Goals Saved Above Replacement: 2018 MLS Goalkeeping Stats

cover photo belongs to Gary A. Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports

Recently American Soccer Analysis published an article, Going to WAR for Points Above Replacement. It’s a fantastic read and an idea that I’m sure will stem new ideas for how statistics are utilized in soccer. Unfortunately they’ve beat me to the punch a little as I’ve been working on a new goalkeeping stat for the past few years, trying to find something more intuitive than the dreadful save percentage or goals against average. There are a number of issues with traditional goalkeeping statistics, the most notable being that they are only a sliver of a goalkeeper’s impact on the game. Goals Saved Above Replacement (GSAR) quantifies all areas of a goalkeeper’s actions, from shot stopping to cross handling to pass accuracy.

Identifying a baseline or replacement-level for MLS goalkeepers is tricky with salaries and talent levels constantly swelling over the past twenty years. Matching a “0 GSAR” goalkeeper with the median salary of MLS goalkeepers in 2018 ($132,625.00) proved to be the easiest route. Using this standard, we’ll take a look at seven different categories to obtain an overall GSAR rating, as well as put a dollar amount on each MLS goalkeeper’s performance from 2018.

Goals Saved Above Replacement

Each MLS goalkeeper has had their season broken down into seven categories.

shots <10 - The first two columns are shots from inside and outside ten yards. The distance measured is from the shooter to the goalkeeper, not the shooter to the goal.

While traditional expected goal models focus on a shooter’s location on the field, GSAR focuses on different criteria: where the shot passes the goalkeeper and how long the goalkeeper had to react.

A shot’s difficulty is not deemed by where it enters the goalmouth but how far the ball was from the goalkeeper when it intersected the goalkeeper’s dive line. This angle is affected by a goalkeeper’s starting position as well as where the shooter is located on the field. If a shot is taken near the end line, the ball will pass the goalkeeper within a few feet even if it is hit the upper corner. Similarly, if a goalkeeper is closer to the shooter, they “cut down the angle” and cover more of the goalmouth, putting the ball’s path closer to their body.

shots >10 - While the first category is largely impacted by a goalkeeper’s reaction abilities, the second has more emphasis on a goalkeeper’s ability to move his feet and general angle play.

pks - Penalties aren’t a large part of the MLS season, but they do occur once every six or seven games. On average a penalty has a success rate of around 80%.

crossing - This category takes into account if a goalkeeper punched, claimed, or (for a negative value) let a cross drop in a position they should have challenged for. The position has recently seen a swing towards favoring passive goalkeeping when it comes to crosses, which explains the relatively low ratings.

error - Covering a number of different areas, only negative numbers will be found here. This can include gifting a poor rebound to the opposition, giving away a penalty, or a number of other actions that result in creating another chance on goal.

misc - The miscellaneous tallies cover any non-tradition goalkeeping action. Slotted balls back to the center of the box are the most common, as well as any actions that don’t fit a proper formula, which are entered in by hand. Unique shot deflections and 1v1 situations (amongst other actions) can be found here. Hand-adjusted values make up less than .1% of all goalkeeping actions.

passing - Passing stats consider how often and where a goalkeeper completes a pass versus where a turnovers occur. A turnover at the other side of the field is negligible, while a turnover in front of one’s own goal returns a larger negative value.

Minutes and average GSAR/90 minutes are tacked on at the end.

Projected Salaries Based Off of GSAR

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Placing a value on a goalkeeper’s season is challenging as one team’s willingness to spend high on goalkeeping doesn’t necessarily mean the rest of the league will. To find a fair expected payment, the salaries and GSARs were listed in descending order to find a trend between the two. This brings up certain issues but overall it puts every goalkeeper on an even playing field when it comes to receiving payment for their services.

As some goalkeepers didn’t play the whole season - whether due to injury or a coach’s decision - finding a projected dollar amount would either have to extrapolate a goalkeeper’s stats for a full 38 game season or shrink down the corresponding payment. For example, Attinella only played two-thirds of the season but compiled a 4.74 GSAR. Should his projected GSAR-based salary be off what he could have done over 38 games or should it account for only the games he played? With a goalkeeper’s true impact being dependent on what they can bring to the field every game, I opted to extrapolate the dollar amount out to 38 games.

Categories are explained in more detail below. Goalkeepers are sorted by the difference ($$.diff) in their projected payment minus their actual. “$$.diff” is not what goalkeepers deserved to be paid, simply just the difference between actual and deserved.

m.GSAR/gm - Simply dividing a goalkeeper’s GSAR over the minutes they played, unless the goalkeeper played less than 900 minutes in the season. If this was the case, a goalkeeper was given either a positive or negative .03, depending on their GSAR. It’s not a great siphoning method, but +/- .03 keeps backup goalkeepers’ GSARs from getting out of hand with such a small sample size.

adj.GSAR - What a goalkeeper’s GSAR would have been had they played all 38 games (3060 minutes, excluding stoppage time).

gsar.$$ - How much a goalkeeper deserves to be paid, converted from a goalkeepers’ adj.GSAR. The conversation formula is based off the previous orange and white graph.

$$.diff - Goalkeepers are sorted by this column, which simply subtracts real.$$ from gsar.$$. Tyler Miller was underpaid by $333,503 while Andre Blake was overpaid by $410,805.

Have any questions? Head over to the contact page for any specific inquiries.

Top USYNT Goalkeepers by Birth Year

Early in the week we dove into the top 100 American goalkeepers on the men’s side so to give some face time for the young guns coming up, here are the top eight goalkeepers from each birth year. Goalkeepers are ranked more on ceiling and potential and less about current form. Not every goalkeeper’s birth year is public so some of the goalkeepers may be placed up or down a year.

# - recently graduated

1995

1. Jane Campbell (Houston Dash)
2. Courtney Brosnan (Le Havre)
3. Lauren Clem (Uppsala)
4. Cassie Miller (PSV Eindhoven)
5. Mallory Geurts (Västerås BK30)
6. Danielle Rice (Assi)
7. Alison Jahansouz (Stanford) #
8. Hannah Seabert (Fortuna Hjorring)

1. Ethan Horvath (Club Brugge)
2. Zack Steffen (Columbus Crew)
3. Jesse Gonzalez (FC Dallas)
4. Todd Morton (Delaware) #
5. Bobby Edwards (Mount St. Mary's) #
6. Michael Nelson (Houston Dynamo)
7. Ben Lundgaard (Columbus Crew)
8. Rashid Nuhu (Fordham) #

1996

1. Casey Murphy (Montpellier)
2. Emily Boyd (Chicago Red Stars)
3. Lainey Burdett (Arizona) #
4. Ella Dederick (Washington State) #
5. Rachel Egyed (Maryland) #
6. Caroline Brockmeier (LSU) #
7. Kelsey Daugherty (UAB) #
8. Rachel Lusby (Portland) #

1. Jeff Caldwell (New York City FC)
2. Benjamin Machini (Burgos CF)
3. Evan Louro (New York Red Bulls)
4. Paul Christensen (Atlanta United 2)
5. Luis Barraza (Marquette) #
6. Mike Novotny (Hartford Athletic)
7. Ben Willis (Gonzaga) #
8 Ryan Cretens (UNC Wilmington) #

1997

1. Jalen Tompkins (Colorado)
2. Kaelyn Johns (Dayton)
3. Cosette Morche (Texas A&M)
4. Paige Simoneau (San Jose State) #
5. Devon Kerr (Ohio State) #
6. Lauren Rood (Stanford)
7. Hannah Luedtke (Butler)
8. Reilley Ott (Michigan State)

1. JT Marcinkowski (San Jose Earthquakes)
2. Jonathan Klinsmann (Hertha BSC)
3. Justin vom Steeg (Los Angeles Galaxy)
4. Jimmy Slayton (Hartford)
5. Briley Guarneri (Colorado Mesa) #
6. Parker Siegfried (Ohio State)
7. Jacob Harris (Colgate)
8. Chase Gentry (Tulsa Roughnecks)

1998

1. Mikayla Krzeczowski (South Carolina)
2. Kaylie Collins (USC)
3. Jaelyn Cunningham (Illinois)
4. Brooke Heinsohn (Duke)
5. Mandy McGlynn (Virginia Tech)
6. Amanda Fitzgerald (Fairleigh Dickinson)
7. Abby Stapleton (Charlotte)
8. Amanda Dennis (Penn State)

1. Abraham Romero (Pachuca)
2. Kevin Silva (Hearts of Midlothian)
3. Chase Vosvick (Loyola Maryland)
4. Ben Hale (Furman)
5. Will Pulisic (Duke)
6. Matt Freese (Philadelphia Union)
7. Colin Shutler (Virginia)
8. Drew Romig (North Carolina)

1999 and Younger

1. Claudia Dickey (North Carolina)
2. Hillary Beall (Michigan)
3. Laurel Ivory (Virginia)
4. Brooke Bollinger (Florida State)
5. Lauren Brzykcy (UCLA)
6. Mackenzie Wood (Northwestern)
7. Hensley Hancuff (Villanova)
8. Angelina Anderson (California)

1. Carlos dos Santos (Benfica)
2. Eric Lopez (Los Angeles Galaxy II)
3. Nicolas Defreitas-Hansen (Everton)
4. Brady Scott (FC Köln)
5. Damian Las (Chicago Fire)
6. Luca Lewis (Torino)
7. Ethan Wady (Chelsea)
8. Sam Fowler (Washington)

cover photo from the Trentonian

2019 MLS Mock Draft - Goalkeeper Edition

cover photo from the University of Maryland

Predictions for the 2018 draft were about as good as one can hope for: one of the eight perfectly predicted with bits and pieces of the rest being half-true. Some of the players were correctly predicted for certain rounds while some goalkeepers went completely undrafted, despite the whirlwind of goalkeepers flying off the shelf at one point. While this year’s talent doesn’t quite match last year’s lineup, here are six goalkeepers who may end up with an MLS team by the end of the week.

Dayne St. Clair - Orlando City, 1st Round, 3rd Overall Pick

Not many people have St. Clair this high on their draft lists but seeing as Orlando need another three goalkeepers with their USL team restarting this spring, seeing St. Clair in purple for 2019 makes sense. St. Clair supposedly won’t count as an international slot due to his Generation Adidas status, which is another plus for Orlando. Goalkeepers seem to be the safest position to select in Superdrafts and routinely go fairly early, especially when there’s a lot of praise on the player heading into the draft. Eric Dick went 13th overall in 2018. Tarbell 8th in 2016, Bono 5th in 2015, and Blake number one in 2014. Coming off a national championship, St. Clair could easily follow suit.

Rashid Nuhu - Minnesota United, 2nd Round, 32nd Overall Pick

There isn’t a general consensus on the second best goalkeeper in the draft so don’t be surprised if teams wait until the third round to follow up St. Clair’s draft pick. Minnesota cleared house and have two open spots at the moment, on top of a loose affiliation with Forward Madison who has zero goalkeepers on the books. Whether Nuhu ends up being a third or even fourth string goalkeeper, they should be able to find him some games with Madison in 2019.

Luis Barraza - Seattle Sounders, 3rd Round 68th Overall Pick

Barraza seems on track to forego a homegrown contract with Real Salt Lake to try his odds in the draft. Even if Seattle brings in Trey Muse, apparently a likely move for the Hoosier, the Sounders still have another two goalkeepers to go with Calle Brown set not to return at the moment. Barraza will likely be picked up by an MLS team at some point and Seattle are equally likely to select one this Friday.

Jimmy Hague - New York Red Bulls, 4th Round, 78th Overall Pick

Hague has received some polarizing press but he’s at the combine this week and the Red Bulls still need another two goalkeepers. While New York have done well to be churn out homegrown goalkeepers in the past, Hague fits the bill as far as classically tall, commanding keepers go. The Red Bulls may opt to go elsewhere to fill their USL side but by the time the fourth round comes around, there will surely still be a number of goalkeepers on the board that will be worth rolling the dice on.

Todd Morton - FC Dallas, 4th Round, 87th Overall Pick

It’s quite possible that FC Dallas will continue to fill their North Texas SC with academy players but they’d only be bolstered by having at least one goalkeeper on the squad over the age of 20. Morton has flown under the radar for most teams as he didn’t receive a combine invite, but for a USL side that seems intent on fast-tracking players to FC Dallas, Morton would be a good fit.

James Pyle - Sporting Kansas City, 4th Round, 93rd Overall Pick

Pyle is surely looking to add another chapter to his soccer career as the last goal he conceded was about as bad as it gets. SKC need another two goalkeepers for Swope Park and while they may turn to their academy to fill the slots, Pyle (who attended this year’s combine) will likely still be available in the fourth round.

Top 100 American Goalkeepers - January 2019

cover photo belongs to Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer

2019 brings many new promises and surprises, including a brief rundown of the top 100 American goalkeepers on the men’s side. This go-round we’ll be focusing in on one specific goalkeeper, instead of giving a snapshot of 4-5 different ones, by highlighting the one who has the most riding on 2019. (Essentially the one with the most interesting narrative.) Most highlighted goalkeepers are in their mid-to-late 20s, as goalkeepers in the back end of their 20s aren’t bestowed second chances as often as early 20-year-olds are.

1. Tim Melia, 31 - Sporting Kansas City
2. Stefan Frei, 32 - Seattle Sounders
3. Ethan Horvath, 23 - Club Brugge
4. Zack Steffen, 23 - Columbus Crew
5. Brad Guzan, 34 - Atlanta United
6. Jeff Attinella, 30 - Portland Timbers
7. Joe Willis, 30 - Houston Dynamo
8. Alex Bono, 24 - Toronto FC
9. Luis Robles, 34 - New York Red Bulls
10. Jimmy Maurer, 31 - FC Dallas

Breakout or Bust Year: Ethan Horvath. With the 2019 Gold Cup this summer and the USMNT’s first run in the CONCACAF Nations League in the fall, 2019 should be a lot of fun with Horvath and Steffen duking it out for the number one spot. Public perception seems to think it’s Steffen’s job to lose but with how well Horvath played in UEFA Champions League matches - notching three shutouts against Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, and Monaco - it dwarfs Steffen’s MLS quarterfinalist run. Critics have often doubted Horvath’s consistency, which makes these next six months all the more important for him to prove himself. In some sense, it feels like Horvath and Guzan have some parallels, periodically showing flashes of brilliance paired with moments of regret. If Horvath can have a strong spring, Steffen may not be the only American goalkeeper making a big move in the summer. However if it’s more of 2017-18’s up-and-downs, Horvath could have a long road to realistically challenge for the number one spot again.

11. Patrick McLain, 30 - Free Agent
12. Joe Bendik, 29 - Columbus Crew
13. Tim Howard, 39 - Colorado Rapids
14. Bill Hamid, 28 - DC United
15. Nick Rimando, 39 - Real Salt Lake
16. Tyler Miller, 25 - Los Angeles FC
17. Steve Clark, 32 - Portland Timbers
18. Evan Bush, 32 - Montreal Impact
19. Spencer Richey, 26 - Cincinnati FC
20. Evan Newton, 30 - Free Agent

Breakout or Bust Year: Spencer Richey. While I believe Pat McLain showed the ability to take on a starting position in the league, the real pressure lands on Spencer Richey’s shoulders. The University of Washington alum won the starting position for Cincinnati’s last year in the USL over Evan Newton and now the newly minted MLS side has brought in a veteran keeper to challenge Richey once again. Richey has already had a brief cup of coffee in MLS but Vancouver didn’t seem to know what to do with him - or the rest of the goalkeeping core - as they opted for David Ousted (2017), Stefan Marinovic (2018), and Brian Rowe (2018) for the last two years. (None of the three goalkeepers are with Whitecaps anymore.) Richey has some doubters to prove wrong. Not only did Vancouver send him out for pennies on the dollar, but Cincinnati isn’t hedging their bets completely on Richey either. Things aren’t set in stone from day one, but Richey will want to nail down the starting position in March instead of playing catchup all year.

21. Matt Turner, 24 - New England Revolution
22. Alex Horwath, 31 - Real Salt Lake
23. Adam Grinwis, 26 - Orlando City SC
24. Zac MacMath, 27 - Vancouver Whitecaps
25. Cody Mizell, 27 - New Mexico United
26. Jon Kempin, 25 - Columbus Crew
27. Tyler Deric, 30 - Houston Dynamo
28. Sean Johnson, 29 - New York City FC
29. David Bingham, 29 - Los Angeles Galaxy
30. Ryan Meara, 28 - New York Red Bulls

Breakout or Bust Year: Adam Grinwis. The Joe Bendik-era in Orlando is officially over and the Lions picked up Grinwis for cheap (aka $0) at the end of the season. Grinwis doesn’t have a plethora of professional starts under his belt but he’s also running into a problem every goalkeeper encounters: he’s not exactly young anymore. It’s a hard sell to convince a team that a middle-aged goalkeeper without a ton of games deserves more starts. That’s typically reserved for younger goalkeepers or proven veterans. However, Orlando brought him in for a reason and it probably starts with his spring and fluidity when making a save. Orlando will surely look to mimic Cincinnati in bringing in a veteran to even out the position but all signs point to a massive opportunity for Grinwis, who turns 27 in April. If Grinwis can start for at least a chunk of the season, he’ll have a much easier time convincing his coach in 2020 that he’s a serious contender for the starting spot. If he sits the bench as he did for most of 2016, he may find himself pegged as a perennial backup.

31. Abraham Romero, 20 - Pachuca
32. Bobby Shuttleworth, 31 - Minnesota United FC
33. Brian Rowe, 30 - Free Agent
34. William Yarbrough, 29 - Leon
35. Josh Cohen, 26 - Sacramento Republic
36. Brendan Moore, 26 - Rochdale
37. Clint Irwin, 29 - Colorado Rapids
38. Trevor Spangenberg, 27 - Free Agent
39. Matt Lampson, 29 - Los Angeles Galaxy
40. Brandon Miller, 29 - Charlotte Independence

Breakout or Bust Year: Josh Cohen. There are a number of worthy candidates in this gap. Shuttleworth and Rowe are focusing on prolonging their respective careers for as long as possible, Yarbrough and Moore haven’t had a consistent season in a number of years, but Josh Cohen takes the cake here. Largely unnoticed, it’s not necessarily a poor move for him to return to Sacramento, but without a clear path to MLS, he’ll have a hard time moving out of the league. Cohen started every match in 2018 in his first year with the club - and cementing himself as one of the top USL goalkeepers for my money - but unless a team wants to take a flyer on him as Orlando did with their two current goalkeepers (Grinwis, Ranjitsingh), there really isn’t much hope for him to make the next level. Cohen checks a lot of the boxes when MLS teams are looking for a trustworthy goalkeeper, but MLS teams don’t have much of a history of bringing in a USL goalkeeper from a non-affiliated team. Cohen has the ability for the next level, but it’ll be hard to make the jump, to say the least.

41. Andrew Dykstra, 33 - Free Agent
42. Eric Klenofsky, 24 - Hapoel Marmorek
43. Chris Seitz, 31 - Houston Dynamo
44. Brad Stuver, 27 - New York City FC
45. John McCarthy, 26 - Free Agent
46. Richard Sanchez, 24 - Chicago Fire
47. Andrew Tarbell, 25 - San Jose Earthquakes
48. Brian Sylvestre, 26 - Free Agent
49. Diego Restrepo, 30 - Free Agent
50. Alec Kann, 28 - Atlanta United

Breakout or Bust Year: Andrew Tarbell. There are some implications based on how well Klenofsky, Sanchez, and McCarthy do in 2019 but Andrew Tarbell’s future in the league is running dangerously close to Zac MacMath’s path. MacMath was a heralded young goalkeeper but after immediately being thrown in the deep end and sinking, he would end up playing second fiddle for four years (and possibly a fifth, depending on how Vancouver wants to maneuver). Tarbell was abysmal in 2018 but we know he has the talent to be better, so we’re left scratching our heads as to what his ceiling actually is. Sitting behind Marcinkowski might actually be good for him to reset, but he also needs game time to keep progressing, especially at this age. Tarbell needs to make his most recent run of outings positive. If he sits for 2019, coaches are just going to look at his last line of work, which will be a sour 2018. If he ends up in an even worse situation for 2019, it’s only going to cement coaches’ uneasiness to bring him in. It’s a tightrope Tarbell needs to walk in getting games but he also doesn’t have a lot of leeway in terms of “sink or swim”.

51. Matt Bersano, 26 - San Jose Earthquakes
52. Charlie Lyon, 26 - Free Agent
53. Akira Fitzgerald, 31 - Free Agent
54. Matt Pyzdrowski, 32 - Varbergs BoIS
55. Mitch Hildebrandt, 30 - Free Agent
56. Andre Rawls, 29 - New York City FC
57. Matt Pickens, 36 - Nashville SC
58. Eric Dick, 24 - Sporting Kansas City
59. Zac Lubin, 29 - Phoenix Rising
60. Earl Edwards, 27 - DC United

Breakout or Bust Year: Eric Dick. Last year the MLS SuperDraft saw a record number of goalkeepers fly off the shelf, with Butler’s Eric Dick leading the way. Dick possesses the frame most MLS teams are looking for and with Tim Melia conceivably retiring around the same time Dick would be coming into his peak years, it seemed like a natural fit. However 2018 was an up and down year for the former Bulldog, where most of Dick’s limitations where centered on mobility and catching up to the pace of the game. It seems MLS sides are becoming quicker to move on from projects that aren’t working out and with how quick players trade value can plummet, Dick might be on the trading block if SKC doesn’t think he can make the jump to the next level. If Dick can sort out some of the finer points of his footwork, he’ll remind coaches why he was worth the early pick last college draft. If not, SKC may look to get a return for Dick through other avenues.

61. Scott Angevine, 29 - Mikkelin Palloilijat
62. Kyle Zobeck, 28 - FC Dallas
63. Wade Hamilton, 24 - Los Angeles Galaxy II
64. Rafael Diaz, 27 - Sacramento Republic
65. Will Dieterich, 31 - Stjarnan
66. Carl Woszczynski, 30 - Free Agent
67. Logan Ketterer, 25 - Free Agent
68. Tomas Gomez, 25 - St. Louis FC
69. Quentin Westberg, 32 - AJ Auxerre
70. Connor Sparrow, 24 - Nashville SC

Breakout or Bust Year: Wade Hamilton. If Hamilton has a poor year in 2019, it won’t tank his career, but it’ll likely remove the possibility of him succeeding in LA. After a lackluster year, David Bingham left the door open for any worthy challengers. It’s a tall task for the twenty-four-year-old, but similar to Eric Dick’s situation, at some point your potential is just your current ability. With Hamilton nearing his peak and not getting a ton of starts with either MLS or USL side, Hamilton’s time could be dwindling out west unless he’s able to give Galaxy fans reason to believe that Kevin Hartman won’t be the last young, successful goalkeeper in LA.

71. Cody Cropper, 25 - New England Revolution
72. Joe Kuzminsky, 25 - Charleston Battery
73. Matt Van Oekel, 32 - Birmingham Legion
74. Travis Worra, 25 - DC United
75. Tim Murray, 31 - FC Honka
76. Austin Guerrero, 29 - Free Agent
77. Bryan Meredith, 29 - Seattle Sounders
78. Kris Devaux, 27 - Bryne FK
79. Jeff Gal, 25 - BK Forward
80. CJ Cochran, 27 - Fresno FC

Breakout or Bust Year: Jeff Gal. Gal has quietly stowed away in the lower levels of Sweden for the past couple years and while playing overseas is always an admirable accomplishment, Sweden’s third division isn’t anyone’s desired final destination. If Gal can’t find a proper suitor to move up to, he may need to look for another country to conquer. Gal possesses the increasingly popular thin, agile frame a number of modern teams are looking for in the starting goalkeeper. He would most likely be successful in USL were he to choose that route, but wherever he ends up, he’ll surely won’t be content without finding out the limit to his abilities.

81. Jesse Gonzalez, 23 - FC Dallas
82. Sean Lewis, 26 - St. Louis FC
83. Jake Fenlason, 25 - Tulsa Roughnecks
84. Kendall McIntosh, 25 - Portland Timbers
85. Alex Mangels, 25 - Portland Timbers II
86. Michael Nelson, 23 - Houston Dynamo
87. Stefan Cleveland, 24 - Chicago Fire
88. Andrew Putna, 24 - Real Salt Lake
89. Kyle Morton, 24 - Pittsburgh Riverhounds
90. Dan Lynd, 24 - Free Agent

Breakout or Bust Year: Jesse Gonzalez. It’s been the same story for a couple years now: a good save followed by a disheartening goal. It wouldn’t be completely off base to say FC Dallas’ season came to an end because Gonzalez couldn’t figure out a fairly typical through ball situation. The once highly sought-after dual citizen who ended up making the bench for the 2017 Gold Cup is now struggling to be the popular choice in Frisco. Pareja backed him in 2018 but with a new coach brought in, the tune may change. At only twenty-three, Gonzalez enters his seventh year with the organization and if he can’t convince the staff he’s still not the clear number one choice, Gonzalez may end up in a similar position as Sean Johnson found himself: out of town.


91. Jeff Caldwell, 22 - New York City FC
92. Eric Lopez, 19 - Los Angeles Galaxy II
93. Mike Kirk, 24 - Free Agent
94. Bobby Edwards, 23 - Mount St. Mary's
95. Drew Shepherd, 24 - Toronto FC II
96. Tim Dobrowolski, 25 - Free Agent
97. Todd Morton, 23 - Delaware
98. Matt Cardone, 25 - San Antonio FC
99. Jake McGuire, 24 - Free Agent
100. JT Marcinkowski, 21 - San Jose Earthquakes

Breakout or Bust Year: Drew Shepherd. One of the footnotes of last year’s draft, Shepherd landed with Toronto only to get injured in the first game of the year. It’s coming up on eight months since the injury and Toronto has already been linked with drafting Dayne St. Clair as another goalkeeper within the organization. For a goalkeeper who only lost a dozen times in college, it’s clear he’s no stranger to overcoming the odds but he only has 16 professional minutes to his name thus far. If Shepherd wants to avoid earning only 16 minutes in two years, he’ll need to show coaches that he’s been worth the wait one way or another.