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AGD is back for a third year. With the NASL is turmoil, it's hard to say exactly where every team is going to end up, much less their goalkeepers. Follow along with the tracker below to see what your team is looking to do in their goalkeeper department.
Click the team to jump to their section, unless you're on your phone which you will need to click here to use the hyperlinks.
photo from Doug Hood
The women's rankings dropped last week and now we're on to the men's. This is third year we've had college rankings and you can look back on past rankings to see what goalkeepers have come through the college ranks.
2014 Rankings
2015 Rankings
2016 Preseason Rankings
The MLS Combine will be held on January 7th-12th with the SuperDraft on the following Friday the 13th. Combines and drafts haven't quite shown a proven track record of picking the right goalkeepers so don't be surprised if undrafted seniors show back up elsewhere.
Seniors
1. Eric Klenofsky (Monmouth) - 22
2. Alec Ferrell (Wake Forest) - 22
3. Bill Heavner (UMBC) - 23
4. David Greczek (Rutgers) - 22
5. Logan Ketterer (Bradley) - 23
6. Matt Gilbert (Boston U) - 22
7. Alex McCauley (NC State) - 22
8. Alex Kapp (Creighton) - 22
9. Kyle Morton (James Madison) - 22
10. Mike Kirk (La Salle) - 22
Bill says: It seems on the men's side the top goalkeepers are routinely at smaller schools. Klenofsky, Greczek, and Ketterer fit the modern mold as mobile, slim goalkeepers while Ferrell, Heavner, and Gilbert are more of the common stronger frame. One isn't necessarily better than another, but European goalkeepers typically fit the former build while Americans like the latter. Tulsa's Jake McGuire has received some press as well and could likely receive a combine invite.
Juniors
1. Jeff Caldwell (Virginia) - 20
2. Ben Lundgaard (Virginia Tech) - 21
3. Paul Christensen (Portland) - 20
4. Andrew Shepherd (Western Michigan) - 22
5. Bobby Edwards (Saint Joseph's) - 21
6. Michael Nelson (SMU) - 21
7. Kyle Dal Santo (SIUE) - 21
8. Eric Dick (Butler) - 21
9. Nolan Wirth (Oregon State, Canadian) - 21
10. Collin Partee (Loyola Marymount) - 21
Bill says: USYNT goalkeepers Caldwell and Christensen have long been a part of the best of the class while Lundgaard and Shepherd have done well to work themselves into the conversation. Edwards sat this year with a foot injury and will still have two years to play. Kyle Dal Santo made some noise this postseason, pushing SIUE past both Michigan State and Butler in penalty kicks, before falling to Alec Ferrell and Wake Forest. Other goalkeepers in the mix include Michigan's Evan Louro (graduating early) and recent National Champion Andrew Epstein at Stanford.
Sophomores
1. JT Marcinkowski (Georgetown) - 19
2. Todd Morton (Delaware) - 20
3. Jonathan Klinsmann (California) - 19
4. Luis Barraza (Marquette) - 20
5. Jonny Sutherland (East Tennessee State, English) - 22
6. Elliott Rubio (Utah Valley) - 20
7. Sawyer Jackman (Florida Gulf Coast) - 20
8. Jimmy Hague (Michigan State) - 21
9. Ryan Cretens (UNC Wilmington) - 20
10. Colin Hanley (Xavier) - 20
Bill says: All aboard the Marcinkowski hype train. At this rate, don't be surprised if he leaves college a year early. Morton earned first team all-CAA while Klinsmann and Barraza will try to build off the ups and resolve the downs from this year. Rubio, Jackman, and Hanley all split time and need to solidify the starting spot for their junior year. While a little older than his classmates, Sutherland brings English YNT experience to the states and was rewarded with first team selection in the Southern Conference.
Freshmen
1. Kevin Silva (UCLA) - 18
2. Parker Siegfried (Ohio State) - 19
3. Arie Ammann (Penn State) - 20
4. Elliot Panicco (Charlotte) - 19
5. Marc Olsen (Central Arkansas, German) - 19
6. Remi Prieur (St. Mary's) - 19
7. Andrew Romig (North Carolina) - 18
8. Titouan Le Roux (UC Santa Barbara, French) - 19
9. Jimmy Slayton (Hartford) - 18
10. Drake Callender (California) - 19
Bill says: It seems like a lifetime ago that Kevin Silva was starting in the Nike Friendlies and now he finished the season as UCLA's starter. The freshmen group are distinguished in a number of ways. Panicco earned top goalkeeper in the Conference USA, Romig trained with the USL's Richmond Kickers last year, and Siegfried (Columbus), Prieur, and Callender (both San Jose) have homegrown possibilities down the line.
cover photo by Lindsey Wasson / The Seattle Times
To no surprise at all, Stefan Frei was named the MVP for the 2016 MLS Final. Frei's involvement in the game was essentially boiled down to one save in extra time. He also made a few punches in the box - including one that ended with him getting steam rolled by Jozy Altidore - cut out a slotted ball late in the game, and of course stopped a slow roller of a penalty kick by Michael Bradley. All important plays but they pale in comparison to his save in the 108th minute, one that will surely go down in MLS history.
Play starts at 1:40
There's no questioning the importance of the save. Frei essentially went from a very calm 107 minutes into one of the higher intensity saves of his career within a split second. The faces of the Toronto fans show just how unbelievable the save was in a moment that seemed guaranteed to give Toronto a lead. Let's walk through the save to understand how Frei came to keep the ball out of the net.
There are eight slides all-in-all but pictures can't show movement obviously so you may want to go back to the video after flipping through.
1. Frei is set up on the front post. He doesn't have the luxury to check his shoulder because if he looks away, he could miss something (a pass or shot). By the time he would look back, the situation could be completely different. RSL fans may have noticed how far off Nick Rimando is from his front post in these situations. Rimando will literally be about a yard or two to Frei's right. There are advantages and disadvantages to both positions and depending on the goalkeeper, you can play either spot right and wrong. Frei hugs the post and readies himself.
2. Frei utilizes what is known as a crossover step, which is about exactly what it sounds like. A crossover step is like karaoke (a common warm up drill) except you don't cross your lead foot behind. You keep your shoulders and hips as square as possible while repeating the step. Frei doesn't shuffle because the crossover step is faster but, as we'll see, it's easier to get moving too fast. The crossover step is the correct move here except Frei should probably drop his right foot first instead of pivoting on it, swinging his entire left side of his body like a revolving door. If he drops his right foot he can turn faster, cover more of the goal, and see the rest of the box quicker. It's not really an issue here but it's not as efficient as it could be. The ball is about a third of the way to Altidore and Frei has not yet moved his right foot. In some cases, this could be problematic.
3. Altidore heads the ball and even though Frei is centered, he is actually still moving. The downside of the crossover step is coming into light now because he has only moved a few yards and is still having trouble stopping. Frei did a good job of identifying the striker immediately from the cross but his timing is a little off. Ideally, he would be set as or very soon after Altidore connects with the ball. If his momentum is pulling him away from the ball, it's lost time for Frei.
4. Frei's momentum keeps him going to his right, pushing him off-center. It's hard to say if this was intentional or not. Hypothetically, Frei could want to cover the back post because it's easier to head the ball with momentum than against. However, Altidore has time to get behind it and sending it the other way goes against the percentage play but clearly Frei doesn't know that until right before it happens. It looks like Frei's momentum has just carried him a little farther than he wished but either way it's a small error, much like the footwork in the second picture.
The real issue isn't the angle but the timing. If you have great timing, you can get away with bad angles. If you have bad timing, angles won't matter much. The ball has travelled a good distance off Altidore's head and Frei is just now changing his momentum to move towards the ball. This is lost time for Frei and makes the save more difficult.
Something on a smaller note, Frei's right foot is planted while his left foot is arched up. Another downside with the crossover step is that a goalkeeper's feet aren't in sync. With a shuffle, the feet are landing at the same time, making a goalkeeper balanced. With a crossover step, a goalkeeper is exchanging power from one leg to another on each step. Goalkeepers have to mindfully coordinate their feet to minimize wasted time when crossing the goal face.
5. Frei heads back to the front post. It's a little blurry but this is just showing that Frei is again using the crossover step. This is another correct decision by Frei. He needs to cover ground fast and this is the way to do it. Notice how Frei's left foot (the one closer to the goal line) has never touched its heel to the ground, or even come close. It's basically just his toes on the ground here. Imagine trying to start a sprint with just your toes on the ground. It's tough to get leverage to really propel yourself forward and Frei is about to be in a bind with his footwork.
6. It's hard to tell how much of Frei's right heel is on the ground but contrast the footwork. His heel is probably not completely planted but it's easy to tell the difference in steps here. Frei hasn't completely planted his left foot but the foot shape is similar to this picture when he finally does. (The video doesn't give a very clear picture so just take my word here.) There seems to be some real indecision on Frei's part and the footwork is the give away here. If Frei thought he had more time, he would have not planted his foot so awkwardly and just played it like he's done a million times. If he thought he didn't have time, he probably would have used an overhand save (in this case, his right hand coming across) to jump the save early. It seems like he thinks he's going to have to more time than he does. Perhaps part of this is how hard it is for goalkeepers to read a ball coming at them from a downward angle, much like a baseball player trying to make a Willie Mays overhead catch. Understanding that they are very different situations, you can still see how difficult it is for a goalkeeper to handle a ball coming at him from the sky.
Whatever the case, Frei is now in a troubling spot because his left foot - the one a goalkeeper would normally push off in this situation - is in a very weak state. Frei speeds up his dive and because of this, he has to push off more with his right foot than he normally would.
7. Notice how overpowering Frei's right leg is. His hips have turned a bit to face the ball more. I think Frei's stretch behind him to make the save shows he might have misread the play a bit, but that's still conjecture on my part. It's hard to say for certain but the extension here seems to indicate an overhead save (using his right hand, in this case) wouldn't reach the ball. His approach probably would have changed a bit had he attempted it, so it's impossible to say, but it looks doubtful.
This isn't a type of dive you would teach someone because he's not maximizing his push off the ground. His power is coming from the leg farthest from the ball and in doing so he won't travel as far. (Justin Bryant wrote recently on advanced diving mechanics, for more detailed information.) But while you would not teach someone to dive with these mechanics, the will to overcome the situation is something you can't teach anyone. Frei keeps the ball out of the net and that's the end of it. It's important to understand why things work and how to play the position most effectively, but the number one rule is to keep the ball out of the net and Frei does that.
8. Frei lands awkwardly. 99% of the time a goalkeeper lands in a weird position, it is because their footwork was not sorted out on the takeoff. Frei's left leg is so underpowered, he can bring it back up and land in a quasi-sitting position instead tucked behind him. As an added bonus, Evans breath is so cold that you can see his exhale while Alonso's head is steaming twice as much.
Without a doubt it's the save of the season. It's a great testament for someone impacting their will on the game. Frei was going to do whatever it took to make the save and while it's not a textbook save, it's rare to see scrappiness make mechanics obsolete. We can nitpick the save and say he should have done this, or shouldn't have done that, but at the end of the day Frei made the save of his career. It wasn't pretty, but his will to win was so great it didn't matter.
Stefan Frei is a Swiss-American who holds a green card, making him count as an American player for MLS purposes. ASN reported he was close to gaining citizenship back in September of 2014.
With the New York Cosmos announcing that they would cease operations, the NASL is teetering on the edge of closing up shop themselves. The uncertainty leaves the future for NASL goalkeepers to anyone's guess right now. A 2017 NASL season isn't completely out of the picture but teams are reportedly eyeing a switch to USL. While the NASL is a lower division under MLS, there are still a few goalkeepers we should keep an eye on.
Photo belongs to Brad Penne
For anyone who has watched Maurer's play, he's clearly the most complete goalkeeper in the league. He may not be the quickest or the strongest, but he's going to limit mistakes in the back and keep his team in games. Compared to the current MLS crop, he could very well not only earn himself a contract in the senior league but perhaps a starting spot. Assuming Maurer doesn't explore options overseas, NASL will have something to boast about if he signs with MLS.
Photo belongs to Brian Peterson
Probably the goalkeeper with the most guaranteed spot of landing somewhere next year. MLS's latest expansion team, Minnesota United, could carry him over from the jump but even if they don't, Ndjock's reflexes alone should peak someone's interest. Lots of fans want to believe their team's goalkeeper has quick reactions but Ndjock is in North America's top five quickest paws. Unfortunately Ndjock's biggest Achilles' heel is consistency. One moment he will wow you with an unbelievable save and the next he'll end up on ESPN's Not Top Ten Plays of the Week.
The last American goalkeeper to play into their 40's was Brad Friedel. So needless to say, Busch is in good company. Teams aren't always going to want to give a starting spot to someone late in their career but every team wants a veteran to steward their young goalkeeper. Busch is still wanting to play next year but Indy Eleven's plans are unclear at this moment. With Indy Eleven being one of the more stable teams in NASL, he may just stay put in Indiana.
Photo belongs to Paul Rudderow
Sylvestre has already spent time in MLS, playing for the Philadelphia Union in 2015 after being released by the Whitecaps back in 2012. So it's not a shock to think Sylvestre will most likely end up back in the league one way or another. NCFC has made their intentions known they'd like to get to MLS down the line. They haven't officially left the NASL but it's a strong possibility they'll slide to USL for a few years with a good chunk of their roster.
Probably overlooked by even fans inside the league, Spangenberg finished as Puerto Rico's starting goalkeeper by the end of the season, allowing just fourteen goals in twelve games. Spangenberg is at a great point in his career that if an MLS team needs a starter, he's had the game time to step in without jitters but if a team wants to loan him to USL, they can still get a return from him there as well. As a previous backup for Chivas and the New England Revolution, he could see a return to MLS sooner than later.
Photo belongs to Codie McLachlan
Van Oekel was awarded NASL's Golden Glove in 2016 with a 0.55 GAA. While that will give him a foot in the door, the question becomes if he'll be content with taking a backup spot somewhere in MLS. There have been some rumors of Canada starting their own league, albeit unlikely for 2017. If Van Oekel is wanting to start somewhere, Scandinavia may be his best shot.
Photo belongs to Matt May
Beloved in Colorado for his time with the Rapids, Pickens is in a similar boat as Busch. Teams will be looking for that added experience and he will be cheaper than bringing in a foreigner. Tampa Bay may slide to USL so Pickens might not have to pack up but if a team wants to open the starting job up, Pickens could relocate to throw his name in the ring.
