Top 100 American Goalkeepers (October 2014)

Cover photo belongs to Birmingham Mail

Before we get into our spotlight please circle October 2014 in your calendar as the time Brad Guzan officially overthrew Tim Howard as the number one goalkeeper for the US. There has been a small contingent that have already bumped Guzan to the top spot but you can't lose the starting spot off a couple of errors. Up and through the summer Howard had some shaky moments but he was still earning his keep. However in the seventeen goals over seven games against EPL opponents, Howard is starting to show signs of regression. He's relying more on reactions and paying less attention to mechanics. Phil Neville dogged him for his large spring which is close to addressing the problem but not quite. (For the record, Howard can't see the ball before it clears the wall so the time lost argument is invalid. Him "bouncing" isn't necessarily a bad thing, and not in this case.) Howard's stance has grown even wider since the summer, making lateral movement is occur less and less, if at all. On goal against Liverpool, his hands are weak and the ball rolls of his hand into the goal. Against Crystal Palace where Everton lost 3-2 (highlights here but link may not last long) he needlessly causes a penalty kick and later hands Crystal Palace their second goal by missing the cross entirely. The 6-3 loss to Chelsea he looked step behind nearly every goal and Howard gives up a pretty lazy near post goal against Swansea City to open Everton's short lived Capital One Cup run. Howard proponents are going to cite past heroics as to why Howard should remain as number one but the fact is he's 35 and is on the downswing of his career. Guzan, on the other hand, is in his prime. When did the switch between the two happen in skill? Right now. It'll take some time for the public to all agree though.

Bill Hamid is next up for this month's goalkeeper spotlight. He's on the tip of everyone's tongue when it comes to who's next for USMNT goalkeeping. Everyone expects him to be on the 2015 Gold Cup roster if not in goal come 2018. Amid all the hope, Hamid seemingly can't be described as anything else but "athletic" (57,000 results).

CSN Washington

CSN Washington

There's no getting around Hamid's reflexes and leg strength. It's seems like every week Hamid is in the running for MLS's Save of the Week. He's explosive, he's quick, he makes the occasion "You have to be kidding me!" save. But he's had to work to get to where he is now. Early in his career Hamid was taking generous pre-shot jump sets and he's clearly worked to nix those. He's showing more patience in a play and getting all of his body to dive at the ball, not just his arms. But his decision-making and technique in tight, awkward situations is still erratic. For example, he's still using the starfish approach on 1v1s (see above). This technique leaves large gaps between the thigh and bicep and the ice hockey-familiar five-hole. Sometimes it works, like in his save against Henry...

...and sometimes it doesn't. In the same game he vies to go to the ground, instead staying on his feet, and gives up the game-winning goal. Notice how awkwardly his body collapses to the ground and how his right foot moves out of the way of where the ball ends up going.

Hamid's next step is learning to play the percentages better. He didn't do it against Los Angeles (dove unevenly), Real Salt Lake (hands too low), Houston (dives too high), and Colorado (????). His entire body needs to be in smart positions to cover the goal in the most efficient manner. Hamid's gotten this far and at almost twenty-four, he shows no signs of slowing down.

The top five have switched around more than just Guzan overstepping Howard. Steve Clark takes the number three spot and Brad Friedel falls from the top three since... 1993? Clark's been on fire with Columbus and despite the lack of USMNT call-ups, he's the best in MLS right now.

Lastly, a retroactive shoutout to Israeli American goalkeeper Tom Almadon. Almadon kept a shutout in the second leg in the second qualifying round of the Europa with his club Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv. Almadon was born in New York and although he has played up the ranks in Israel's youth system, he has yet to recieve a call up from Israel. So for that, we'll claim him until he's official cap-tied.

Top 100 American Goalkeepers

1. Brad Guzan (Aston Villa / England.1) - 77.8 (30.1)
2. Tim Howard (Everton FC / England.1) - 76.9 (35.6)
3. Steve Clark (Columbus Crew / USA.1) - 71.5 (28.5)
4. Brad Friedel (Tottenham Hotspur / England.1) - 71.4 (43.4)
5. Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake / USA.1) - 71.3 (35.3)
6. Luis Robles (New York Red Bulls / USA.1) - 69.7 (30.4)
7. Joseph Bendik (Toronto FC / USA.1) - 69 (25.5)
8. Brian Rowe (Los Angeles Galaxy / USA.1) - 68.9 (25.9)
9. Jon Busch (San Jose Earthquakes / USA.1) - 68.7 (38.2)
10. Chris Seitz (FC Dallas / USA.1) - 68.6 (27.6)

11. William Yarbrough (Leon / Mexico.1) - 68.6 (25.6)
12. Tally Hall (Houston Dynamo / USA.1) - 68.5 (29.4)
13. Bill Hamid (DC United / USA.1) - 68.4 (23.9)
14. Matt Pickens (Tampa Bay Rowdies / USA.2) - 68.4 (32.5)
15. Dan Kennedy (Chivas USA / USA.1) - 68.3 (32.3)
15. Troy Perkins (Montreal Impact / USA.1) - 68.3 (33.3)
17. Clint Irwin (Colorado Rapids / USA.1) - 68.2 (25.5)
18. David Bingham (Strommen IF / Norway.2) - 68.1 (25)
19. Joe Willis (DC United / USA.1) - 68.1 (26.2)
20. Andrew Weber (Portland Timbers / USA.1) - 68 (31.2)

21. Andy Gruenebaum (Sporting Kansas City / USA.1) - 67.9 (32.8)
22. Stefan Frei (Seattle Sounders / USA.1) - 67.9 (28.5)
23. Bobby Shuttleworth (New England Revolution / USA.1) - 67.9 (27.4)
24. Zac MacMath (Philadelphia Union / USA.1) - 67.8 (23.2)
25. Brian Perk (Los Angeles Galaxy / USA.1) - 67.8 (25.3)
26. Quentin Westberg (Free Agent / None) - 67.7 (28.5)
27. Tyler Deric (Houston Dynamo / USA.1) - 67.7 (26.2)
28. Jeff Attinella (Real Salt Lake / USA.1) - 67.6 (26.1)
29. Evan Bush (Montreal Impact / USA.1) - 67.6 (28.6)
30. Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire / USA.1) - 67.6 (25.4)

31. Andrew Dykstra (DC United / USA.1) - 67.5 (28.8)
32. Ryan Meara (New York Red Bulls / USA.1) - 67.5 (23.9)
33. Caleb Patterson-Sewell (Gil Vicente FC / Portugal.1) - 67.4 (27.4)
34. Diego Restrepo (Tampa Bay Rowdies / USA.2) - 67.3 (26.7)
35. Tim Melia (MLS Pool Keeper / USA.1) - 67.2 (27.6)
36. Eric Kronberg (Sporting Kansas City / USA.1) - 67.2 (31.3)
37. Alex Horwath (Ljungskile SK / Sweden.2) - 67.1 (27.6)
38. Kevin Piedrahita (Águilas Doradas / Colombia.1) - 67 (23.3)
39. Brad Knighton (New England Revolution / USA.1) - 67 (29.7)
40. Marcus Hahnemann (Seattle Sounders / USA.1) - 66.9 (42.3)
40. David Yelldell (Bayern Leverkusen / Germany.1) - 66.9 (33.8)

42. Mitch Hildebrandt (Minnesota United FC / USA.2) - 66.9 (25.9)
43. Jimmy Maurer (New York Cosmos / USA.2) - 66.9 (27)
44. Matt Pyzdrowski (Angelholms FF / Sweden.2) - 66.8 (28.2)
45. Matt Van Oekel (Minnesota United FC / USA.2) - 66.8 (28.1)
46. Jon Kempin (Sporting Kansas City / USA.1) - 66.7 (21.5)
47. Joe Nasco (Colorado Rapids / USA.1) - 66.6 (30.3)
48. Alec Kann (Chicago Fire / USA.1) - 66.6 (24.2)
48. Brock Duckworth (Free Agent / None) - 66.6 (25.5)
50. Kyle Reynish (Chicago Fire / USA.1) - 66.4 (30.9)

51. Devala Gorrick (Ottawa Fury / USA.2) - 66.3 (27.3)
52. Akira Fitzgerald (Carolina Railhawks / USA.2) - 66.1 (27.3)
53. John McCarthy (Rochester Rhinos / USA.3) - 66.1 (22.3)
54. Evan Newton (Arizona United / USA.3) - 66 (26.5)
55. Matt Lampson (Columbus Crew / USA.1) - 66 (25.1)
56. Josh Ford (Seattle Sounders / USA.1) - 65.9 (26.9)
57. Chris Konopka (Toronto FC / USA.1) - 65.9 (29.5)
58. Cody Mizell (Tampa Bay Rowdies / USA.2) - 65.8 (23.1)
59. Ryan Taylor (Richmond Kickers / USA.3) - 65.7 (24.3)
60. Patrick McLain (Free Agent / None) - 65.7 (26.2)

61. Lance Parker (FC Edmonton / USA.2) - 65.7 (29.2)
62. Kyle Zobeck (New York Cosmos / USA.2) - 65.6 (24.7)
63. John Berner (Colorado Rapids / USA.1) - 65.5 (23.7)
64. Bryan Meredith (San Jose Earthquakes / USA.1) - 65.5 (25.2)
65. Kenneth Kronholm (Holstein Kiel / Germany.3) - 65.5 (29)
65. Jordan Jennings (Seattle Sounders / USA.1) - 65.5 (29.5)
67. Nick Shackelford (Los Angeles Galaxy / USA.1) - 65.4 (24)
68. Austin Guerrero (Estudiantes de Altamira / Mexico.2) - 65.4 (25.6)
69. David Meves (Fort Lauderdale Strikers / USA.2) - 65.4 (25.3)
70. Justin Luthy (Portland Timbers / USA.1) - 65.2 (23.5)

71. Tom Almadon (Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv / Israel.1) - 65.2 (29.9)
72. Andrew Fontein (Minnesota United FC / USA.2) - 65.1 (24.6)
73. Adam Grinwis (Michigan / USA.N) - 65.1 (22.5)
74. Scott Goodwin (Carolina Railhawks / USA.2) - 65 (23.9)
75. Hunter Gilstrap (Pittsburgh Riverhounds / USA.3) - 65 (31.5)
76. Brandon Miller (Rochester Rhinos / USA.3) - 65 (24.8)
77. Carl Woszczynski (Free Agent / None) - 65 (26.5)
78. Jon Dawson (Indy Eleven / USA.2) - 65 (23.6)
79. Patrick Wall (Notre Dame / USA.N) - 64.9 (23.1)
80. Josh Wicks (AFC United / Sweden.3) - 64.9 (30.9)

81. Dominik Jakubek (Sacramento Republic / USA.3) - 64.8 (35.1)
82. Sean Kelley (Free Agent / None) - 64.8 (26.5)
83. Brad Stuver (Columbus Crew / USA.1) - 64.7 (23.5)
84. Nicolas Platter (Carolina Railhawks / USA.2) - 64.7 (32.9)
85. Cody Laurendi (Los Angeles Galaxy / USA.1) - 64.6 (26.2)
86. Phil Saunders (Bolungarvik FC / Iceland.2) - 64.6 (23.1)
87. Trevor Spangenberg (Chivas USA / USA.1) - 64.6 (23.5)
88. Paul Rachubka (Oldham Athletic / England.3) - 64.5 (33.4)
88. Nick Noble (Harrisburg City Islanders / USA.3) - 64.5 (30.1)
88. Josh Saunders (New York City FC / USA.1) - 64.5 (33.6)

91. Carlos Rojas (CD Cruzl Azul / Mexico.1) - 64.5 (24.6)
92. Michael Abalos (Cal FC / USA.4) - 64.5 (24.9)
93. Patrick Lane (Karlstad BK / Sweden.2) - 64.4 (26.2)
94. Brian Holt (Free Agent / None) - 64.4 (25.9)
95. Cody Cropper (Southampton / England.1) - 64.4 (21.7)
96. Lionel Brown (Fort Lauderdale Strikers / USA.2) - 64.4 (27.1)
97. Gregory Blum (Pittsburgh Riverhounds / USA.3) - 64.2 (25.5)
98. Daniel Withrow (MLS Pool Keeper / USA.1) - 64 (24.4)
99. Matt Glaeser (Wilmington Hammerheads / USA.3) - 64 (29.5)
100. Scott Angevine (Vasa IFK / Finland.3) - 64 (25.4)

Some quick stats on the list:

Most popular ages

25 y.o. - 15
23 - 13
26 - 11
27 - 9
24 - 9

Most popular countries

USA - 74
England - 5
Sweden - 4
Mexico - 3
Germany - 2

Don't forget to check last week's goalkeeper action in Everybody Soccered (Week 39) and the 2015 American Goalkeeper Destination list. Over the next six months we should see a big shuffle in American goalkeeping.

Everybody Soccered - Week 39 (2014)

The 2015 American Goalkeeper (Final) Destination list bumped last week's goalkeeper update so this one is a two-fer. But keep an eye on the destination list as the US is experience its biggest expansion since the Louisiana Purchase. With all the teams exiting and entering the scene, there will be several goalkeepers in new places, including lots of backups getting some time to shine.

This week's Top NCAA Goalkeepers of the Week goes to Denver's Oliver Brown. Brown is a senior and has allowed only three goals in the last four games to push Denver to a 6-3-0 record. Denver are projected to handily win their conference and return to the NCAA tournament. Check out his highlights against New Hampshire and Portland to see him in action. Some other great saves from the past two weeks include La Salle's Mike Kirk's very exciting albeit chaotic save and Penn State's Andrew Wolverton extending for a low save against Michigan. And over at College Soccer News, Pat Wall won player of the week for his performance against UNC.

Tim Howard and Brad Guzan have had drastically different seasons thus far in the Premiership. While Howard put his name on another record (tied most saves in a Europa League game), he's conceded 17 goals in the six EPL and one League Cup games. Specifically the losses against Crystal Palace and Chelsea were the hardest to watch. Everton sits on a little bit of a positive note after tying top of the table Liverpool 1-1 to push them into 15th place. Guzan on the other hand has helped Aston Villa get to sixth place. Guzan has given up seven goals in the run, although six have come in the last two games. There is a USMNT game on the horizon (Ecuador, October 10th) but it's unlikely to see Guzan make the roster as most of the players will be coming from stateside clubs. However it's Donovan's last game so maybe Howard and Guzan show up to congratulate him.

Seattle Sounders won their fourth US Open Cup in six years, this time over the Philadelphia Union. Since both starting goalkeepers have had up and down seasons, here's an attempted cheer-me-up with their best saves from the match:

USL Pro rightly rewarded John McCarthy with the Rookie of the Year Award as well as Goalkeeper of the Year. McCarthy was admitted to the first All-League team earlier in the week and Joe Willis made the second team. MLS's site would ironically boast the two all-league squads were "packed with MLS talent" even though McCarthy went undrafted last year in the MLS Superdraft and stole the starting spot from a goalkeeper on loan from a MLS club.

There have been some really supreme saves in MLS these past couple weeks. Week 27's were the strongest batch ever prepared and the following week had some really fun saves too.

And to top it all off, Steve Clark had a penalty save this past weekend that was equal parts lateral movement and reflexes. Outstanding stuff.

If this is Jon Busch's last year, the thirty-eight year old is making the most of it. Busch has 117 saves through 29 games. Assuming he finishes the season's last five games, he's on pace for 137. Busch's final tally should be the most in a season since 2007 when Nick Rimando had 146. If he can notch 19 more he'll surpass Matt Reis as fifth all-time in saves.

MLS released their annual 24 Under 24 and Bill Hamid was the loan representative for goalkeepers at 10th while Jon Kempin was snubbed off the list. This is Hamid's fifth and final year on the list as he's aged out.

Scott Goodwin was awarded a mouthful of an award, the US Open Cup Lower Division Player of the Tournament. Carolina had one of the more successful runs by a non-MLS side by topping Chivas USA in penalty kicks and holding on to a 1-0 win against the Los Angeles Galaxy. 

The U17s are off to Panama to face Costa Rica, Canada, and Panama this week. Kevin Silva and William Pulisic are on the roster. The U23s have announced a game against Brazil's respective side but no names have been released yet.

Maryland alum Keith Cardona made the bench for FC Liefering last Friday. The starting goalkeeper received a red card the game before so Cardona had room on the bench opened up for him. This isn't a huge milestone in itself but it's always cool to see a player make the game day roster for the first time.

After losing 4-0 in his opening start, David Bingham has allowed four goals in three games with his loaned club, Strømmen IF.

Orlando City is making some room for the MLS entrance. They've released all of their three goalkeepers, including fan favorite Miguel Gallardo. They, like New York City FC, are showing a willingness to spend money so perhaps we'll see a notable name in the back.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds goalkeeper Hunter Gilstrap was attempting to move to India to play for the ISL’s NorthEast United F.C. The deal has apparently fallen through and Gilstrap is open to playing elsewhere.

Phil Saunders had an assist two weeks ago. Watch his punt-pass here at the 0:58 mark.

Pretty excited for next month's Top 100 USGKs. There's a new number one in town and the spotlight is falling on Bill Hamid. Yes, THAT Bill Hamid.

And if this was all too serious for you, enjoy this goalkeeper's headed own goal. Needless to say he is not America.

Late News Additions

Eric Lopez is rumored to be signing a home grown contract with LA. Signing Lopez this young sounds like Lopez was looking to go abroad if he didn’t get signed by some professional team. Look for Lopez to start in ten years.

Cody Cropper made one save in a 2-0 win over Norwich City's U20s.

Alexander Tambakis has started at least three games for Niki Volos FC, a recently promoted club to Greece's Super League. However the warm welcoming has been short as Niki Volos sit dead last and have yet to get any points in their five matches. Tambakis is on loan from Panathinaikos, another Super League club.

2015 American Goalkeeper Destinations

Currently there are 43 professional soccer teams in America and Canada : 19 MLS, 10 NASL, 14 USL. In 2015 there will be around 54 teams (!!!), depending on which teams can fulfill their promise to exist. The eleven new teams will each have three goalkeepers on their roster, meaning that thirty-three new spots for goalkeeper will open up across all three leagues. Not all of them will be filled by American goalkeepers of course, but most of them will. It's safe to say the American goalkeeper job market is skyrocketing.

To help with all the hoopla, I'll be updating a database of all the off-season moves each team makes in their goalkeeper department. In the legend below, you can click on the team to jump to a specific section. Several USL teams are affiliated with an MLS team and those teams are paired the two with the same color. If the MLS-USL row of colors don't match then there is no affiliation.

(If you are on your phone, the jump action doesn't always work but the teams are listed alphabetically so you can scroll down to the desired club. MLS is the first bunch, then USL, NASL, and outsiders are at the bottom.)

Each team block includes their goalkeeper roster as well as youth prospects that are either in college or on the academy team. These players haven't signed with the senior team yet but are available for a homegrown contract if they choose to do so. The Out/In/Rumored section is where I'll be posting movement and rumblings of possible interest. If a player cannot or will not play for the US I put them in italics and listed their international allegiance.

Check out the 2014 MLS Player Salaries if you’re wondering what the asking price is for certain players.

Apologies if your team's colored box isn't the exact shade of green that's found on the jersey.

Everybody Soccered - Week 37 (2014)

Cover photo by Alex Livesey at Getty Images.

I was asked to write a short analysis of Notre Dame goalkeeper Pat Wall on MLS Draft Scout's site. I somehow managed to receive the accolade "great goalkeeper evaluator" from Charlie although I don't think that's an official title.

Top NCAA Goalkeepers of the Week

1. Andre Rawls (Sr. - St. Mary's) - Made some crucial saves to pull off the underdog victory at #4 University of Washington's home pitch. A well-earned win for St. Mary's on the road.

2. Adam Grinwis (Sr. - Maryland) - Another unranked school giving a top team some fits. Grinwis, coming off his PDL championship run, helped grab a point against #12 Maryland. Keep an ear out for Grinwis this next MLS draft.

3. Kris Schultz (Jr. - UC Davis) - Extended highlights show Schultz keeping the score at one for UC Davis to hold on for the win against CSU Bakersfield.  Superb 1v1 save at the 3:00 mark.

4. Alec Ferrell (So. - Wake Forest) - Really enjoyed his save (at 1:04) towards the end of the game. Full extension from a looped header aimed at the backpost.

5. Ben Lockler (Sr. - Virginia Tech) - Four chaotic saves against rival UVA but wasn't enough in the 0-1 loss. Still a solid performance

6. Earl Edwards (Sr. - UCLA) - Snagged the play of the game award versus Cal Poly last week. Check out the double save here.

7. Waleed Cassis (Jr. - Buffalo) - Not entirely sure he is American but he did have the best save of the week (at 0:54). Worst case scenario, Canada bolsters their keeper reserve.

8. Wade Hamilton (Jr. - Cal Poly) - Big reaction save in overtime to keep it level against UCLA.

9. Dylan Faber (Jr. - Northeastern) - Another goalkeeper in goal for a 0-1 loss. Six saves and beat by a deflected shot. Not the toughest saves to make but still notable. 

Lead American export Brad Guzan was in goal for Aston Villa during their 1-0 win over Liverpool. The 2004 PDL Goalkeeper of the Year had a pretty quiet day but the victory is still nice to have on the résumé. 

Quentin Westberg was released from Luzenac, along with rest of the first team players. The fate of club as a whole is unclear for the future as they are sitting out this entire season. Westberg had a very honest interview and its translation from French is a little rough. Here's an excerpt from the interview, in response to Luzenac's dissolution...

“It’s just a continuation of the whole affair. When it comes time to help a small amateur club, there’s nobody. Our only crime is not having built a concrete case to the last word. And what is the official reason for the denial? ‘The stadium in which we will play in does not guarantee the safety of fans who will come to see us play.’ It’s a joke. When we know that this stadium is filled every night by supporters of one of the best rugby clubs in Europe, it makes me laugh. There was no real basis in denial. When the club came before the DNCG in June, they did not talk about the stadium, they just said, “Beware of finances.” And once the that was set, they say “Ah, but you did not address the issue of the stadium?””
— Quentin Westberg

Westberg has not been signed by another club as of yet. 

USWNT goalkeeper Hope Solo recently surpassed Briana Scurry with her 72nd shutout, becoming the all-time leader for the women's team. The challenge wasn't that difficult as the US won 8-0 over Mexico but that's not to take away from the record. (For some reference, Kasey Keller, Tim Howard, Tony Meola, and Brad Friedel combined don't have as many as Solo and Scurry together.)

2015 is bringing several changes to MLS. Orlando City and New York City FC are making their debut while Chivas USA has a good chance at taking a break for a year. All-in-all, the stateside American goalkeepers should stay employed, just somewhere else. Paul Tenorio covered who OC has already signed, specifically no goalkeepers. He writes, "The Lions are seeking a veteran keeper to hold down the starting job in MLS" which seems to fit Dan Kennedy pretty well and makes sense. Typically expansion teams aren't going to gamble with a youngster in goal. And with Philadelphia seeming to be planning a future without Zac MacMath, don't be surprised if he ends up in New York.

Yet another Mexican-American goalkeeper is going south. U17 product Abraham Romero has switched alliances, some claiming because of the release of USYNT coach Hugo Perez.

USL's playoffs kicked off this past weekend. Notable performances included the dual-head gear battle in Los Angeles between Brian Perk (Galaxy II) vs John McCarthy (Rochester Rhinos). Highlights of the goalies kick in around the 2:03:44 mark. Other notable goalkeepers in the playoffs include Bradley Stuver, whose season ended with the Wilmington Hammerheads' 4-1 loss to Sacramento, and Ryan Taylor, who advanced to the semis with Richmond Kickers.

Over in NASL action Matt Van Oekel's Minnesota United and Josh Saunder's San Antonio Scorpions are battling it out for the number one spot. Van Oekel returned in early August after an injury has kept him out for most of the season. 

University of Virginia celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of the team winning the College Cup in 1989. Tony Meola was amongst the few celebrated both at the UVA soccer and football game last weekend.

Ex-MLS and USMNT goalkeeper Kevin Hartman is now working with IMG Academy as their technical director. The interview covers a lot of topics, including Hartman's playing days as well as vision on the new position.

As Christopher McCollum pointed out, since Phil Saunders has joined BÍ/Bolungarvík they have had a distinct improvement, even escaping relegation territory. Saunders has surrendered six goals in the past six games to help bump BÍ to tenth place in Iceland's second tier.

Josh Lambo is still perfect on the year as Texas A&M's placekicker. He perfectly drilled a 47-yarder for his third field goal on the year and he has almost taken half as many extra points as he did last year.