Top 100 American Goalkeepers - February 2017

It's been a while since we've had top 100 rankings so it's about time we reviewed the hierarchy. Hopefully we can take a look at the women's side soon once some info on who is being invited into camps comes out.

Winter rankings are tough for domestic players as the offseason plays a bigger role in a goalkeeper's development than we're aware of. We know for the most part where goalkeepers left off last fall but we don't know how they've tweaked their game over the last few months. So think of these ranking as more as guidelines this time around.

You can also view the top 100 history, dating back for almost four years if you just love colored spreadsheets.
 

1. Brad Guzan, 32 - Middlesbrough (England.1)
2. Tim Howard, 37 - Colorado Rapids (USA.1)
3. Tyler Deric, 28 - Houston Dynamo (USA.1)
4. Bill Hamid, 26 - DC United (USA.1)
5. Jimmy Maurer, 29 - New York Cosmos (USA.2)
6. David Bingham, 27 - San Jose Earthquakes (USA.1)
7. Steve Clark, 30 - AC Horsens (Denmark.1)
8. Tim Melia, 29 - Sporting Kansas City (USA.1)
9. Luis Robles, 32 - New York Red Bulls (USA.1)
10. Joe Willis, 28 - Houston Dynamo (USA.1)

Bill says: I'm sure the biggest head scratcher on this list is Tyler Deric at number three. He's had limited exposure in the media with injury issues last year, but if he can stay healthy - and get a decent team in front of him - he can make a splash on the goalkeeper scene. Cosmos fans should be happy to see Maurer return although being in NASL hasn't historically been helpful in moving goalkeepers to a national team camp. Steve Clark hasn't started for AC Horsens yet but one of the worst defensive teams in Denmark could certainly use the boost.
 

11. Alex Horwath, 29 - SK Brann (Norway.1)
12. Joe Bendik, 27 - Orlando City SC (USA.1)
13. Nick Rimando, 37 - Real Salt Lake (USA.1)
14. William Yarbrough, 27 - Leon (Mexico.1)
15. Stefan Frei, 30 - Seattle Sounders (USA.1)
16. Brian Rowe, 28 - Los Angeles Galaxy (USA.1)
17. Evan Bush, 30 - Montreal Impact (USA.1)
18. Ethan Horvath, 21 - Club Brugge (Belgium.1)
19. Chris Seitz, 29 - FC Dallas (USA.1)
20. Matt Pickens, 34 - Tampa Bay Rowdies (USA.2)

Bill says: Horvath continues to move up the list and should crack the top ten by the end of the year. Alex Horwath is sat quietly as Brann's backup last year but I'd love to see him get some more games under his belt. Bendik had somewhat of a mixed season last year, with positives movements spliced with disappointing goals. It's taken him a little longer than some would like but hopefully Bendik has his feet under him now to have a complete season.
 

21. Jeff Attinella, 28 - Portland Timbers (USA.1)
22. Clint Irwin, 27 - Toronto FC (USA.1)
23. Matt Pyzdrowski, 30 - Helsingborg IF (Sweden.1)
24. Patrick McLain, 28 - Minnesota United FC (USA.1)
25. Sean Johnson, 27 - New York City FC (USA.1)
26. Zac MacMath, 25 - Colorado Rapids (USA.1)
27. Austin Guerrero, 27 - FC Alianza (Panama.1)
28. Matt Lampson, 27 - Chicago Fire (USA.1)
29. Quentin Westberg, 30 - FC Tours (France.2)
30. Andrew Dykstra, 31 - Sporting Kansas City (USA.1)

Bill says: Attinella, McLain, MacMath, and Dykstra are all goalkeepers I'd like to see get more opportunities but they're currently playing second fiddle, with some being closer to their respective starting goalkeeper than others. Mexican-American goalkeeper Austin Guerrero heads to Panama after an odd interview with ESPN last summer. Sean Johnson could have a better year in New York but he doesn't have a lot too build off of from Chicago.
 

31. Ryan Meara, 26 - New York Red Bulls (USA.1)
32. Bryan Meredith, 27 - Seattle Sounders (USA.1)
33. Jon Kempin, 23 - Free Agent (None)
34. Brendan Moore, 24 - Torquay United FC (England.5)
35. Alec Kann, 26 - Atlanta United (USA.1)
36. Bobby Shuttleworth, 29 - New England Revolution (USA.1)
37. Akira Fitzgerald, 29 - Free Agent (None)
38. David Meves, 27 - Free Agent (None)
39. Mitch Hildebrandt, 28 - FC Cincinnati (USA.3)
40. John McCarthy, 24 - Philadelphia Union (USA.1)

Bill says: Don't be surprised if Shuttleworth sits a majority of the season. New England wants to return to the playoffs so if they need to change things up, it may be in the goalkeeping department with Cody Cropper. Alec Kann finally gets a starting job in Atlanta, until Brad Guzan shows up this summer. It looks like Jon Kempin isn't returning to SKC but no word on where the youngster will land.

41. Devala Gorrick, 29 - St. Louis FC (USA.3)
42. Evan Newton, 28 - Sacramento Republic (USA.3)
43. Jon Busch, 40 - Indy Eleven (USA.2)
44. John Berner, 26 - Colorado Rapids (USA.1)
45. Brad Stuver, 25 - Columbus Crew (USA.1)
46. Matt Van Oekel, 30 - Real Salt Lake (USA.1)
47. Brad Knighton, 32 - New England Revolution (USA.1)
48. Josh Wicks, 33 - IK Sirius (Sweden.1)
49. Josh Saunders, 35 - Orlando City SC (USA.1)
50. Dan Kennedy, 34 - Los Angeles Galaxy (USA.1)

Bill says: Jon Busch playing at 40 is an incredible feat, something that is often taken for granted. Josh Saunders heads south after NYC is going to go with Sean Johnson. I suppose he realized that if he's going to be second string, he might as well do it on the beach. Josh Wicks slides over to newly promoted IK Sirius. Promoted Swedish teams have finished around mid-table in the past so he's lined up to have a very influential season.
 

51. Richard Sanchez, 22 - Tampico Madero (Mexico.2)
52. Jesse Gonzalez, 21 - FC Dallas (USA.1)
53. Jon Dawson, 25 - Free Agent (None)
54. Trevor Spangenberg, 25 - Puerto Rico FC (USA.2)
55. Brandon Miller, 27 - OC Blues FC (USA.3)
56. Chris Konopka, 31 - Free Agent (None)
57. Kyle Zobeck, 27 - New York Cosmos (USA.2)
58. Nathan Stockie, 27 - Free Agent (None)
59. Diego Restrepo, 29 - Free Agent (None)
60. Scott Angevine, 27 - Free Agent (None)

Bill says: There was a time where Richard Sanchez was getting all the press and Jesse Gonzalez was an afterthought. Now a few years later, it's not clear what the plan is for Sanchez, who has had zero professional starts in Mexico, while Gonzalez continues to grow with FC Dallas. A number of free agents here but also a few likely calling it quits if they can't find a club soon.
 

61. Will Dieterich, 29 - IF Grótta (Iceland.2)
62. Josh Ford, 29 - San Antonio FC (USA.3)
63. Carl Woszczynski, 28 - Phoenix Rising (USA.3)
64. Ryan Taylor, 26 - Richmond Kickers (USA.3)
65. Kris Devaux, 25 - Free Agent (None)
66. Brian Holt, 28 - New York Cosmos (USA.2)
67. Cody Laurendi, 28 - Oklahoma City Energy FC (USA.3)
68. Brian Sylvestre, 24 - North Carolina FC (USA.3)
69. Zac Lubin, 27 - Free Agent (None)
70. Charlie Lyon, 24 - Free Agent (None)

Bill says: Charlie Lyon was training with Minnesota United but they seem to be leaning another way. He has Seattle 2 experience so I imagine he'll land somewhere. Brian Sylvestre is one of the lucky, young goalkeepers who has a team backing him at the starting spot.
 

71. Trey Mitchell, 25 - Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USA.3)
72. Cody Mizell, 25 - Charlotte Independence (USA.3)
73. Sebastian Evers, 26 - Miami FC (USA.2)
74. Adam Grinwis, 24 - Free Agent (None)
75. Andre Rawls, 27 - New York City FC (USA.1)
76. Spencer Richey, 24 - Vancouver Whitecaps (USA.1)
77. Rafael Diaz, 25 - New York Red Bulls II (USA.3)
78. Justin Luthy, 25 - Colorado Springs Switchbacks (USA.3)
79. Matt Bersano, 24 - Free Agent (None)
80. CJ Cochran, 25 - Oklahoma City Energy FC (USA.3)

Bill says: I had originally taken Rawls off the list a few months back as I thought he had moved on but he's still grinding away. More draft picks don't make it into their third year than do so he's doing well for himself. Trey Mitchell spent the last couple years in the MLS Goalkeeper Pool and has finally found a team to sign him on. Richey and Diaz also are success stories that may have a quiet year in 2017, but are set up to be worth the wait down the line.
 

81. Cody Cropper, 24 - New England Revolution (USA.1)
82. Tyler Miller, 23 - Seattle Sounders (USA.3)
83. Alexandros Tabakis, 24 - Atlanta United (USA.1)
84. Travis Worra, 23 - DC United (USA.1)
85. Ciaran Nugent, 25 - Sligo Rovers (Ireland.1)
86. Eric Osswald, 25 - Free Agent (None)
87. Earl Edwards, 25 - Orlando City SC (USA.1)
88. Daniel Schmidt, 25 - Matsumoto Yamaga FC (Japan.2)
89. Andrew Tarbell, 23 - San Jose Earthquakes (USA.1)
90. Kyle Renfro, 24 - Free Agent (None)

Bill says: Cody Cropper is making a name for himself in preseason and while some will says "He's USYNT, of course he's known" he wasn't exactly having a successful time overseas. I interviewed Nugent about life in Ireland recently. Perhaps we will see Tarbell get more than 45 minutes this year, with Bingham having a strong possibility of going to the Gold Cup.
 

91. Devin Perales, 23 - Free Agent (None)
92. Zack Steffen, 21 - Columbus Crew (USA.1)
93. Keith Cardona, 24 - Indy Eleven (USA.2)
94. Eric Klenofsky, 22 - DC United (USA.1)
95. Josh Cohen, 24 - Phoenix Rising (USA.3)
96. Jeff Gal, 23 - Lidköpings FK (Sweden.4)
97. Alex Bono, 22 - Toronto FC (USA.1)
98. Calle Brown, 24 - Houston Dynamo (USA.1)
99. Tomas Gomez, 23 - Rochester Rhinos (USA.3)
100. Kris Schultz, 24 - Canterbury United (New Zealand.1)

Bill says: Steffen could find himself into a starting gig very soon, as the position is still open. Klenofsky has been in the press most recently but other goalkeepers like Bono and Cardona have shown positives signs but still have room to grow.

How Important Is the MLS Superdraft for Goalkeepers?

cover photo by Andy Mead

The 2017 MLS Draft wrapped up last week and teams are racing to fill out their varsity roster, as well as sorting out who will spend the year with their USL affiliate. Depending on how much they want to stock up, each team is needing anywhere from three to six goalkeepers. The past month has seen scouting reports, projections, and several write-ups for recent senior graduates and possible roster signees, but for all the fanfare surrounding the rookies, it's no secret it wears off quickly.

Already we've seen two goalkeepers from the 2016 class - Ryan Herman and Chris Froschauer - be dropped by the team that drafted them without much of a word about it. I suppose "sophomore season" narratives aren't as engaging to readers but perhaps there are better options for MLS teams finding a goalkeeper.

MLS's Search for Starting Goalkeepers

Over the last twenty years multiple teams have brought in an older goalkeeper from Europe or South America. Goalkeepers are known for their longevity so signing a goalkeeper late into his career can still give the team four to five years to work with. There's no denying how excited fans get when they hear marquee names attached to the league, like the ongoing rumor of Iker Casillas coming over.

The disappointing reality is that MLS teams simply can't (or shouldn't) chase elite goalkeepers at this time. If salary cap or designated player rules get tweaked in the future, MLS teams might be able to spend more freely on the last line of defense. Until then, it doesn't make sense for MLS to spend millions on a position that could conceivably make zero meaningful contributions in a game. There's a reason why there has only ever been one designated player that was a goalkeeper, and it just happens to be the most iconic American goalkeeper of all-time.

Alternatively, every team would love to sign a homegrown goalkeeper and develop him to the point where he eventually takes over as their starter. There are several incentives for signing a young prospect. Fans are always buzzing over an academy player joining the first team, there is no salary cap hit if a player is under a homegrown contract, and signing a player that young gives the team more control over the player's development. Or so we would think. The truth is homegrown goalkeepers have been scarce since their beginnings, with the league only signing 11 since 2008.

As of right now, there are no signs that teams will start signing more goalkeepers as HGPs. Currently they're more than content to let them develop in the college game. Some MLS teams will even push for young players to sign with their USL affiliate, in order to not have to pay more with an MLS contract, even if it doesn't count against the salary cap.

Some teams have looked abroad to sign a young goalkeeper, also at a low price. New York City signed Norwegian YNT goalkeeper Eirik Johansen back in 2015 as a 22 year old and LA Galaxy also signed Clément Diop, a 23 year old French goalkeeper last year. However these are less seen than homegrowns, due to the numerous difficulties in bringing in a foreigner at such a young age.

While some are quick to dismiss the college draft, at the end of the day it's the best cost-effective route for getting goalkeepers into the league. Foreigners (that are worth bringing in) are going to cost more than an American goalkeeper. Vancouver's Danish goalkeeper David Ousted makes $360,000 while Tim Melia is only at $150,000, yet no one would say Ousted is twice the goalkeeper as Melia. Even if your starter is not going to be an American, you will need to save money on the backup, which likely will be a domestic goalkeeper from the college game. 

It should be noted that there are some examples of college grads making it into MLS that aren't American - most notably Andre Blake (UConn, Jamaica) and Bouna Coundoul (Albany, Senegal) - but most will be domestic players. In fact if a college grad isn't American, it's all the more unlikely for a team to use an international slot on a player that's not going to see the field for some time. 

Getting the Most Out of the College Game

For the rest of the article, this document is referenced. I listed every SuperDraft pick, combine invite (dating back to 2003), Generation Adidas signing, and homegrown goalkeeper. Some fun stats are scattered throughout the doc. 

Figure 1 - Includes drafted, homegrowns, and Generation Adidas goalkeepers. Essentially all goalkeepers that would be considered a prospect.

Figure 2 - The "1995 draft" is the inaugural draft, which was a little under half of college graduates but accurately occurred prior to the 1996 season The "1996 draft" is the college draft, also before the 1996 season.

The first question we need to answer is about the draft's relevancy. Is the draft merely there to fill out the roster or can it produce starters in the league as well?

Splitting the league's all-time goalkeeper pool into two camps, we start to see how important American development has been for MLS goalkeepers. Only 14% of all MLS starts have been from a goalkeeper who wasn't draft-eligible. These are mostly foreigners who played in another country, although there are some Americans skipped the draft to go pro (Friedel and Keller, for example). The other 86% of starts have been from draft-eligible prospects (college grads, Generation Adidas, and homegrown players). Again, the cost-effectiveness of the college game has played a large part in the league's goalkeeper history. Interestingly enough, 25% of starts have come from undrafted - but could have been drafted - goalkeepers, meaning that undrafted goalkeepers have almost been twice as involved in the league as imported talent.

Knowing there is talent in every draft class, now we are left wondering just how productive the draft is for teams. It's always tricky to predict who will or won't be a potential starter but clearly some teams have done better than others. For example, New England being unable to convert nine prospects into anything worthwhile isn't good. Sporting Kansas City and Colorado have also struggled to find a good fit as well. (See figure 1)

One starting point is comparing MLS starts of young prospects versus undrafted goalkeepers. For this exercise, goalkeepers like Jorge Campos or Brad Friedel will not be included because they weren't draft eligible. (See figure 2)

Looking at the first few years, MLS was getting it right for the most part. The inaugural draft missed some notable keepers with Scott Garlick (237 appearances), Pat Onstad (223), Mike Ammann (125), and Marcus Hahnemann (70) but after that, only Joe Cannon (342) and Preston Burpo (57) made waves in the league.

The main reason is likely that MLS only had 10-12 teams for the first decade, so they only had to scout the best of the best. There wasn't a need to be thorough because there was only so much room for goalkeepers. The best goalkeepers stood out in college and that was all that mattered. Teams held only two goalkeepers (around 20-25 goalkeeping spots in the league), as opposed to now where teams will field two to three times as many, with USL affiliates bolstering the number. As MLS started to expand, more slots started to open up to the point where we now see ten goalkeepers being selected in the 2017 draft.

It's too early to say the fate of the last four classes, but we can start to see the how after 2003, overlooked goalkeepers started to trickle in. Perhaps the most bizarre year was 2008, when incoming players combined for zero appearances. Folklore legends Josh Lambo (U17, U20 starter), Dominic Cervi (USMNT call-up), and Brian Edwards (Wake Forest standout and NCAA Champion) were all outplayed for the likes of Tim Melia (Division II Lynn University, 56 appearances), Joe Nasco (Division III Birmingham-Southern, 4), and Lance Parker (Missouri State, 4).

Even through expansion and additional roster spot openings, the draft has showed that it can still produce the desired talent despite teams regularly missing it.

Click here for more stats on goalkeeper prospects.

Press Doesn't Equal Success

Every combine goalkeeper since 2003. Gm/yr was maxed out at 10 years, as seen with Perkins and Kennedy.

It's an odd to see goalkeepers that are good enough for MLS go untouched. Surely teams would notice if someone could cover the admittedly large gap from college to the professional game. What's even more odd is comparing how heralded goalkeepers don't fare that much better than the table scraps.

Counting the appearances between combine invites (and even throwing in homegrowns, GAs, and first round picks) versus every other goalkeeper that could be drafted (again, leaving out Campos, Friedel, and others), it's only 53-47% in favor of goalkeepers who are receiving media attention. There are actually more combine washouts (supposedly the cream of the crop) than goalkeepers who are overlooked yet make it into the league (43-33).

In the first decade, MLS could simply rely on word of mouth for the best goalkeepers coming out of the college game. Now that more teams are vying for the best goalkeepers - and more are getting selected in the draft - teams can't expect the press or the combine to do their research for them.

The touted goalkeepers don't end up fairing that much better than the rest of the bunch. Dating back to 2003, the current combine invite has a median career game appearances of zero. Still, some teams are confident in just accessing the four to six goalkeepers invited to the combine.

So How Important Is the College Draft?

Incredibly, but that doesn't mean the press surrounding the draft is equally valuable. The college game isn't at the point where teams can just throw a dart at a wall and find a starting goalkeeper. 76% of combine invites get drafted yet only 29% of combine invites end up being a success within the league. Even worse, only 18% of prospects end up being a success for a given team, meaning teams are moving on too quickly moving on from their draft picks. 

+/- =  tm.succ - (prospects - tm.succ) - (lg.succ - tm.succ) ... essentially counting all the times a team got it right, with a penalty for losing a good goalkeeper

MLS's goalkeeping future is hard to predict. For teams trying to get the most out of their money, the emphasis should be on the academy to develop their goalkeepers. However, the majority of teams aren't as patient and resort to battling the rest of the league to find a promising goalkeeper in the draft. Perhaps we will see teams be more creative in how they bring in goalkeepers but that will likely be dependent on rule changes. Until then, it seems like the landscape isn't going to change and neither is the pipeline for American goalkeepers.

If teams aren't willing to craft their own goalkeeper, they have to do something to give themselves an advantage over their competitors. We know there is talent in the college game, it's just a matter of finding it early and not years after they graduate. As we enter 2017, teams are starting to separate themselves as to those who are content with listening to the noise, and those who know that finding a young goalkeeper starts before January.

Ciaran Nugent Interview: American Goalkeeper Finds Footing in Ireland's Premier League

Ciaran Nugent is an American goalkeeper playing in Ireland's top league. After excelling at Lehigh University, Nugent spent time with the Harrisburg City Islanders before moving to Ireland to play with premier league side Sligo Rovers. Now entering his second year abroad, Nugent gives his takes on the league and the new opportunity for 2017.

You graduated from Lehigh University back in 2014 after being a three year starter with the Hawks. What stands out about your time at Lehigh?

What stood out the most to me at Lehigh was how little emphasis is put on student-athletes playing professionally for all men's and women's sports there, not just in the soccer program. The men's basketball team is the only exception at Lehigh, who have continually put players in the pros each year. When most athletes and coaches are not even thinking about professional aspirations, it is a much different vibe than at larger and more successful athletic schools. Fortunately, Lehigh's proximity to Harrisburg allowed me the chance to train with Harrisburg City in the USL and eventually sign my first pro contract with them.
 

Americans aren’t really known for going to Ireland. As someone who’s been there for a while, how viable of an option is it for players looking to develop?

The level of play in the League of Ireland Premier Division is generally equated with England's League One and the top few Irish teams being at a lower Championship level. It is somewhat difficult to break into the league since there are so few teams and a large pool of Irish and English goalkeepers for managers to pick from. I'm sure former Pittsburgh and St. Louis City keeper Ryan Thompson can attest it is a great league to develop in since the speed of play is much faster than what we are used to in America. The league has the youngest average age of players of any European league at 24.5 years old. So you are dealing with young, fit pros who all have experience playing in England or are aiming to make the move there.
 

You spent time stateside before heading to Ireland. Is there anything you wish you would have done sooner - or not at all - when trying to make the jump from college to pro?

Playing PDL for three seasons in college helped a lot, like it does for most guys who end up playing professionally. I was also afforded some time to train with Tim Howard during college which was eye-opening with regard to how much further it is possible to take attention to detail in training and decision making while in goal. If there was anything I wish I could have done sooner, it would have been working on dialing in my distribution and comfort with the ball at my feet. I always had been good with the ball, but the expectations of your manager and teammates increases tenfold when you make the jump to the pros and even more so when you play abroad in Europe.
 

Are there any common questions you get in Ireland about being an American overseas?

The most common question without a doubt has been, "Who did you vote for, for president?" It is entertaining to see foreign countries have so much more interest in American affairs than most Americans do.

With regards to soccer, I am always asked about how American goalkeepers are usually more talented and athletic than Irish players. Generally, I accredit this question to the strength programs guys go through in college in America while most Irish players never go to college at all. But once again this is a generalization that Europeans have built over the years with historically more American keepers playing on television than Irish keepers. But that I fear, from an American perspective, is slowly changing with the likes of [West Ham goalkeeper, Darren] Randolph, [David] Forde, and [Keiren] Westwood coming up the English ranks.
 

You ended last season with the Sligo Rovers, allowing only one goal in your last seven starts, and finished fifth in the table. For American fans who may not be familiar with Sligo, give us a rundown of the club.

Sligo Rovers is in Sligo in the Northwest of Ireland. It is a very small area of about 100,000 people and the club plays at The Showgrounds, a 4500 seated soccer stadium. We finished fifth place last year, two spots out of Europa League qualification. Their biggest derby is against Shamrock Rovers, who are out of Dublin. Sligo is managed by the former Peterborough (League One) manager Dave Robertson, which led to me having a bunch of English teammates this year who have had some very impressive youth careers. The rest of the squad is Irish, except for one other American, Pat McCann, who signed at the end of the season.
 

Obviously ending a season on such a hot streak helps with moving forward with your career. Catch us up where you are now. Are you returning to Sligo or looking elsewhere?

I was given many opportunities to sign back in the USL and also remain in Ireland at the end of this last season. I am proud to announce I have just signed for Galway United who are also in the League of Ireland Premier Division. I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to further prove myself in Europe this coming season. The league kicks of February 24th and will run until November, similar to the American schedule.

You can watch an interview with Nugent here about his first days at his new club. Galway kickoff the season on January 27th against Nugent's old club, Sligo Rovers.

Player Journal: Eric Klenofsky - January 2017

Eric Klenofsky just recently finished his senior year at Monmouth University and without a moment's rest, was on trial for Everton. Klenofsky joins the site's player journal section where he'll be giving us an update on his career once every other month. This month, Klenofsky elaborates on what makes Monmouth unique and how he ended up training with Everton.

For anyone that’s followed you, you’re obviously a big supporter of your school, Monmouth University. What about Monmouth makes it a great school?

I think my affinity for Monmouth runs much deeper than the school itself. Loyalty is very important to me in all aspects of my life, not just with Monmouth. Supporting what makes me, me, has always been the way I’ve done it from a very young age. For example, I could have played in the US Development Academy when I was younger but I chose not to. I started playing with TSF Academy at eleven years old and I played for them every single year all the way up to the U23 level. Same goes for my high school. I went to a private school named DePaul Catholic and I could have transferred, I could’ve gone to a few other schools but I’m loyal to the people who believe in me and support me and that will never change. If you support me and genuinely care for my well-being I’ll never turn my back on you. That’s why I stayed at TSF, DePaul and Monmouth. All three of those institutions were full of immensely knowledgeable people and they all provided me with resources that could get me to the next step in my life, but more than anything they were full of people who cared about me. And that genuine care is something I value and one of the reasons I love Monmouth so much. The campus is beautiful. The facilities are great. I had everything I could ever want in that school, but it’s the people. It’s the people that make the difference for me.

I was committed to Southern Methodist University from April of my junior year to the spring of my senior year and a day before signing day it all fell apart. But I want to be clear: there is no malice when I say that. What is meant to be will be and the coaching staff was just doing what they felt was best for them to keep their jobs and I have no grudges or anything like that for the decisions they made. That being said, the Monmouth coaching staff had nothing but belief in me. They gave me an opportunity and went to bat for me when many others looked away and they’ve done that time and time again throughout my whole college career. People like that are what makes Monmouth, Monmouth; a small division one school that does it the right way and will gladly punch above its weight whenever asked. And if you cut me open I’d happily bleed Monmouth blue.

Monmouth isn’t in the typical powerhouse conferences when it comes to national exposure. Now you’re getting a lot of buzz from not only training at Everton but also the MLS draft coming up here in January. How has the school responded with you moving on to the pro game?

Like I said before Monmouth is full of people who genuinely care about my well-being, whether the support is coming from our Athletic Director Dr. McNeil or the student body or even the Student Center workers. (Shout-out to my man AJ!) The support I’ve gotten from the Monmouth community is unprecedented and I can’t put into words how grateful I am for that. I’ve definitely gotten a good amount of "remember me" texts, which are pretty funny for me because like I said, I’ll never turn away or cut someone off that has my best interests at heart.

I think the story that sticks out in my head that just really epitomizes the Monmouth community comes from the day after we lost at Siena. After I lost my last ever collegiate game, after one of my hardest seasons ever both emotionally and physically, I wrote down my thoughts and tried to pay some sort of tribute to Monmouth and I tweeted and posted on Facebook what I had written. I poured everything I had into those couple paragraphs in an attempt to show my gratitude to Monmouth and I think everyone that read it immediately understood how much I cared for my school. So I posted it that night and went to bed. The next morning I woke up to a ridiculous amount of notifications between both accounts. My phone continued to vibrate all day long with nothing but love and support. But that is not what makes Monmouth different and that is not what makes this story so important. With my hood up and my head down, I walked through campus that day still trying to get over the realization that my college career was over. I heard a voice coming from my right side yelling my name, about twenty yards away. I picked my head up and saw one of the groundskeepers raking leaves looking up at me, someone I had never seen before in my life. He walked over and told me how much he liked what I wrote last night and congratulated me on a great career. That’s the kind of thing that makes Monmouth, Monmouth. It’s a family, and I’m so thankful I got the chance to spend four years in West Long Branch.

Tell us a little bit about the journey to England. How does a goalkeeper go from New Jersey to training with Everton?

The story of how I got to England really just screams 2016 all over it. For starters, thank God for social media. I got to Everton through a Facebook instant message from a man named Guil Salgado. While I was playing for the New York Red Bulls U23s he explained how he saw me play, searched my name, found all my videos on youtube, then did the same search on Facebook, found my profile and sent me a message. He said he thought I was good enough and that he was going to send my videos to a few clubs in Europe. Initially when someone random on Facebook starts throwing around names like Everton and a few other big clubs the natural reaction is to be skeptical, as I was, until I got an email from the Everton U23s Goalkeeper coach Andy Fairman. I remember looking at my phone with one of my teammates and saying something like “this has to be some kind of joke”. As we now know, it wasn’t a joke. I talked with Andy on and off throughout the next couple months until the trial was set and everything was in order.

The 2017 MLS draft is on January 13th with the MLS Combine running from the 8th-12th. Klenofsky is one of six goalkeepers invited to the combine and is currently projected as a first round prospect.