US Women's National Team Goalkeeper Pool - July 2015

U-S-A! U-S-A! We did it!

And what better way than to celebrate than to take a look at the top seventy goalkeepers that could suit up for America in a moment's notice? That's right! We're expanding from 60 to 70 this month because the WPSL and W-League started back up and there are a number of good goalkeepers playing there. Honestly, the difference between the two leagues is unclear to me despite the fact that the WPSL has 80-something teams to the W-League's 18. But we added around twenty goalkeepers from those two leagues so it sounds like a win-win.

Unfortunately we do have some exits from the pool since last month's post. Chanté Sandiford is now playing with Guyana and Mallori Lofton has retired, which I'll have an interview on later this week. You can see the entire history of the rankings here, dating back to March of this year.

Lastly, Michelle Betos was named NWSL player of the week in late June for this last second header to tie the game. Betos is number six on the list and the second goalkeeper to win the award this season, after Henninger won it earlier this year.

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

1. Ashlyn Harris (Washington Spirit / USA.1) - 57.8 (29.8)
2. Hope Solo (Seattle Reign / USA.1) - 57.7 (34)
3. Alyssa Naeher (Boston Breakers / USA.1) - 57.6 (27.3)
4. Libby Stout (Liverpool / England.1) - 57.4 (25.1)
5. Katie Fraine (Linkoping / Sweden.1) - 57.2 (27.6)
6. Michelle Betos (Portland Thorns FC / USA.1) - 57.1 (27.4)
7. Michele Dalton (Chicago Red Stars / USA.1) - 56.9 (27.2)
8. Chantel Jones (Western New York Flash / USA.1) - 56.6 (27)
9. Ashley Thompson (Sandviken / Norway.1) - 56.5 (29.5)
10. Nicole Barnhart (FC Kansas City / USA.1) - 56.4 (33.8)

11. Brittany Cameron (Sky Blue FC / USA.1) - 56.3 (28.6)
12. Adelaide Gay (Kvarnsveden / Sweden.2) - 56 (25.7)
13. Brett Maron (Kristianstad / Sweden.1) - 56 (29.1)
14. Alyssa Whitehead (Mallbacken / Sweden.1) - 56 (25.6)
15. Arianna Criscione (Saint-Étienne / France.1) - 55.7 (30.4)
16. Catherine Fitzsimmons (ASPTT Albi / France.1) - 55.7 (26.7)
17. Jeannette Williams (Vikingur Olafsvik / Iceland.2) - 55.6 (26.5)
18. Adrianna Franch (Avaldsnes IL / Norway.1) - 55.5 (24.7)
19. Allysa Clark (Masinac Nis / Serbia.1) - 55.5 (28.8)
20. Alexa Gaul (SC Sand / Germany.1) - 55.2 (24.2)

21. Haley Kopmeyer (Seattle Reign / USA.1) - 55.1 (25.1)
22. Vikki Alonzo (Thor / KA / Iceland.1) - 54.9 (25.5)
23. Shelby Tomasello (Höttur / Iceland.2) - 54.8 (24.8)
24. Bianca Henninger (Houston Dash / USA.1) - 54.6 (24.8)
25. Kelsey Wys (Washington Spirit / USA.1) - 54.6 (24.4)
26. Dijana Haracic (Krokom/Dvarsatts IF / Sweden.2) - 54.4 (23.5)
27. Kelli Cornell (Beach Futbol Club / USA.2P) - 54.4 (24.8)
28. Aubrey Bledsoe (Sky Blue FC / USA.1) - 54.1 (23.7)
29. Samantha Depken (New York Magic / USA.2W) - 54 (26.3)
30. Rebecca Ritchie (Real Salt Lake Women / USA.2P) - 53.6 (27.5)

31. Robyn Horner (Charlotte Lady Eagles / USA.2W) - 53.5 (30.5)
32. Katherine Linn (Issy / France.1) - 53.5 (23.5)
33. Yiana Dimmitt (Spurs East Bay / USA.2P) - 53.5 (25.5)
34. Audrey Baldwin (Keflavik IF / Iceland.1) - 53.3 (23.3)
35. Caitlin Updyke (Free Agent / None) - 53.3 (23.2)
36. Victoria Johnson (FC Tulsa Spirit / USA.2P) - 53.1 (26.5)
37. Che Brown (Boston Breakers / USA.1) - 53.1 (23.2)
38. Victoria Christ (Västerås BK30 / Sweden.2) - 52.5 (23.5)
39. Emily Krueger (Portland Thorns FC / USA.1) - 53 (23.5)
40. Jami Kranich (Boston Breakers / USA.1) - 53 (23.2)

41. Megan Kinneman (Houston Dash / USA.1) - 52.8 (23.1)
42. Lindsey Maricic (LA Premier FC / USA.2P) - 52.7 (23.3)
43. Kaitlyn Stroud (Free Agent / None) - 52.5 (23.5)
44. Ryan Torrero (Santa Clarita Blue Heat / USA.2W) - 52.5 (25.5)
45. Brittany Anghel (Free Agent / None) - 52.3 (22.9)
46. Paige Burnett (Boston Breakers / USA.1) - 52.3 (22.8)
47. McKenzie Sauerwein (Thróttur Reykjavík / Iceland.1) - 52.2 (23.2)
48. Caroline Stanley (Seattle Reign / USA.1) - 52 (22.3)
49. Emily Lillard (Washington Spirit / USA.1) - 52 (22)
50. Jillian Mastroianni (New York Athletic Club / USA.2P) - 52 (24.8)

51. Caitlin Hoffer (New York Magic / USA.2W) - 51.7 (24.5)
52. Monica Gonyo (Chicago Red Stars / USA.1) - 51.6 (22.8)
53. Katherine Courter (North Jersey Valkyries / USA.2W) - 51.6 (23.5)
54. Kristina Utley (San Francisco Nighthawks / USA.2P) - 51.4 (21.9)
55. Lyndse Hokanson (Washington Spirit / USA.1) - 51.3 (23.3)
56. Abby Smith (Texas / USA.N) - 51.2 (21.8)
57. Jordan Day (Houston Dash / USA.1) - 51 (22.3)
58. Bryane Heaberlin (North Carolina / USA.N) - 50.6 (21.7)
59. Katelyn Rowland (FC Kansas City / USA.1) - 50.5 (21.3)
60. Shauni Kerkhoff (Temple / USA.N) - 50.3 (21.5)

61. Morgan Glick (IA Akranes / Iceland.1) - 50.3 (22.1)
62. Alex Kubrick (Charlotte Lady Eagles / USA.2W) - 50.4 (23.2)
63. Megan Tock (Western New York Flash / USA.1) - 50.3 (23.2)
64. Rebecca Lewis (Central Connecticut State / USA.N) - 50.2 (23.5)
65. Lindsey Harris (North Carolina / USA.N) - 50.2 (21.7)
66. Britt Eckerstrom (Penn State / USA.N) - 50 (22.2)
67. Jane Campbell (Stanford / USA.N) - 49.9 (20.4)
68. Holly Van Noord (Liberty / USA.N) - 49.9 (20.9)
69. Emma Kruse (VCU / USA.N) - 49.9 (22.1)
70. Hannah Steadman (West Virginia / USA.N) - 49.8 (22.8)

The cover photo comes from Sports Illustrated's 25 cover gallery, which you can see each cover here. And of course feedback is welcomed on the list so if you have any opinions on the names above, let's hear it.

Everybody Soccered - June 2015

cover photo by Craig Mitchelldyer

ES is a little quiet during the summer so please accept this apology and late post. Yes I know it is July but never mind that. This is for June.

I wrote a few goalkeeper-related things last month. Of course there's the top 100 USMNT goalkeepers (and what gloves they use) but I also covered the top 15 in the U23s pool. And my monthly post on ASA featured a battle royale of sorts.

Easily most important, Hope Solo and the USWNT have advanced to the World Cup Final. Solo, who essentially owns every USWNT goalkeeping record, has only conceded one goal in competition and honestly has had a quiet tournament. Even Germany, the favorite for many, hardly tested Solo as the US was stellar at getting numbers back when the Germans lobbed cross after cross into the box. The US takes on Japan Sunday in a rematch of the 2011 final.

Libby Stout weighed in on the team before the tournament started but it's still a good read. Steven Goff wrote about the "quiet" World Cup Solo has had so far, in multiple ways.

The U20s finished a respectable seventh in the 2015 U20 World Cup. Starting goalkeeper Zack Steffen conceded three goals over 840 minutes (including qualifying) and made a penalty save look really easy in the first round of the knockout stage. Perhaps Steffen's greatest accomplishment was throwing himself into the U23 goalkeeper pool. The U23s start qualifying in October, near the same time the U17s kick off their World Cup journey. (The draw for their group is August 6th.)

Both Kasey Keller and Brad Friedel have been encouraging of Zack Steffen recently. Keller went into long form while Friedel kept it under 140.

USMNT did a 1-2 punch in Europe against juggernauts Netherlands and Germany. (You can catch highlights of Brad Guzan's outings here and here.) Guzan looks like he is rebounding from the sour ending at Aston Villa and will be starting for the Gold Cup. However, once Tim Howard returns to the scene this fall, Guzan will have to convince Klinsmann that the changing of the guard is the right move. Here's a great picture of Guzan keeping himself big on a 1v1 save. Only slightly cooler than this one.

The U23s finished third it the Toulon Tournament, somehow. After going 2-2 in group play, where goalkeeping was a sore spot for the Americans, they topped England 2-1 in the third place game. All three U23 goalkeepers are likely to be somewhere else this next fall. Charlie Horton signed with Leeds United while his counterpart Cody Cropper signed with MK Dons, another second division English team. MK Dons are recently promoted from the third division, which makes me even less excited about Cropper's new club. Not that playing time will be hard to come by, but that the opposition could be too much for Cropper, and Horton for that matter. Neither have really excelled at the U23 level to the point where I'd trust them to be starting for a club that is equal, if not better, than an MLS team. (Cropper had the opportunity there as well.) Hopefully it works out but there are better options out there. The third U23 goalkeeper, Tyler Miller, is back in Seattle after what one could call a dreadful time in Germany: two red cards and ten starts, all of which were losses. USL Sounders goalkeeper Charlie Lyon has been performing admirably so Miller could be looking elsewhere for playing time.

David Meves did maybe the shortest interview ever.

Michelle Betos joined the exclusive goalie goal scorers club with this sick header. A youth goalkeeper had actually done the same a week earlier, while others tried their best to imitate Betos.

The Developmental Academy season is coming to an end. Three goalkeepers were picked for tops from the east, central, and west conferences. Mason Stadjuhar (17 years old, Orlando City), Marcel DaSilva (Shattuck-St. Mary’s, Tulsa commit), and J.T. Marcinkowski (San Jose Earthquakes, Georgetown commit) were the three winners, respectively.

Angel Alvarez advanced to the 2015 US Youth Soccer National Championships with his team Las Vegas Soccer Association (LVSA 97s). I interviewed Alvarez about his interesting career earlier this year. The national tournament features the best non-DA clubs in the country and kicks off July 21st in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Some American goalkeepers are starting for other nations and while it's not in the red-white-and-blue, we're still proud of them. Doug Herrick has kept Guam in the chase for the World Cup and Keasel Broome originally earned two shutouts against Aruba but the last game was nullified for an illegal player. So Barbados is officially out of the running despite Broome's efforts. Herrick and Guam find out later in July who'll they'll be playing in the third round of qualifying.

This isn't goalkeeper-centric but last year I interviewed Coppell's high school coach, Chad Rakestraw, over at Top Drawer Soccer. The academy he spoke of then is now coming to fruition. Another friend of the site, Joe Funicello, is heading off to coach in Iceland and we wish him the best of luck over there. 

Other tidbits that don't need a ton of commentary:

 

And here are a bunch of saves for you:

 

Lastly, John McCarthy has been doing some really great charity work, including donating his time and hair.

Top 100 American Goalkeepers - June 2015

cover photo from Seattle Sports

Barely made it for June! Whew. There's been some significant movement in the top 100 from two months ago so let's discuss the major changes.

Brad Friedel is officially out and Stefan Frei has taken over the number three slot. Of course this begs the question, "Why doesn't he get called up to the USMNT?" Only Jurgen Klinsmann can truly answer that but the most likely answer is that Frei doesn't have any upside; he's essentially in the peak of his career, unlike Bill Hamid or other USYNT products. Frei doesn't have the glamour and Klinsmann, it would appear, thinks that certain younger goalkeepers will eventually pass Frei in talent. This goes back to the debate of "How much does the national team develop a player?" Which I would argue very little. It makes less sense to call in a developing player, regardless of his ceiling, if he isn't the best option at the moment instead of just simply calling in the top players regardless of age. Perhaps Frei can earn a Camp Cupcake call up but even that seems unlikely. Still, he's number one with us (after Guzan and Howard, of course).

Then of course there's Steve Clark at number four, who I would have expected to take the number three slot if you asked me a year or even six months ago. Clark's Achilles heel is his consistency. We'll see great saves one moment then a facepalm the next. If he can cut out the problems, he'd make a run at MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, however if he can't we'll could be seeing him farther down the list.

Andrew Dykstra (+39), Chris Konopka (+38), and Brian Sylvestre (+41) all jumped up the list for their recent performances, Dykstra most notably of the three, landing at number nine. While Dykstra had a hell of an outing in Champions League early this year, he's rebounded with outstanding performances while filling in for Bill Hamid's absence. Which is the real Dykstra? Time will tell.

Joe Bendik continues to tumble down the list. It's a real shame considering he has all the tools to be a starter in MLS but can't seem to put it together. His 1v1 approach is all over the place and he seems to be a step behind too often. Still young, Bendik could rebound but I'm doubtful he'll ever get to his number six spot again.

Lower division goalkeepers that are really shining are Sacramento's Patrick McLain and New York Cosmos' Jimmy Maurer. McLain is looking to rejoin MLS but I could see Maurer staying with the NASL for the rest of his career if the money is right.

Daryl Sattler returns to the list for the first time since July 2013 and Jeremy Crumpton is back in the top 100 as well, last being seen here in March 2014. As for newcomers, there are quite a few! There's a link or highlight vid for each goalkeeper just so you can hold your own around the water cooler next Monday.

Charlie Lyon
Darius Motazed
Kris Devaux
Sebastian Evers
Tony Halterman
Trey Mitchell

That's not all the big moves but those are most of them. You can check the history of the top 100 here to see the movement of each goalkeeper over time, including which goalkeepers use what brand of gloves, if you're into that sort of thing.

 

1. Brad Guzan (Aston Villa / England.1) - 77 (30.8)
2. Tim Howard (Everton FC / England.1) - 76.1 (36.3)
3. Stefan Frei (Seattle Sounders / USA.1) - 70.9 (29.2)
4. Steve Clark (Columbus Crew / USA.1) - 70.8 (29.2)
5. Luis Robles (New York Red Bulls / USA.1) - 69.8 (31.1)
6. Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake / USA.1) - 69 (36)
7. Bill Hamid (DC United / USA.1) - 68.9 (24.6)
8. Evan Bush (Montreal Impact / USA.1) - 68.6 (29.3)
9. Andrew Dykstra (DC United / USA.1) - 68.6 (29.4)
10. Chris Seitz (FC Dallas / USA.1) - 68.5 (28.3)

11. William Yarbrough (Leon / Mexico.1) - 68.5 (26.3)
12. Bobby Shuttleworth (New England Revolution / USA.1) - 68.5 (28.1)
13. Brian Rowe (Los Angeles Galaxy / USA.1) - 68.5 (26.6)
14. Tyler Deric (Houston Dynamo / USA.1) - 68.4 (26.8)
15. Clint Irwin (Colorado Rapids / USA.1) - 68.1 (26.2)
16. Zac MacMath (Colorado Rapids / USA.1) - 67.9 (23.8)
17. Tally Hall (Orlando City SC / USA.1) - 67.9 (30.1)
18. Jimmy Maurer (New York Cosmos / USA.2) - 67.9 (27.7)
19. Quentin Westberg (Sarpsborg 08 / Norway.1) - 67.8 (29.2)
20. Jeff Attinella (Real Salt Lake / USA.1) - 67.8 (26.8)

21. Alex Horwath (SK Brann / Norway.1) - 67.7 (28.3)
22. Troy Perkins (Seattle Sounders / USA.1) - 67.7 (33.9)
23. Joe Willis (Houston Dynamo / USA.1) - 67.6 (26.8)
24. Matt Pickens (Tampa Bay Rowdies / USA.2) - 67.6 (33.2)
25. Tim Melia (Sporting Kansas City / USA.1) - 67.6 (28.3)
26. Joseph Bendik (Toronto FC / USA.1) - 67.6 (26.2)
27. Andrew Weber (Portland Timbers / USA.1) - 67.5 (31.8)
28. David Bingham (San Jose Earthquakes / USA.1) - 67.4 (25.7)
29. Jon Busch (Chicago Fire / USA.1) - 67.4 (38.8)
30. Dan Kennedy (FC Dallas / USA.1) - 67.4 (32.9)

31. Josh Saunders (New York City FC / USA.1) - 67.3 (34.3)
32. Brad Knighton (New England Revolution / USA.1) - 67.2 (30.3)
33. Matt Pyzdrowski (Helsingborg IF / Sweden.1) - 67.2 (28.8)
34. Patrick McLain (Sacramento Republic / USA.3) - 67.2 (26.8)
35. Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire / USA.1) - 67.1 (26.1)
36. Ryan Meara (New York City FC / USA.1) - 67.1 (24.6)
37. Evan Newton (Oklahoma City Energy FC / USA.3) - 67 (27.2)
38. Mitch Hildebrandt (Minnesota United FC / USA.2) - 66.9 (26.6)
39. David Yelldell (Bayer Leverkusen / Germany.1) - 66.9 (34.4)
40. Akira Fitzgerald (Carolina RailHawks / USA.2) - 66.8 (27.9)

41. Scott Goodwin (Louisville City FC / USA.3) - 66.8 (24.6)
42. Andrew Fontein (Minnesota United FC / USA.2) - 66.8 (25.3)
43. Austin Guerrero (Estudiantes de Altamira / Mexico.2) - 66.8 (26.3)
44. Devala Gorrick (Colorado Springs Switchbacks / USA.3) - 66.5 (27.9)
45. Kyle Reynish (New York Red Bulls / USA.1) - 66.5 (31.6)
46. Bryan Meredith (San Jose Earthquakes / USA.1) - 66.3 (25.8)
47. Chris Konopka (Toronto FC / USA.1) - 66.3 (30.2)
48. Matt Lampson (Pittsburgh Riverhounds / USA.3) - 66.2 (25.8)
49. John McCarthy (Philadelphia Union / USA.1) - 66.2 (22.9)
50. Brad Stuver (Columbus Crew / USA.1) - 66.2 (24.2)

51. David Meves (Fort Lauderdale Strikers / USA.2) - 66.2 (25.9)
52. Josh Wicks (AFC United / Sweden.2) - 66.1 (31.6)
53. Eric Kronberg (Montreal Impact / USA.1) - 66 (31.9)
54. Carl Woszczynski (Arizona United / USA.3) - 66 (27.2)
55. Will Dieterich (Haukar Hafnarfjördur / Iceland.2) - 65.9 (28.3)
56. Jon Kempin (San Antonio Scorpions / USA.2) - 65.9 (22.2)
57. Jon Dawson (Indy Eleven / USA.2) - 65.8 (24.3)
58. Brian Sylvestre (Philadelphia Union / USA.1) - 65.8 (22.5)
59. Alec Kann (St. Louis FC / USA.3) - 65.7 (24.8)
60. Lance Parker (Free Agent / None) - 65.7 (29.8)

61. Adam Grinwis (Rochester Rhinos / USA.3) - 65.7 (23.2)
62. Diego Restrepo (Metropolitanos FC / Venezuela.1) - 65.5 (27.3)
63. John Berner (Charlotte Independence / USA.3) - 65.4 (24.3)
64. Caleb Patterson-Sewell (Gil Vicente FC / Portugal.1) - 65.3 (28.1)
65. Tom Al Madon (Hapoel Tel Aviv FC / Israel.1) - 65.2 (30.6)
66. Matt Van Oekel (FC Edmonton / USA.2) - 65.1 (28.8)
67. Brandon Miller (Rochester Rhinos / USA.3) - 65.1 (25.5)
68. Darius Motazed (TuS Koblenz / Germany.4) - 65 (25.9)
69. Kenneth Kronholm (Holstein Kiel / Germany.3) - 65 (29.7)
70. Kyle Zobeck (New York Cosmos / USA.2) - 65 (25.3)

71. Nathan Stockie (Jippo / Finland.3) - 65 (26.3)
72. Lionel Brown (Fort Lauderdale Strikers / USA.2) - 64.9 (27.8)
73. Brian Holt (New York Cosmos / USA.2) - 64.9 (26.6)
74. Patrick Lane (Karlstad BK / Sweden.4) - 64.9 (26.8)
75. Josh Ford (Fort Lauderdale Strikers / USA.2) - 64.9 (27.6)
76. Daryl Sattler (San Antonio Scorpions / USA.2) - 64.8 (34.8)
77. Markus Dickerson (Kongsvinger IL / Norway.3) - 64.8 (25.1)
78. Trevor Spangenberg (Richmond Kickers / USA.3) - 64.7 (24.2)
79. Justin Luthy (Portland Timbers II / USA.3) - 64.7 (24.2)
80. Ryan Taylor (Richmond Kickers / USA.3) - 64.7 (25)

81. Daniel Withrow (Portland Timbers II / USA.3) - 64.7 (25.1)
82. Zac Lubin (Tulsa Roughnecks / USA.3) - 64.7 (25.8)
83. Hunter Gilstrap (Carolina RailHawks / USA.2) - 64.6 (32.2)
84. Kris Devaux (Baerum SK / Norway.2) - 64.6 (24.1)
85. Sebastian Evers (Jacksonville Armada / USA.2) - 64.5 (24.4)
86. Carlos Rojas (CD Cruz Azul / Mexico.1) - 64.4 (25.3)
87. Warren Gross (Western Mass Pro Soccer / USA.4) - 64.4 (26.4)
88. Nick Shackelford (Los Angeles Galaxy II / USA.3) - 64.3 (24.7)
89. Larry Jackson (Wilmington Hammerheads / USA.3) - 64.2 (24.8)
90. Dominik Jakubek (Sacramento Republic / USA.3) - 64.1 (35.8)

91. Cody Mizell (Fram Reykjavik / Iceland.2) - 64.1 (23.8)
92. Paul Rachubka (Oldham Athletic / England.3) - 64.1 (34.1)
93. Tony Halterman (Evergreen Dipolmats / USA.4) - 64 (24.4)
94. Spencer Richey (Vancouver Whitecaps II / USA.3) - 63.9 (23.1)
95. Charlie Lyon (Seattle Sounders II / USA.3) - 63.8 (23.2)
96. Trey Mitchell (Los Angeles Galaxy / USA.1) - 63.7 (24.2)
97. Oliver Blum (TB Uphusen / Germany.5) - 63.7 (25.5)
98. Michael Lisch (Houston Dynamo / USA.1) - 63.5 (24.8)
99. Jeremy Crumpton (Colorado Springs Switchbacks / USA.3) - 63.5 (24.8)
100. Cody Laurendi (Austin Aztex / USA.3) - 63.5 (26.8)

US Soccer Highlight Bank

Here is a Google doc of of every USMNT, USWNT, and USYNT highlight I could find, including some full matches. At the bottom you will find some every touch player videos.

This is not a comprehensive list of every game, just the ones I could find videos of. If there is one listed without a link, it is because I could not find a video for that game but thought it might exist somewhere. If you know of any more highlights, full games, errors or dead links, please let me know!