luzenac is stuck in limbo and are waiting on a final ruling. Ligue 2 has already started their season without Luzenac so it's looking dim but that's not to say they're short of support to still join.

I know those signs are in French, but I think the point is clear, especially the last tweet. (Sorry to any children reading this.)

 

Jon Kempin and Sporting Kansas City's future - Sporting Kansas City had a string of injuries that led to them turning to twenty-one year old Jon Kempin, who was playing with third division Oklahoma City Energy FC just earlier this year. His entrance to MLS has not gone unnoticed. Kempin saved a penalty in his first game when he was subbed in for injured Andy Gruenebaum and earned MLS Save of the Week honors for the heroics.  A week later he won the award again with his 1v1 stop against Toronto FC. Watch Kempin retreat to his line as the long breakaway starts. He bides his time and makes quick, short adjustments, slowly attacking the ball. It's a great example of being patient and letting your positioning make the save instead of trying to recklessly solve it. Put the pressure on the shooter and cover what you can.

As if all that wasn't good enough, he has a great game against Real Esteli FC in the CONCACAF Champions League. It was a big nine days for Kempin.

Goal at 0:25, Saves at 1:12, 1:35, 1:55

With the Olympics coming up in 2016, I fully expect Kempin to make the roster. I don't think he'll start as USYNTs rarely bump their starting keeper down. But Sporting has a situation on their hands for 2015 with having three goalkeepers that are good enough to start in MLS. I could see them trying to off-load either Kronberg or Gruenebaum, push Kempin to backup, and let Kempin wait another year behind a veteran before elevating him to full-time. But keep an eye on Kempin. His demeanor and approach to the game is exactly what you're looking for in a starter in a professional league.

 

Top 10 NCAA Goalkeepers - I know there is a real uninterest from the public about the college game, quoting stifling player growth, but really how many 18-23 year old goalkeepers would you want starting in MLS? Maybe field players, sure, but goalies are different. I'll pull a quote from my interview with returning champion, Patrick Wall, about his perception of jumping from NCAA to MLS and why he's staying another year at Notre Dame.

“I’m going to stay for my fifth year at Notre Dame and try to develop more as a player and a person under the great staff we have. I looked at the MLS-option, I think that would be a great thing. I am very excited for the opportunity when that comes up but even if I were to sign in the next month or two, I would basically have two to three years to move up from a number three goalkeeping spot to a number two goalkeeping spot. And before I want to jump into that challenge, I want to make sure I’m as developed as I possibly can be.

The spring season for us is not exactly an easy down time. I think for a lot of programs, Spring is a little bit more of a relaxation time. For us it’s completely opposite. They’re killing us fitness-wise and we actually get some pretty good games in the spring as well. We play Indiana pretty much every year. We played the Mexican U-20 National Team, which was a great game. Then, for me personally, to get to train with an MLS team in the summer really helps me get ready for my season as well and to be a prepared player for the MLS, if that is what happens. There’s an eleven month cycle for me and fortunately I’m in the month where I get to rest. We start in January and work all the way through December.”
— Patrick Wall, Notre Dame Goalkeeper

So personally, I'm excited about this year. There are a lot of great goalkeepers in the college game, more so than I have listed, and this is their development stage.

“Wooo!!!”
— You

Yeah I know!! Thank you!

Here are my top ten college goalkeepers, all of which I expect to make noise at the next level.

1. Adam Grinwis (Michigan) - 65.8 (22.4)
2. Patrick Wall (Notre Dame) - 65.2 (23)
3. Spencer Richey (Washington) - 64.7 (22.3)
4. Alex Bono (Syracuse) - 64.6 (23.4)
5. Tomas Gomez (Georgetown) - 64 (21.3)
6. Tyler Miller (Northwestern) - 63 (21.5)
7. Charlie Lyon (Marquette) - 62.6 (22.4)
8. Paul Blanchette (Loyola Marymount) - 62.1 (20.4)
9. Matt Bersano (Oregon St) - 62 (22)
10. Chris Glodack (Clemson) - 61.9 (21.3)

 

U18 go undefeated in Czech Republic - A big ol' shout out to the U18s for topping Hungary, Czech Republic, and Ukraine in the final. Familiar name Jonathan Klinsmann won best goalkeeper at the tournament and JT Marcinkowski picked up one game, against Czech.