Ashkan Khosravi Interview: Iranian-American Finds a New Home Out West

Ashkan Khosravi will be a senior at UC Riverside next fall. While originally from Iran, Khosravi left home when he would no longer be allowed to play soccer or continue school because he was Baha'i and not Muslim. Khosravi attended high school in Plano, Texas before ending up at UC Riverside, where he has amassed 41 starts over three years. Now entering his last year, Khosravi talks about what the transition was like and what his plans are looking forward.

With the restrictions of being Muslim to play for Iran National Teams, did you notice any tension while you were with the younger age groups?

Yes, obviously it was hard being the only different one. Off the top of my head, the most awkward thing that I remember was when we all had to do the Muslim prayer as a team, which was one of national team rules. I had no idea how to do it nor did I knew any of the words.

Was staying in Iran on the table? Or were you set on leaving?

Staying in Iran was definitely not on the table because not only could I not play for the national team, I also couldn’t play for my club and I knew I couldn’t get an education or go to college.

When I left Iran and went to Turkey as a refugee, I started practicing with a team in Turkey and they wanted me to sign and play with them. I thought about it for a while, but I didn’t really like Turkey and I wanted to come to Dallas where my brother was. He left Iran for the same reasons. He came to the US around 16 years ago to get his education.

What was your time in Turkey like?

I didn’t really like anything about Turkey. It was very tough living there as a refugee; mostly just a whole year and a half of waiting to be able to come to the US. The only thing that I liked about it was the training sessions that I had with the Turkish club. I had never trained in that much snow.

Did your brother play soccer at all?

Photo from UCR Athletic Communications

Photo from UCR Athletic Communications

No, he never played soccer. His situation was more about not being able to go to college as a Baha’i.

How did your parents play into the move? Were they supportive or reluctant for you to leave?

My parents were actually very supportive about it.

Have your parents gotten a chance to see you play in person? Have they expressed any interest in moving to the US as well?

My parents have seen me play once for UCR. They come and visit every year, but they don't quite want to move here yet.

What is your attitude towards Iran now? Do you miss anything about it?

I obviously love Iran as my country but I hate how I had to leave due to how Iran is ruled. I don’t really know about any changes in Iran other than everything being more expensive. I definitely miss playing in Iran. One of my old teammates, who I played with and against many times, was actually a starter for Iran in the World Cup and got to play against the best player who’s ever played the game (Messi). I was very excited to see him play, but at the same time, there’s always that thought in my mind that maybe that could have been me. Maybe I could have played that game and maybe I could have saved that Messi shot. As unrealistic as it sounds, if I had stayed, there was a possibility and it makes me sad that I left. But it also makes me want to get better and prove myself in the US.

I am personally a huge Messi, Barca, and Argentina fan. So Argentina was my team during the World Cup, but at the same time I was happy about how well Iran defended against them.

If something were to happen in the future where you could play for Iran, would you be interested? Or is that door completely closed?

I honestly don’t know if playing for Iran would be a possibility or not.

What is your citizenship status with the US?

I actually just recently got my American citizenship on April 17th and I am a dual citizen of both Iran and the US.

Last year, UCR struggled at the start of the season but finished strong in conference play. Where did UCR succeed last year and where did they fail? And what happened in the semifinal game vs Cal State Fullerton?

We had a solid team last year despite losing some great players due to injury and ineligibility. It took us a while to get in a rhythm and get used to playing a new formation, which is why we didn’t do too good in non-conference games but did well in conference. We beat the number two team in the nation at the time, UC Irvine, and we won the Big West South Division title.

Things went bad really fast against Fullerton. I picked up a wrist injury about ten days before that game and I missed the last 2 games before the game against Fullerton. Our coach didn’t think I was ready to play that game so I didn’t start but after we lost a man (our center back got a red card) and went down 2-0 in the first 15-20 minutes of the game, I got subbed in and played the rest of the game. But we just couldn’t get back in it.

Is the National Tournament a realistic expectation for this year? What do y’all need to do to reach that goal?

Winning the tournament is definitely an expectation for us this year. We have a much stronger team and we want nothing less than a National Championship this year. And I think as long as we believe in that goal and stay healthy as a team, we will reach that.

Photo taken by Paul Alvarez

Photo taken by Paul Alvarez

What is something about UCR that you didn't know at first when you got there, but has been a pleasant surprise to experience?

The thing I really liked about UCR, which made me never think about leaving, is how close we are as teammates and brothers. We do everything as a team and our group text is active 24/7.

Five years from now, what's a dream scenario for your playing career?

If I do get drafted [by an MLS club], I would stay in the US and play here. But if I don't, I will most likely go somewhere to play. I have always had a dream of playing for the US National Team and maybe, just maybe, play Iran and face some old teammates. I don’t know how realistic that dream is and if it is even possible for me to play for US, but that has just always been in the back of my mind.  

Everybody Soccered - May 2015

Cover photo from Sounders FC

May 30th

The U20s started off their World Cup a rough with a miscue from goalkeeper Zack Steffen but rallied to win 2-1. The cameraman's shakiness ruins the gif so if you couldn't tell, Steffen comes for a ball too late and proves that if you can't win a ball immediately in the air, just stay on your line. Don't come out and try to fix your hesitation. If he stays back, there's a good chance it gets cleared out or he can make the next save. Still, he had some really awesome American gloves. Who knew Under Armour had a great goalkeeper glove design team? 

Another not-so-great conceded goal on a USYNT goalkeeper was Cody Cropper's slip up in the U23s 3-1 win over the Netherlands. A bending shot from distance gave him trouble as he dove to his left trying to hold it. Yes, it's a bad goal, but the problem is not with his hand strength but in his pre-catch arm motion. Watch as his hands swing back then upwards when all that is needed is a simple raise of the arms to catch the shot. Goalkeepers should always look to "minimize excessive movement" and here Cropper does not do that. If his hands are out in front of him at the start then there's a better chance his hands are stronger because he only had to move his arms to the correct position, not his arms and hands.

In more positive news for the youngster, he is drawing some interest from MLS teams, supposedly New England being one of them although some are suspect he comes back to MLS at all. Outside of New England, it's really hard to say which teams are best suited for him as half the league aren't in great standings with their goalkeeper core and could use a young backup to develop.

Hope Solo had some really interesting words on the upcoming Women's World Cup and its connection to the domestic league here in the states. 

“The state of women’s soccer isn’t reliant on our success at the World Cup. In 2003 we were hoping that the league would take off if we won the World Cup, but at the end of the day we learned that longevity in the women’s game is a slow growth process. So there is no pressure on us to win for the state of women’s soccer. The pressure on us is to win because we want to win.”

Montreal's Evan Bush had a highlight reel-worthy save last week.

Last goalkeepings of the month:

  • Chicago followed up Jon Busch's 300th appearance with a couple nice articles where he talks about the milestone and his relationship with Sean Johnson.
  • Sporting Kansas City has terminated their contract with Luis Marin, who was dealing with off the field situations. Jon Kempin has been called back from his loan to San Antonio. I'd expect him to get maybe one or two starts before the end of the year. Tim Melia is playing well so I don't see it being more than that.
  • Alex Bono took a shot to the face against Manchester City and someone took a picture at just the right time. Here it is in GIF form.
  • John McCarthy and Brian Sylvestre are working hard in Philadelphia.
  • Brad Stuver shined in a friendly and was overwhelmingly voted Man of the Match. He had a awkward but tough save and almost scored goal at the end of the match
  • Josh Deaver says William Yarbrough is in for the next USMNT matches against the Netherlands and Germany. I can't find another link for this but he seems like a trustworthy guy.
  • Will Hesmer appeared on TV to discuss FIFA's financial situation.
  • Jeff Caldwell talked about his journey to the U20 team and the importance of the college game.

Lastly, I'll be off the radar a little more than usual this summer so here's the current MLS GSAR standings which probably won't be updated until the fall.

 

May 26th

Cody Cropper is out at Southampton. At twenty-two years old, it's easy to associate a goalkeeper's typically long career with an equally increasing developing curve. However, goalkeepers at twenty-two are largely set in stone and truly a goalkeeper at twenty-five is basically the final product. Think back to Bill Hamid and Sean Johnson a couple years ago. Yes, they've improved but it's not like they're completely different goalkeepers. So Cropper, at his age, essentially has three years to show his true potential. I wrote back in April about how he is showing some improvement but is it too little too late? If Southampton really believed Cropper was more than MLS-quality, it would make sense they would have held on to him. The door is closing quickly on Cropper and the USYNT goalkeeper is going to either end up like Keller/Howard/Meola or the other guys who we quickly forget about.

In brighter news for Cropper, he joined Tyler Miller and Charlie Horton on the U23 roster for the Toulon Tournament. The U23s kickoff the tournament against France Wednesday, May 27th.

I interviewed Ashkan Khosravi, who is a recent dual-citizen of both the US and Iran. It's a really interesting story of leaving home at sixteen to come to the states and play, instead of the typical reverse. Khosravi will be a senior at UC Riverside next fall.

Tim Howard was (oof) named the 20th best EPL goalkeeper while Brad Guzan ended up at seventh. Guzan was sat for the last three games in the season for late struggling performances but, like I wrote for SOT's XI selection, it was Guzan who kept Aston Villa afloat for much of the season in the first place. And even if there are reports that Aston Villa is looking at the possibility of a new goalkeeper, he was the best goalkeeper overseas, after Katie Fraine of course.

Goalimpact has joined forces with Premier Insider, which means we can now see Howard's, Friedel's and Guzan's Goalimpact rating, which is my favorite player rating at the moment. (And here is Kasey Keller's, for reference.) Ironically, it sounds like Brad Friedel was going to play Tottenham's last game of the season but was held out due to stitches in his shin. Nevertheless, Friedel was upbeat about his time overseas.

Various goalie news around the globe:

  • Jon Busch played his 300th MLS game, making him the fourth goalkeeper to ever do so in MLS history. (Kevin Hartman, Nick Rimando, and Joe Cannon being the others.) Here is an article on Busch's Saves for SEALS program, which helps families who have lost someone in military combat.
  • Jimmy Maurer is now the all-time shutout leader in the modern NASL era. I can't find who was previously in first.
  • Top Drawer covered Zack Steffen ahead of the U20 World Cup and they also named Evan Louro as a player to watch in PDL this season
  • The Premier League put out some highlights of Friedel in honor of his retirement. Tottenham gave him a nice sending off.
  • Ethan Horvath earned his first league start and shutout. (A save from the game can be seen below.) It's good to see that Molde has a clear desire and use for him and reason to pull him from the U20 World Cup roster.
  • Calle Brown joins the exclusive group of goalkeepers who were backups their entire collegiate career and then later earned a professional start, which he earned with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Honestly I can't think of another goalkeeper who did the same so perhaps it is just a group of one.
  • Cody Mizell is going to second tier Iceland to play this year.
  • The highlight bank is finally up and running again

And to end off in style, here are a bunch of gifs and videos of American goalkeepers making cool saves:

 

May 15th

Well I said the most notable announcement was the U20 roster but I hadn't seen Friedel's retirement announcement at that point so I take it back. With him moving to the booth for Fox Sports, it was all but official until now. ESPN covered the highlights of Friedel's career. There were many congratulations, including one from Zac MacMath and one from Edwin van der Sar himself, but I though Matt Pyzdrowski summed it up pretty well:

The U20 roster now has another collegiate player. Ethan Horvath was not released by Molde and Thomas Olsen, University of San Diego, will now take his place. Horvath is a regular on the bench, including some appearances in cup matches. Caldwell is now the number two behind Steffen.

The US Open Cup kicked off their first round Wednesday night. Top goalkeeper performances include:

  • Quinn McAnanery's shootout win for Lansing United, which can be re-watched by a great camera angle
  • Greg Hartley also performed well in Chattanooga's comeback shootout win and had a nice save early on.
  • Zac Gibbens continued Harpo's FC's cinderella run with a, surprise surprise, penalty shootout win that only Scott Sterling could top. (Watch the saves here at 2:52:25)
  • Everybody Soccer favorites Paul Blanchette and Justin Vom Steeg moved their teams on to the second round. Blanchette held a 2-1 win for Des Moines and Vom Steeg made a save in the final round for Ventura County Fusion's shootout.

All-in-all there weren't that many D1 goalkeepers playing in the first round. I imagine finals was a problem but it was odd to see so many absences. Perhaps more will appear in the next round, once school has finally ended.

 

May 14th

Not a lot of action in the first half of May. Easily the most notable announcement was that the three goalkeepers for the U20 World Cup roster have been selected. Zack Steffen (Freiburg), Ethan Horvath (Molde FK), and Jeff Caldwell (Virginia) are the three, in order of starting likeliness. Caldwell has the distinct honor of being the only college player on the roster, including field players.

As far as things I wrote, there is my last article on Paste for some time about why a goalkeeper will never win the Ballon d'Or again and my second monthly write up on ASA that isn't too nice for MLS goalkeepers to read. On a positive note, the goalkeepers played much better this past weekend so maybe they heard what was coming for them. And of course there's the top 100 list of women goalkeepers.

The Union signed yet another goalkeeper. They brought in Brian Sylvestre on a short loan and started him last weekend. Sylvestre was in training camp with Philly before the season started so there's that connection. However it is odd they're calling up a USL backup and not a starter somewhere else. Perhaps they are thinking long term. Sylvestre didn't concede any atrocious goals last weekend, a plus for Philadelphia. John McCarthy, who is out with concussion symptoms at the moment (possibly from this), talked about his jump from Rochester to Philadelphia.

Minnesota is struggling with their goalkeeper position as well. Northern Pitch goes into depth between the Cameroonian international, Sammy Ndjock, and American Mitch Hildebrandt. Both display the needed athleticism but are having specific problems on the pitch.

#gkunion alum Josh Lambo signed with the San Diego Chargers. Lambo spent time with U17 and U20 US teams as a goalkeeper but never suited up for FC Dallas. After kicking with Texas A&M last year, he has now made the jump from professional soccer to collegiate football to professional football.

A plethora of random goalkeeper hits:

  • Nick Rimando hit 100 wins and someone compiled his best saves with RSL.
  • Toronto's Chris Konopka recorded a shot with this header last weekend.
  • Travis Worra spoke about his first MLS start with DC United.
  • Keith Cardona started for Indy 11. Cardona has taken an odd journey thus far, going from starter at Maryland to backup then to Austria and then landing in Indiana. It's good to see him back on his feet.
  • Ethan Horvath and Quentin Westberg notched shutouts for their respective Norwegian clubs in Cup action recently. Can't find any video but maybe they'll get a start later down the line.
  • Even though he didn't play in the second leg, Evan Bush did earn Golden Gloves for his performance throughout the CONCACAF Champions League.
  • Chris Seitz finally met the recipient of his bone marrow transplant. I caught the halftime interview on the FC Dallas game and the man, who is incidentally an FC Dallas fan now, was extremely thankful. It's a great story and a true act of selflessness on Seitz's part.
  • Tally Hall should be getting his first game in the next seven to ten days.
  • This doesn't really have anything to do with American soccer but I just really enjoyed it.
  • And Sean Johnson is a Jedi, apparently.

US Women's National Team Goalkeeper Pool - May 2015

Cover photo by Mike Gridley

The World Cup is in 33 days. Hosts Canada take on China on June 6th and the US follow up two days later against Australia. In the case the 59 best goalkeepers get sick, we'll be ready for an emergency call-up for the USWNT.

The list has been expanded to include the top sixty since last edition's. The list should now reflect the top W-League and WPSL goalkeepers, bumping some of the younger players down or off the list. Both leagues are technically the second tier so I distinguished the listed goalkeepers as USA.2W (W-League) and the USA.2P (WPSL). The leagues kick off this month but I'm not 100% all the goalkeepers below are still active. We had multiple goalkeepers retire since the last release and the second leagues have a fairly large turnover of players. So while a goalkeeper may be listed here, they could have already quietly retired. Once the leagues get started in a couple weeks, we should know for certain but until then this is the best I can do.

Lastly, there are some young players either at the bottom or not on the list at all. The same principle applies for the USMNT list, a promising 21-23 year old goalkeeper is inherently behind one that is four years older than them, even if they will quickly surpass them. This is the current list, not a projected one.

rank. name (team / league) - rating (age)

1. Ashlyn Harris (Washington Spirit / USA.1) - 57.8 (29.6)
2. Hope Solo (Seattle Reign / USA.1) - 57.7 (33.8)
3. Alyssa Naeher (Boston Breakers / USA.1) - 57.5 (27.1)
4. Michelle Betos (Portland Thorns FC / USA.1) - 57.4 (27.3)
5. Libby Stout (Liverpool / England.1) - 57.3 (24.9)
6. Katie Fraine (Linkoping / Sweden.1) - 57.2 (27.4)
7. Ashley Thompson (Medkila / Norway.1) - 56.5 (29.3)
8. Nicole Barnhart (FC Kansas City / USA.1) - 56.5 (33.6)
9. Michele Dalton (Chicago Red Stars / USA.1) - 56.4 (27)
10. Alyssa Whitehead (Mallbacken / Sweden.1) - 56.3 (25.4)

11. Brittany Cameron (Sky Blue FC / USA.1) - 56.3 (28.4)
12. Chantel Jones (Western New York Flash / USA.1) - 56.2 (26.8)
13. Brett Maron (Kristianstad / Sweden.1) - 56 (28.9)
14. Adelaide Gay (Kvarnsveden / Sweden.2) - 55.9 (25.5)
15. Arianna Criscione (Saint-Étienne / France.1) - 55.7 (30.3)
16. Catherine Fitzsimmons (ASPTT Albi / France.1) - 55.6 (26.5)
17. Jeannette Williams (Vikingur Olafsvik / Iceland.2) - 55.5 (26.3)
18. Allysa Clark (Masinac Nis / Serbia.1) - 55.4 (28.7)
19. Adrianna Franch (Avaldsnes IL / Norway.1) - 55.3 (24.5)
20. Bianca Henninger (Houston Dash / USA.1) - 55.1 (24.6)

21. Chanté Sandiford (UMF Selfoss / Iceland.1) - 55.1 (25.3)
22. Cris Lewis (THUSC Diamonds / USA.2P) - 54.9 (27)
23. Alexa Gaul (Selfoss / Iceland.1) - 55 (24)
24. Haley Kopmeyer (Seattle Reign / USA.1) - 54.9 (24.9)
25. Vikki Alonzo (Thor / KA / Iceland.1) - 54.8 (25.3)
26. Shelby Tomasello (Höttur / Iceland.2) - 54.6 (24.6)
27. Jennifer Manis (Tampa Bay Hellenic / USA.2P) - 54.5 (29.3)
28. Dijana Haracic (Krokom/Dvarsatts IF / Sweden.2) - 54.2 (23.3)
29. Micaela Crowley (IR Reykjavik / Iceland.2) - 54 (30.3)
30. Aubrey Bledsoe (Sky Blue FC / USA.1) - 54 (23.5)

31. Samantha Depken (New York Magic / USA.2W) - 53.9 (26.2)
32. Kelsey Wys (Washington Spirit / USA.1) - 53.8 (24.3)
33. Jami Kranich (Boston Breakers / USA.1) - 53.8 (23)
34. Meagan McCray (Valur / Iceland.1) - 53.8 (27.9)
35. Rebecca Ritchie (Real Salt Lake Women / USA.2P) - 53.6 (27.3)
35. Sarah Glass (Throttur Reykjavik / Iceland.2) - 53.6 (27.3)
37. Robyn Jones (Charlotte Lady Eagles / USA.2W) - 53.5 (30.3)
38. Yiana Dimmitt (Bay Area Freeze / USA.2P) - 53.4 (25.3)
39. Katherine Linn (Issy / France.1) - 53.3 (23.3)
40. Shannon O'Brien (FC Nashville / USA.2P) - 53.2 (35.3)

41. Audrey Baldwin (Keflavik IF / Iceland.1) - 53.1 (23.2)
42. Caitlin Updyke (IA Akranes / Iceland.1) - 53.1 (23)
43. Victoria Johnson (FC Tulsa Spirit / USA.2P) - 53.1 (26.3)
44. Emily Lillard (Washington Spirit / USA.1) - 53 (23.3)
45. Lindsey Maricic (LA Premier FC / USA.2P) - 53 (23.1)
47. Victoria Christ (Västerås BK30 / Sweden.3) - 52.8 (23.3)
47. Megan Kinneman (Houston Dash / USA.1) - 52.6 (22.9)
48. Kaitlyn Stroud (Free Agent / None) - 52.4 (23.3)
49. Brittany Anghel (Free Agent / None) - 52.1 (22.8)
50. Paige Burnett (Free Agent / None) - 52.1 (22.6)

51. Sydney Drinkwater (Florida Atlantic / USA.N) - 52 (22.3)
52. McKenzie Sauerwein (Colorado Rush / USA.2W) - 52 (23)
53. Caroline Stanley (Seattle Reign / USA.1) - 51.8 (22.2)
53. Megan Kufeld (Washington / USA.N) - 51.8 (22.2)
53. Bree Benedict (Rutgers / USA.N) - 51.8 (22.2)
56. Kelli Cornell (New Mexico / USA.N) - 51.6 (22.3)
56. Morgan Glick (IA Akranes / Iceland.1) - 51.6 (22.3)
58. Monica Gonyo (Free Agent / None) - 51.4 (22.6)
59. Katherine Courter (North Jersey Valkyries / USA.2W) - 51.4 (23.3)
60. Erin Quinn (ASA Charge FC / USA.2P) - 51.3 (22.2)

If you are outraged or encouraged by the list in any capacity, feel free to drop a line by emailing me at everybodysoccer@yahoo.com or sending a polite tweet at @letsallsoccer.

Everybody Soccered - April 2015

 April 30th

Last things for the end of the month. Joe Nasco has underwent successful surgery for his twice broken foot. He has a GoFundMe to help his family out this year, as he is unable to run his goalkeeping camps this summer. I'm sure his family will appreciate any donated amount, even a dollar.

This is a little late but Eduardo Fernandez, a goalkeeper for Real Monarchs, spoke about his ties with Mexico and the US.

Along the lines of another Google translate-needed article, John McCarthy could find a little more security in Philadelphia with M'Bolhi hinting at his exit. He will still have to contend with Andre Blake when he is 100% healthy, of course, but right now he is the starter.

Kristin Nicht transferred from Indy 11 to Montreal Impact in hopes to help them win the CONCACAF Champions League. Well that didn't happen but on a positive note the starting spot in Indy is open between two youngsters: Keith Cardona and Jon Dawson. Dawson spent last year as a backup with Indy and Cardona is returning from an appearance-less trip to Austria. I would assume Dawson, two years older than Cardona, would earn the starting spot but time will tell. They don't have a game this weekend so the team should have enough time to make the correct decision.

Looks like we have big things coming this next month!



April 26th

The highlight of the month, if not year, was my interview with an old USMNT goalkeeper, Victor Gerley. We discussed his time as a professional and what the 1966 WCQ cycle was like. I then followed that up with some in-depth analysis about Cody Cropper. TLDR? He's showing improvement but still has some room to grow.

Tally Hall is training again and looking to return soon. Donovan Ricketts hasn't exactly been helpful for Orlando so if Hall is back to 100%, they'll be anxious to have him start.

In Cup action, both Quentin Westberg (Sarpsborg 08) and Ethan Horvath (Molde) earned shutouts.

Clint Irwin and Joe Nasco weighed in on my interview with Pat Wall, who retired much earlier than expected.

The US Open Cup kicked off its preliminary round this weekend. The first round, featuring PDL and NPSL teams, starts May 13th. There will be some NCAA D1 starters in the mix as always so keep an eye out there. For example, Everybody Soccer alum Hunter Harrison will be playing with the Tulsa Athletics this spring and likely in the tournament.


April 16th

National Team Round Up

  • The US Men's National Team has recently seen new personnel in goal. Familiar face Nick Rimando played the full 90 against Denmark but William Yarbrough came in for the second half against Switzerland and Mexico, the latter where he also holds citizenship. It was an exceptionally proud moment after another glorious dos a cero performance when Mexico's goalkeeping was clearly in need of help. Here is WPY talking about his time with the USMNT and another with Alvarado. For analysis on Mr. Yarbrough, I wrote about him on Soccer Over There.

  • The U23s enjoyed a decent performance in Europe with Charlie Horton and Tyler Miller in the gloves. Horton started both games and Miller played the second half against Denmark. Here are highlights of the Denmark and Bosnia and Herzegovina games. 

  • Hope Solo started for the Women's Team against New Zealand but sat comfortably untested in the 4-0 win. Solo, Ashlyn Harris, and Alyssa Naeher comprise of the goalkeeping core for the official World Cup roster.

  • Jeff Caldwell (University of Virginia) started for the U20s against England. Caldwell could push Ethan Horvath for the backup spot for this summer's World Cup. Zack Steffen is the expected starter.

  • Lastly, and although not technically affiliated with the USSF, the United States won the first World Minifootball Federation World Cup last month (aka indoor soccer). Danny Waltman and Joey Kapinos split time to lead the US to victory. Here are highlights of the final, full of over the top announcers, a classic US-Mexico scuffle (4:55) and Waltman making a fantastic save (7:10).

Goalkeeper Happenings

Kasey Keller has been elected to the Hall of Fame while Briana Scurry has been left off for her second year in a row. Scurry had 173 caps (71 more than Keller), was a part of the most iconic moment in the Women's Team's history, and has more than a few honors to her name. The only explainable reason she wasn't inducted in either of these two years is that they forgot she was on the ballot.

Philadelphia is in full support of John McCarthy, their newest goalkeeper. The Union are hoping he can undo some of the team's low moments in their history, many of them goalkeeper-related, but their claim to finding a hidden gem is somewhat misleading. After McCarthy graduated from La Salle, he went undrafted in 77 picks during the 2014 MLS SuperDraft. McCarthy went on trial with the Sounders soon after but ended up not being offered a contract there either. He fell to the USL, where he thrived, and then came back strong this year to win the third string job in Philadelphia for 2015.

Philadelphia's head coach, Jim Curtin, recently said about McCarthy “He’s a kid that I’ve watched play for a long time and a guy that I rated pretty highly. I monitored him last year when he went on trial in Seattle, monitored him last year with USL PRO in Rochester. He’s a guy I believe in and a guy that I believe can do the job.” This is confusing because if Philadelphia had rated McCarthy highly, they would have selected him with one of their eight draft picks. Instead McCarthy was passed over for Andre Blake (two years older than McCarthy) as well as six other players who aren't even on roster with Philadelphia anymore, most of those not being offered a contract going into the season. And, yes, Philadelphia was full on goalkeepers at the moment, but they could have sent McCarthy to Harrisburg if they really thought he was a future MLS starter. Don't be misled. McCarthy's rise to Philadelphia's starter has less to do with MLS and Philadelphia, and more to do with the goalkeeper himself.

On the subject of MLS goalkeepers, they have had a rough start to the season.

The numbers above are a game-by-game GSAR total. Goals saved above replacement is a stat I created to track goalkeepers' performances. Only six goalkeepers have actually helped their team this season while sixteen have hurt their team, with the ever decreasingly popular M'Bolhi in dead last. In total, there have been 11 more goals conceded than a replacement goalkeeper's expected performance. So it's safe to say the start of the season has been rough for MLS goalkeepers.

Goalkeeper Link House

  • Here's a video of Adelaide Gay training with her new team and fielding some questions about her new environment. Gay was a backup for Washington last year and (sounds like) will be a starter for Kvarnsveden, a second division Finnish team.
  • Jimmy Maurer probably had the save of the season in early NASL action.
  • Roger Bennett spoke with Tim Howard and Brad Guzan about what it's like to be a goalkeeper in the Premier League. It's 30 minutes long so get comfy.
  • The Richmond Kickers v Wilmington Hammerheads highlights feature a sweet opposite direction save by DC United-loanee Travis Worra, a penalty save by Worra, and then a 30-ish passing sequence for a goal.
  • I wrote about how Nick Rimando will almost certainly not win MLS's Goalkeeper of the Year award on ASA.
  • A while back I wrote about Tim Howard's recent play and the same day he made a sweet save just to spite what I wrote.
  • And of course there is the Top 100 American Goalkeepers but you already knew that.