Top 100 American Goalkeepers - July 2016

We haven't had a top 100 update in many moons but on the positive side, we hit our three year anniversary of tracking goalkeepers movement up and down the top 100. (Click here to go back to every top 100 since July 2013.) Since the last update was before MLS kicked off, the list has had a large reshuffle. Many goalkeepers have upped their stock, some have fallen down the list, and others have unfortunately not landed on a team for 2016. For goalkeepers not currently playing, they won't be on this edition but the door is always open for them to return if they pen a professional contract somewhere. Newbies to the list include

Tim Murray (60)
CJ Cochran (93)
Christopher Lara (95)
Matt Bersano (96)
Devin Perales (98)

Tim Murray hasn't played consistently in the professional game over the past couple years but he's notched 11 starts for second division Finnish club, Ekenäs IF, after playing for them last year. CJ Cochran plays for the OKC Energy (USL) and Christopher Lara is the OC Blues U23 (PDL) starter. Friend of the site, Matt Bersano, is working his way up with the Seattle Sounders 2 and Devin Perales is splitting time with the Rio Grande Valley squad, which quite frankly has a stacked goalkeeper roster.

Alex Horwath leads the group with the most notable movement by grabbing the number four slot. Horwath had a fantastic game against Molde last month and while he has only had one start this year for Brann, the goalkeeper depth behind Guzan / Howard is so wishy-washy, I don't mind putting Horwath that high for now. Tyler Deric had a rough start to the season in MLS but is starting to show the promise we were all excited about last year and Joe Bendik is finally getting his feet back under him in Orlando. (I wrote more about MLS goalkeepers here for ASA for those of you who can't get enough.)

Matt Pickens is winding back the clock in Tampa and reminding people that he was, and possibly is, MLS quality. Ethan Horvath closes in on the top 20. The youngster still has some room to grow but he's jumped 50 spots in four months. Will he be ready for the World Cup in 2018? Tough to say.

Likely-leaning-Mexico goalkeeper Richard Sanchez has had a completely unnoteworthy year thus far in that I literally can't find anything on him and Louisville's Scott Goodwin has moved on from soccer to attend Harvard Medical School.

1. Brad Guzan (Aston Villa / England.1) - 31.8
2. Tim Howard (Everton FC / England.1) - 37.3
3. Tyler Deric (Houston Dynamo / USA.1) - 27.9
4. Alex Horwath (SK Brann / Norway.1) - 29.3
5. Bill Hamid (DC United / USA.1) - 25.7
6. Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake / USA.1) - 37.1
7. Steve Clark (Columbus Crew / USA.1) - 30.3
8. Joe Willis (Houston Dynamo / USA.1) - 27.9
9. William Yarbrough (Leon / Mexico.1) - 27.3
10. Luis Robles (New York Red Bulls / USA.1) - 32.2

11. David Bingham (San Jose Earthquakes / USA.1) - 26.8
12. Andrew Dykstra (DC United / USA.1) - 30.5
13. Tim Melia (Sporting Kansas City / USA.1) - 29.3
14. Evan Bush (Montreal Impact / USA.1) - 30.3
15. Joseph Bendik (Orlando City SC / USA.1) - 27.3
16. Chris Seitz (FC Dallas / USA.1) - 29.3
17. Jimmy Maurer (New York Cosmos / USA.2) - 28.8
18. Stefan Frei (Seattle Sounders / USA.1) - 30.3
19. Matt Pickens (Tampa Bay Rowdies / USA.2) - 34.3
20. Patrick McLain (Chicago Fire / USA.1) - 27.9

21. Ethan Horvath (Molde FK / Norway.1) - 21.1
22. Brian Rowe (Los Angeles Galaxy / USA.1) - 27.7
23. Zac MacMath (Colorado Rapids / USA.1) - 24.9
24. Jon Kempin (Swope Park Rangers / USA.3) - 23.3
25. Clint Irwin (Toronto FC / USA.1) - 27.3
26. Matt Pyzdrowski (Helsingborg IF / Sweden.1) - 29.9
27. Ryan Meara (New York Red Bulls / USA.1) - 25.7
28. Jeff Attinella (Real Salt Lake / USA.1) - 27.8
29. Quentin Westberg (FC Tours / France.2) - 30.3
30. Austin Guerrero (Puebla FC / Mexico.1) - 27.3

31. Sean Johnson (Chicago Fire / USA.1) - 27.2
32. Akira Fitzgerald (Carolina RailHawks / USA.2) - 29
33. Jon Busch (Indy Eleven / USA.2) - 39.9
34. Tally Hall (DC United / USA.1) - 31.2
35. Bobby Shuttleworth (New England Revolution / USA.1) - 29.2
36. Matt Lampson (Chicago Fire / USA.1) - 26.8
37. Bryan Meredith (San Jose Earthquakes / USA.1) - 26.9
38. Josh Saunders (New York City FC / USA.1) - 35.3
39. Devala Gorrick (Colorado Springs Switchbacks / USA.3) - 29
40. Mitch Hildebrandt (FC Cincinnati / USA.3) - 27.7

41. David Meves (Puerto Rico FC / USA.2) - 27
42. Richard Sanchez (Tigres UANL / Mexico.1) - 22.3
43. Alec Kann (Sporting Kansas City / USA.1) - 25.9
44. Dan Kennedy (Los Angeles Galaxy / USA.1) - 34
45. John McCarthy (Bethlemhem Steel / USA.3) - 24
46. Evan Newton (Sacramento Republic / USA.3) - 28.3
47. Matt Van Oekel (FC Edmonton / USA.2) - 29.8
48. Brad Knighton (New England Revolution / USA.1) - 31.4
49. Brendan Moore (Torquay United FC / England.5) - 24.3
50. Brad Stuver (Columbus Crew / USA.1) - 25.3

51. Nathan Stockie (PEPO Lappeenranta / Finland.3) - 27.3
52. Adam Grinwis (Rochester Rhinos / USA.3) - 24.3
53. Kyle Zobeck (New York Cosmos / USA.2) - 26.4
54. Chris Konopka (Ross County / Scotland.1) - 31.3
55. Kyle Reynish (New York Red Bulls / USA.1) - 32.7
56. Sebastian Evers (Jacksonville Armada / USA.2) - 25.5
57. Will Dieterich (Haukar / Iceland.2) - 29.3
58. Diego Restrepo (Fort Lauderdale Strikers / USA.2) - 28.4
59. Eric Kronberg (Montreal Impact / USA.1) - 33
60. Tim Murray (Ekenas IF / Finland.2) - 29

61. Brandon Miller (OC Blues FC / USA.3) - 26.6
62. Jesse Gonzalez (FC Dallas / USA.1) - 21.2
63. Josh Ford (San Antonio USL / USA.3) - 28.7
64. Trevor Spangenberg (Puerto Rico FC / USA.2) - 25.3
65. Scott Angevine (FC YPA / Finland.3) - 27.2
66. Josh Wicks (AFC United / Sweden.2) - 32.7
67. Brian Sylvestre (Carolina RailHawks / USA.3) - 23.6
68. David Yelldell (Bayer Leverkusen / Germany.1) - 35.5
69. Ryan Taylor (Richmond Kickers / USA.3) - 26.1
70. Carl Woszczynski (Arizona United / USA.3) - 28.3

71. Daniel Withrow (Portland Timbers II / USA.3) - 26.2
72. Brian Holt (New York Cosmos / USA.2) - 27.7
73. Kris Devaux (Hönefoss BK / Norway.2) - 25.2
74. Aaron Perez (Minnesota United FC / USA.2) - 29.9
75. Caleb Patterson-Sewell (Rayo OKC / USA.2) - 29.2
76. Cody Mizell (Charlotte Independence / USA.3) - 24.8
77. Andre Rawls (New York City FC / USA.1) - 26.5
78. Patrick Lane (Karlstad BK / Sweden.4) - 27.9
79. Zac Lubin (Swope Park Rangers / USA.3) - 26.9
80. Justin Luthy (Portland Timbers II / USA.3) - 25.3

81. Trey Mitchell (MLS Pool / USA.1) - 25.3
82. Charlie Lyon (Seattle Sounders / USA.1) - 24.3
83. Lionel Brown (Miami FC / USA.2) - 28.8
84. Tom Al Madon (Hapoel Rishon / Israel.2) - 31.7
85. Dan Williams (Arizona United / USA.2) - 27.5
86. Kevin Corby (Charleston Battery / USA.3) - 25.3
87. Cody Cropper (Free Agent / None) - 23.4
88. Alex Riggs (St. Louis FC / USA.3) - 28.3
89. Mark Pais (St. Louis FC / USA.3) - 25.1
90. Rafael Diaz (New York Red Bulls II / USA.3) - 24.9

91. Robby Gogatz (Albion Pros / USA.4) - 25.3
92. Spencer Richey (Vancouver Whitecaps II / USA.3) - 24.2
93. CJ Cochran (Oklahoma City Energy FC / USA.3) - 24.8
94. Dominik Jakubek (Sacramento Republic / USA.3) - 36.8
95. Christopher Lara (OC Blues U23s / USA.4) - 25.2
96. Matt Bersano (Seattle Sounders II / USA.3) - 23.8
97. Cody Laurendi (Oklahoma City Energy FC / USA.3) - 27.9
98. Devin Perales (Rio Grande Valley FC / USA.3) - 23.3
99. Hunter Gilstrap (Pittsburgh Riverhounds / USA.3) - 33.3
100. Tyler Miller (Seattle Sounders II / USA.3) - 23.3

Ranking the Copa America Goalkeepers

cover photo belongs to REUTERS/Jorge Adorno

The Copa America kicks off this weekend and you still don't know which goalkeepers are the best ones in the tournament. You're sweating bullets as your friend's watch party draws near. How will you answer the bombardment of goalkeeper-based questions? Who is Justo Villar and where is Keylor Navas? Save this page on your phone for a quick cheat sheet of which goalkeepers to keep an eye out for this tournament. The top eight feature a quick run through of the top talents while the bottom eight are relegated to a simple blurb here and there. Tune in next century for the second Copa America Centenario ranking list.

 

1. Chile

1. Claudio Bravo, 33
(Barcelona / Spain.1)
2. Cristopher Toselli, 27
(Universidad Católica / Chile.1)
3. Johnny Herrera, 35
(Universidad de Chile / Chile.1)

It's not really a surprise when the starter for Barcelona (a good club in Spain) is the best goalkeeper in a regional tournament. Notching 32 starts for his club, Bravo sets a high standard that no one else really comes that close to. I'd say ESPN undersold him a little bit by only putting him at 21st in their top players in the tournament list. (To be fair, they listed Bravo only behind Costa Rica's goalkeeper, Keylor Navas, who was not named in the final squad.) Bravo is good enough that he could win goalkeeper of the tournament despite not being on the winning side, although Chile are looking to retain their title they won last year.

 

2. Uruguay

Muslera prepares himself to punt the ball very far

Muslera prepares himself to punt the ball very far

1. Fernando Muslera, 29
(Galatasaray / Turkey.1)
2. Martin Campana, 33
(Vasco da Gama / Brazil.1)
3. Martin Silva, 27
(Independiente / Argentina.1)

Following Galatasaray's sixth place finish in league play, Muslera is looking for some redemption and Uruguay is the right team for the job. With arguably the easiest group in the tournament and starting for a nation that has a history of winning the tournament (oh just fifteen times, the most ever), Muslera is in a great position to find himself in the final. While the backups don't provide a ton of depth for Uruguay, the bigger issue will be getting the attack to fire on all cylinders, after scoring on two goals in four games in last year's tournament.

 

3. Argentina

Romero practices his levitating skills at halftime

Romero practices his levitating skills at halftime

1. Sergio Romero, 29
(Manchester United / England.1)
2. Nahuel Guzmán, 30
(UANL / Mexico.1)
3. Mariano Andújar, 32
(Estudiantes / Argentina.1)

Just two years ago Sergio Romero and Argentina were battling Germany in the World Cup final. Now they are facing the giants of Chile! Panama! Bolivia! Okay maybe not the same powerhouse match ups as the World Cup final but the ManU backup will at least get some warmup games before the knockout stage kicks in. With Argentina the odds on favorite to win, Romero could find some gold plated gloves to... well I don't know exactly what you do with gold plated gloves. Hang them up? He might want to figure that out, actually.

 

4. Brazil

photo belongs to Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images

photo belongs to Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images

1. Alisson, 24
(Roma / Italy.1)
2. Diego Alves, 30
(Valencia / Spain.1)
3. Marcelo Grohe, 29
(Grêmio / Brazil.1)

Brazil has historically struggled to match their flare up top with a goalkeeper of the same caliber and this year is no different. The three goalkeepers share a total of 16 caps between them and while Alisson has been given the number one spot, he still brings along the typical problems a twenty-three year old goalkeeper has: trying to do too much and lacking the calm composure you'd want from a veteran player. Still, he has the tools to succeed and, age aside, is in a somewhat similar position as Iker Casillas was in 2014: we know he can play but don't know how he will play. We could just as easily see a monster reflex save to seal the game or a soft goal to the blues of everyone.

 

5. Colombia

1. David Ospina, 27
(Arsenal, England.1)
2. Róbinson Zapata, 37
(Santa Fe / Colombia.1)
3. Cristian Bonilla, 23
(Atlético Nacional / Colombia.1)

Just because you're a backup doesn't mean you level of play has dipped. Yes, Ospina hasn't received a bulk of the starts at Arsenal, but you don't get to that high point in your career without maintaining yourself regardless of playing time. Ospina isn't going to be making the top ninety saves (although he does make a fantastic save at 0:35) but he will provide the calmness that Colombia will need if they're expecting to leave a tough group and face likely Brazil (oh no) or Ecuador (yes please) next round.

 

6. Mexico

Photo belongs to Mexsport. Only one shoe belongs to Corona. He lost the other one on the way to the game.

Photo belongs to Mexsport. Only one shoe belongs to Corona. He lost the other one on the way to the game.

1. José de Jesús Corona, 35
(Cruz Azul / Mexico.1)
2. Alfredo Talavera, 33
(Toluca / Mexico.1)
3. Guillermo Ochoa, 30
(Málaga / Spain.1)

CONCACAF finally gets on the board with a nation whose goalkeepers would almost combine to be the same age as the tournament itself. Despite not being the oldest starter (see Paraguay), Corona has actually returned to the scene just a little over a year ago. The agile elder sat the 2014 World Cup but is now in a position to turn some heads and hopefully lead Mexico to a better performance than year's Copa America run, which ended with them bottoming out in the group and a 11th place finish in the twelve team tournament.

 

7. USA

Brad Guzan and Oribe Peralta discuss fiscal policy during the 2015 CONCACAF Cup.

1. Brad Guzan, 31
(Aston Villa / England.1)
2. Tim Howard, 37
(Colorado Rapids / USA.1)
3. Ethan Horvath, 20
(Molde / Norway.1)

It's somewhat of a low point for the country that has enjoyed great goalkeeping for the past two decades. It's bad enough that Guzan is coming off a less than impressive year with relegated Aston Villa, where he was actually their player of the year just a few years earlier, but the Americans are probably going to need some extraordinary performances from Guzan to simply leave the group. Guzan has a great platform to have a praiseworthy tournament and the free agent could certainly use a boost to his player stock.

 

8. Paraguay

This is Justo Villar, the goalkeeper of the Paraguay National Team, and he has DirecTV

This is Justo Villar, the goalkeeper of the Paraguay National Team, and he has DirecTV

1. Justo Villar, 38
(Colo-Colo / Chile.1)
2. Antony Silva, 32
(Cerro Porteño / Paraguay.1)
3. Diego Barreto, 34
(Olimpia / Paraguay.1)

If you thought Mexico's goalkeepers were old then you will probably think this core is also old. Villar was on scene for the 2-2 draw against Brazil in March for a World Cup Qualifier earlier this year and they're looking to not lose yet again. Villar is incredibly mobile for his age but has a flair for the theatrics. Paraguay managed to sneak past Brazil last Copa America and then lose 6-1 to Argentina in the next match. It's hard to say what to expect from Paraguay or Villar but looking at the rest of the countries we haven't covered, they defaulted into eighth place. If Villar doesn't overplay his hand, there's a good chance they'll find themselves sneaking out of the stacked group.

 

Best of the Rest

9. Ecuador

1. Alexander Domínguez, 28
(LDU Quito / Ecuador.1)
2. Máximo Banguera, 30
(Barcelona / Ecuador.1)
3. Esteban Dreer, 34
(Emelec / Ecuador.1)

Domínguez started in the 2014 World Cup with Ecuador so facing Peru and Haiti should really throw him for a curveball.
 

10. Costa Rica

1. Patrick Pemberton, 34
(Alajuelense / Costa Rica.1)
2. Leonel Moreira, 26
(Herediano / Costa Rica.1)
3. Danny Carvajal, 27
(Saprissa / Costa Rica.1)

If Navas didn't drop out he'd push Costa Rica to the top five. I wouldn't say this ruins their chances of escaping the group but I wouldn't say it's extremely helpful either.
 

11. Jamaica

1. Andre Blake, 25
(Philadelphia Union / USA.1)
2. Duwayne Kerr, 29
(Sarpsborg / Norway.1)
3. Ryan Thompson, 31
(Saint Louis FC / USA.3)

Andre Blake is the only goalkeeper in the tournament to play a game in MLS this season, in case you were wondering the pedigree of the current MLS goalkeeper pool.
 

12. Venezuela

1. José Contreras, 21
(Deportivo Táchira / Venezuela.1)
2. Dani Hernández, 30
(Tenerife / Spain.2)
3. Wuilker Faríñez, 18
(Caracas / Venezuela.1)

It looks like Venezuela are running with the youngster (who received his first caps this year) and not Hernández (20 caps). Bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it plays off for them.
 

13. Peru

1. Pedro Gallese, 26
(Juan Aurich / Peru.1)
2. Diego Penny, 32
(Sporting Cristal / Peru.1)
3. Carlos Cáceda, 24
(Universitario / Peru.1)

Here's an article about how Gallese will be important in their match against Haiti if they're looking to leave the tournament with more than zero points.
 

14. Panama

1. Jaime Penedo, 34
(Saprissa / Costa Rica.1)
2. Álex Rodríguez, 25
(San Francisco / Panama.1)
3. José Calderón
(Platense / Honduras.1)

Fun fact: Penedo is one of four goalkeepers in this tournament that used to play in MLS and backup Rodríguez used to play for the New York Yankees before quitting to join Panama.
 

15. Haiti

1. Johnny Placide, 27
(Reims / France.2)
2. Steward Ceus
(Minnesota United / USA.2)
3. Luis Valendi Odelus
(Aigle Noir / Haiti.1)

Placide's claim to fame is being scored on by Ibrahimovic.
 

16. Bolivia

1. Carlos Lampe, 29
(Sport Boys / Bolivia.1)
2. Romel Quiñónez, 23
(Bolívar / Bolivia.1)
3. Guillermo Vizcarra, 23
(Oriente Petrolero / Bolivia.1)

Pass

Player Journal: Bobby Edwards, St. Joseph's University

cover photo belongs to Sideline Photos, LLC

Bobby Edwards is the starting goalkeeper at St. Joseph's University, where he recently completed his sophomore year in May. The 6'6" goalkeeper started fourteen games in both of his first two years at SJU and enters the summer with the New York Red Bulls U23s, alongside Eric Klenofsky (Monmouth) and Evan Louro (Michigan). Over the next two years, we'll track Edwards' progress with bi-monthly updates as he pursues his goal of becoming a professional goalkeeper.

As a 6’6” goalkeeper, there’s just as assumption that you’ll be great in the air and saves are rarely an issue because of your frame, unless the save is low. How much truth is there to this? How has being 6’6” affected your training?

Being tall has definitely given me certain advantages throughout my career. But there is an important distinction between being big and knowing how to use your size. If you tower over everyone and take up half the goal, but you have two left feet when it comes to movement and positioning, you won't be successful. Being big is a foot in the door, but it takes a lot of detailed training and experience to push that door open.
 
As far as high balls go, my height definitely is an advantage in being able to reach balls above attacking players. And yet it's my opinion that they are still one of the toughest situations for a goalkeeper to deal with. One second too late or one second too early can be the difference between a blunder or a great play. My size has saved me a lot of times by being able to make up for perhaps a misread ball or some sloppy footwork on high balls. I also have spent a good amount of time in the gym, trying to get stronger so I can go up in traffic and claim crosses. Having the extra power helps you win 50-50's in the air and makes it easier on yourself being that you aren't usually the one taking the beating in the battle. 
 
I have always heard that big keepers struggle to get down for low balls. My training has always put a lot of emphasis on working on responding to low balls, since in a certain sense there is a greater distance to cover for tall keepers. But with a longer wing span it is easier for big keepers to reach corners and pick the pockets, so I have learned how to compensate. 

As a taller keeper, I have always focused on, and still focus on, my movement, coordination and body control. The key for any keeper to get better is to put in a lot of work to strengthen their weaknesses. Having size means my strengths and weaknesses are different than other goalkeepers and vice versa, so in a sense yes, being big has affected my training.

St. Joseph’s finished 4-12-2 last year, following a 7-7-4 finish the year before. Where did y’all struggle this last year and what needs to happen moving forward into your junior year that will put St. Joseph’s on a more competitive platform?

Yeah, tough year to say the least. I experienced some of my lowest lows on the soccer field this past year, which was really tough mentally.

We lost three fourths of our starting back line, two of whom were captain center backs. As a freshman, I was fortunate to have an experienced back line that had already played together for three years. They had a cohesiveness that was built over time. Anyone who has played on a team over time knows that a solid back line isn't just about having the best players, it involves having a chemistry that enables the back line to work together as one unit. So losing that was tough. This isn't to say our rookies didn't do well this year, I think they did a great job being thrown into the fire their first year, but experience only comes from playing games. So naturally we didn't have the cohesiveness that we had had the year before. We made some mistakes out of a lack of experience, myself very much included.

photo belongs to Sideline Photos

photo belongs to Sideline Photos

Pressure was also put on our back line because we struggled to score goals. If we gave up a goal, it sometimes felt like we had fallen into a hole that would be hard to come back from. You could see our heads drop after we gave up a goal and our morale took a hit. If we can get more dangerous up top, we take pressure off our backline, which will help us a ton. I'm hopeful that with the experience we gained last year, we will have more cohesiveness and with some talented guys coming in to add to the mix, our overall play will be significantly stronger.

Our whole team was young. We had only two seniors. The majority of our guys who stepped on the field were either first year players or starting for the first time. Again, I think our guys did well, but for a battle between experienced college players looking to go pro vs. our inexperience, it isn't always a fair fight. Chemistry, experience, size, leadership - these are all things that get better with time.

You’re training with the New York Red Bulls U23s this summer. What about their program made you want to train with them?

The New York Red Bulls are a class organization. From the first team to the youth levels, they play great soccer and have a great program. A lot of factors went into deciding to play with them for the summer, and it took a while to come to that decision. First, the staff, facilities, and team are all amazing with the Red Bulls. They create a competitive environment that is second to none, always pushing you to be better. You don't have time to coast there or take your foot off the gas. This ties into another huge reason I wanted to come back: the people training around me are elite players. Evan Louro and Eric Klenofsky are two of the best goalkeepers I have been able to play with so far in my career. Training with them allows me to learn a lot and find out what is working for them and see if I can implement it into my own game. Lastly, I have the amazing luck that RBNY is pretty much in my backyard. To get to the facilities it takes five minutes, and if I really needed to, I could probably walk to practice. This means I can live at home, and still be able to have my life here in New Jersey. Back in February, I blew out my 5th metatarsal (the bone on the side of your foot) which needed surgery and three-to-four months of rehab. That meant that my return to play was just about two weeks before the PDL season kicked off. I knew that if I wanted to get back to where I needed to be fitness wise, living at home would allow me to spend more time training in the gym and rehab.

Adelaide Gay Interview: From UNC to Sweden's Top Flight

Adelaide Gay is a professional goalkeeper for Kvarnsvedens IK in Sweden's premier league. After spending time at Yale and North Carolina, Gay played with the Portland Thorns and Washington Spirit before traveling overseas to her current club. Adelaide has contributed to Our Magazine multiple times and offers a unique perspective on playing abroad, development in the US, and the expectations on playing at North Carolina.

Photo belongs to Jeffrey A. Camarati

Talk about your introduction into goalkeeping. How early on did you realize that becoming a pro was a real possibility?

My dad was a goalkeeper, so I always wanted to play goalkeeper. We’d rotate through when I was younger but I was always willing to volunteer and that’s kind of rare in youth soccer so I ended up being in goal more and more. I think my first real introduction to goalkeeping was at SoccerPlus goalkeeper camps when I was 11 or 12. I remember I went in to it holding the ball like a football when I was trying to protect it and came out with a notebook full of detail that I didn’t really even imagine was possible. It was a great foundation because they went through every kind of save and how to make it using the proper technique. 

I think after I transferred from Yale to UNC it was just a natural thought that I would continue to play after college. After my first professional season in Portland, I’d gotten an idea of what playing pro actually meant and I changed my approach to it a little. And as strange as it sounds that’s when I realized it was a real possibility. 

 

I read that you threw shot put in high school. How did you get into that and what was your record?

*laughs* I did. I went to a school where you had to play a sport for the school every semester. Since I had a lot of outside commitments with soccer I chose to run track because it met every afternoon at the same time and didn’t interfere with as badly with my soccer schedule. I was not a great track athlete so our coach put me in the 800m with all the other girls that I’m pretty sure he was trying to convince to quit. I ran the 800m for two years, which was exhausting and I never came close to being very good at it. Then one day I picked up one of the shot put balls because I was curious how heavy it was. I threw it and the coach was like, "Hey that was pretty far." I trained a bit and actually won some events. I don’t remember my record to be honest, but for a couple years I was a pretty big deal in the world of Mid-Atlantic prep school shot putters.   

 

There have been recent waves with the USSF starting a developmental academy for the girls’ side, which would be in direct competition with ECNL clubs. So far the main difference between the two organizations is that DA players will be restricted from playing for their high school. How important was playing for your high school and if your club had put that limitation on you, how would you have responded?

I probably wouldn’t have responded. I almost didn’t play for my high school my junior and senior year to train more at what I felt was a higher level. I ended up enjoying those two years immensely but from a developmental standpoint they weren’t necessarily a big deal for me. For some kids, I know high school soccer is a big deal and at some bigger schools the teams and coaches are good. To me, it seemed like more of a social right of passage. I enjoyed playing with my friends and there’s an element of drama that’s different from playing for your club. To be honest though, I was the girl that was annoyed when players on our [club] team missed things to play high school soccer.

 

From the outside looking in, it seems that girls have a different perception towards playing for their high school over the boys. I've heard multiple times that the ECNL has been successful because they allow players to play high school, while the boys’ side doesn’t seem to struggle the decision as near as much. Now, you’re a few years removed from playing in high school but how important is it for the average player to play for her high school? And do you foresee the DA limiting or elevating themselves in competing with the ECNL?

I’m not sure that I can give you the best insight here *laughs*. I never really understood the allure of high school soccer but I agree that some girls find it to be a big deal.

I will say that I think playing ODP, club, and getting training from a lot of different coaches was important to me so I don’t think it’s best for overall development to have kids only learning in one system. High school soccer is not the best example because a lot of the programs are stuck in the stone age but I think having multiple leagues or programs to play in is actually good for players. Not only do [the players] learn to adapt but if one program doesn’t like their playing style, they can find a team or club that does. I’m not a huge proponent of "Let’s integrate everything together [in order to] make sure no one falls through the cracks". I think it ends up doing the opposite. That’s just my two cents as a player who wasn’t particularly “identified” but really enjoyed playing and was able to find specific coaches who supported and pushed me to grow as a player.

 

You one of the few, if not only, soccer players to transfer from Yale to North Carolina, where you ended up getting the bulk of your time your junior and senior year. What prompted the transfer and did UNC meet your expectations coming into the program?

I’m not just saying this because it’s the “right" thing to say but I think why I wanted to leave Yale had a lot more to do with me and less to do with Yale. It’s easy to put your unhappiness on others but I think at the time I didn’t really know what I wanted. I spent the summer before my sophomore year out in LA and I loved training with the players there and their mentality was just so centered around soccer. I love soccer more than anything else in the world. I’ve always gotten good grades and there are other things that interest me, of course, but being surrounded by people that loved soccer as much as I did made me really happy. That’s not to say that the people at Yale didn’t like soccer and that they didn’t work hard or want to get better. It’s just a cultural difference that is hard to explain but that maybe you can imagine? A good small example: at UNC we’d played actual games that counted before Yale was even allowed to start preseason.  

“I don’t think people realize that every year and every team is different. People look at UNC and think that they get or have gotten all the best players and somehow the history of the program helped them to keep winning but to me, if anything, the burden of what came before you makes it harder.”

UNC exceeded my expectations. A lot of people tell you when deciding where to go to college to think of the school outside of soccer because you might get injured, etc. But I think if soccer is one of the things that makes you happiest, you can sort of miss the mark thinking that way. I was so much happier just being at training that it made me love so many other things about the school. Before I even got the chance to play in a game, I loved it. I loved the school, the girls, the coaches, the program. When I transferred it was a difficult and confusing time and I’m not sure I really knew what I was signing up for except that that was the training environment I wanted if I only had a few more years to play soccer. In the end, through all the little things I loved about the school and program made it better than I expected. Playing and winning a national championship was a bonus.

 

What do you feel was the main reason UNC allowed you to transfer in? I just find the move very unique and am curious on how it unfolded. I assume they needed depth at goalkeeper, but what about a goalkeeper from Yale made you a player they were interested in?

I’d trained with Chris Ducar, the goalkeeper coach at UNC, before at different summer camps so he knew me both as a player and a person. They obviously made no promises to me in terms of playing time but he knew me pretty well. And like I said, I’d trained the summer before with three or four UNC players. Not to mention that I didn’t need any help getting into the school so I don’t think there was much downside for them. Maybe Anson was curious too. *laughs*

 

Looking back on your senior year, the Tar Heels won the national championship, which is almost something of rhetoric now. However, this last year was the first time ever that UNC did not win a national championship in a three year span. What’s something that outsiders don’t understand about UNC’s history of churning out championships?

I don’t think people realize that every year and every team is different. People look at UNC and think that they get or have gotten all the best players and somehow the history of the program helped them to keep winning but to me, if anything, the burden of what came before you makes it harder. Especially because the other teams are really good. I’m sure they always were but especially nowadays. You can’t just walk into any top ten team’s stadium and expect to crush them. My junior year we lost to Notre Dame in the Sweet Sixteen by three or four goals and I remember there being an article in the paper about how that was the first time UNC had lost by more than a goal in 15 years or something ridiculous like that. Any time we did anything bad during my tenure there was a record that we’d broken in a negative way. You have to carry that weight in the right way to being successful. And that means that you can honor the tradition while still looking to find your own way and realizing that the past only has a hold on what you allow it to.

So I think it’s important that fans and the players going to UNC realize that each team is unique and winning a championship is never handed to you regardless of what you did last year or the year before or ten years ago. It always takes a special group. I know Anson could tell you what was special about each of those groups, just like I could tell you what was special about ours.

Interestingly, when I played for Portland I got the sense that our team, as well as the fans, felt that we should be crushing teams. So we would win a game 1-0 in the beginning of the season or tie and it was this enormous let down because we felt like we needed to win by more to fulfill our “potential.” But going into a game thinking you should win is like going in a goal down, or multiple goals down. And it’s ridiculous because you could have the best players and not win. No team is just owed wins based on pure talent or history. You have to have a little fight in you and a lot of that comes from realizing that there will be things to overcome even if you are the odds on favorite to win.

 

You’ve spent time with multiple American clubs, crossing over NWSL and the W-League. While the NWSL is getting more established, there is still a limit of roster spots for players coming out college. A number of players are looking at the same route that you took and trying their hand overseas. What does American soccer need to do to retain more players from going overseas? Or are their more positives for American players going to foreign leagues?

I would recommend going overseas, especially out of college, for a few reasons. First, like you were saying it’s hard to make a roster even if you got drafted. If you do make the roster, it’s unlikely that you’ll be on the field and there is no reserve league that you can play games with while being on the professional team’s roster. 

Second, professional soccer is so different from college soccer. It’s better, it’s harsher, it’s longer. Coming out of college you have a lot of life decisions that feel like they need to be made right away. And the net result is that it’s hard to perform your best your first year. Having a guaranteed contract with a team that really wants you where you will get minutes on the field even if it isn’t with the first team is huge. You learn a different style of play. You learn to be flexible because you are away from home and the social conventions are different. You grow as a player, you get better, you gain experience. And you gain credibility back in the US a lot of times. 

 

You joined the Swedish club Kvarnsvedens IK in 2015 and earned promotion to the first tier (the Damallsvenskan) after last season. How did the move to Sweden transpire? Was going overseas the original goal or would you ultimately prefer to play in the US?

When I first decided to come over here I just wanted to play. I wanted to continue to grow and develop. There was a part of me that would have preferred to stay at home but I just knew this was best for my career for all the reasons I just gave you and more. Now I look at it completely differently. I feel like I’ve improved a million times technically, physically and tactically. I am getting great game experience and I’m around really great supportive people. Mentally I feel more prepared to be successful on a daily basis.

I’m not sure what the future holds for me. I think playing in the US would be nice eventually just because it’s home, but it’s such a tough league with the kind of contracts and league rules you’re really just at so many people’s mercy. I just want to focus on what’s going to make me the best goalkeeper I can possibly be physically, technically and mentally and right now that’s right where I am.

 

Aside from the rise in competition, what’s been the biggest adjustment from last season to this year’s?

We’ll the rise in competition has hands down been the biggest difference. I think we’ve been handling it really well but it’s just more about recovering for each game and giving it our best shot than last year when we had a little bit more latitude. Sort of related, I’ve never gone into so many games before where our team is not expected to win. It’s strange and oddly freeing to be honest.

The other small detail is that last year I felt very much like we were in a bubble. No one really cared what we were doing, which was nice in a way because we were just a very close team from the middle of nowhere that was giving it everything we had and overachieving in a lot of ways. The feeling within the team is very much the same this year but there is a little bit less of a bubble. We’re doing more social media and things in the community. We’re trying to build a team and program that can be successful in the longterm. And there is more interest in us from the media and the league. So it’s less of us against the world and a little bit more open to the traditional influences of professional soccer. 

 

Obviously you’re focused on your club play more than anything, but with all 23 players on the US World Cup roster coming from the NWSL, do you get the sense that players not playing in the NWSL are at a disadvantage with receiving a call up?

Probably. But I really believe that if you focus on your own development and being the best player and person you can be, things usually work out in the end, as hard as that might be to stick to with outside forces. I would hate to see a player think that they have to move back from overseas to play in the NWSL because that’s the only way they can get on the national team. I’ve actually seen that go very wrong for a couple of players that I know personally. I think players doing what’s best for their development and mental well being usually works out best in the long run even if they might not be on a roster right now.

 

Five years from now, what’s the ideal plan? Stay in Sweden, return to the US, or be playing elsewhere?

I really don’t know. I feel as though I’m still improving and that I still have a ways to go to get to my full potential. So I just hope that I can make decisions that keep me on that path, wherever that may lead me geographically.