The Women’s World Cup has finally come to a close but for those clamoring for more, the Olympic tournament is right around the corner. Until then most of the top goalkeepers will return to their clubs in England, France, Germany, and the US. This year’s list expands to include the top 60 in the world, as well as another 30 up-and-coming goalkeepers. Special thanks to Mouhamad Rachini for assisting with the rankings. Cover photo from FIFA.
1. Almuth Schult, GER (Wolfsburg) - 28
2. Tinja-Riikka Korpela, FIN (Valerenga, Norway) - 33
3. Sari van Veenendaal, NET (Arsenal, England) - 29
4. Alyssa Naeher, USA (Chicago Red Stars) - 31
5. Karen Bardsley, ENG (Manchester City) - 34
6. Stephanie Ohrstrom, SWE (Fiorentina, Italy) - 32
7. Lisa Schmitz, GER (Turbine Potsdam) - 27
8. Christiane Endler, CHI (PSG, France) - 27
9. Carly Telford, ENG (Chelsea) - 31
10. Katarzyna Kiedrzynek, POL (PSG, France) - 28
One to watch: PSG’s goalkeeper situation. Despite Endler’s World Cup heroics, it was Kiedrzynek who started 15 of 22 matches for PSG last season. It makes sense to see one of the goalkeepers slide to another club where they’ll be the proper starter but it’s tough to say which one. Kiedrzynek has the seniority but Endler’s stock has taken a massive bump in the last month. Kiedrzynek enters her seventh season with PSG, but it feels like a coin flip as to who will receive the majority of playing time. (For more on Endler’s background and recent surge, head over to Between the Sticks’ cover story on the Chilean goalkeeper.)
11. Aubrey Bledsoe, USA (Washington Spirit, USA) - 27
12. Lisa Weiss, GER (Lyon, France) - 31
13. Ashlyn Harris, USA (Orlando Pride, USA) - 33
14. Erin McLeod, CAN (Vaxjo, Sweden) - 36
15. Sandra Paños, SPA (Barcelona, Spain) - 26
16. Stephanie Labbé, CAN (North Carolina Courage, USA) - 32
17. Lydia Williams, AUS (Seattle Reign, USA) - 31
18. Adrianna Franch, USA (Portland Thorns) - 28
19. Laura O'Sullivan, WAL (Cardiff City, England) - 27
20. Mary Earps, ENG (Wolfsburg, Germany) - 26
One to watch: Aubrey Bledsoe. Heading into the World Cup, there were many questioning Alyssa Naeher’s ability in goal for the US. Now after Naeher’s outstanding semifinal performance against Spain, Bledsoe’s job of unseating the incumbent became even more difficult. Bledsoe has been working overtime the last two years, earning 61 starts between the NWSL and Australia’s W-League in the last 24 months. Bledsoe surely knows what’s within reach, but her toughest task of becoming the number one for the US is just beginning.
21. Sarah Bouhaddi, FRA (Lyon) - 32
22. Britt Eckerstrom, USA (Portland Thorns) - 26
23. Katie Fraine, USA (Vaxjo, Sweden) - 31
24. Michelle Betos, USA (Seattle Reign) - 31
25. Kateryna Samson, UKR (Ryazan, Russia) - 30
26. Gaelle Thalmann, SWI (Reggiana, Italy) - 33
27. Sabrina D'Angelo, CAN (Vittsjo, Sweden) - 26
28. Lee Alexander, SCO (Glasgow City) - 27
29. Laura Giuliani, ITA (Juventus) - 26
30. Oxana Zheleznyak, KAZ (BIIK Kazygurt) - 32
One to watch: Sabrina D'Angelo. After running into a crowded goalkeeping situation with the North Carolina Courage, D’Angelo moved east to Sweden’s Vittsjö. While the club is struggling to stay out of the relegation zone (currently sitting just one point above the line), D’Angelo is getting the playing time she was looking for. Canada’s goalkeeping position will soon start the process of passing the torch to the new guard, but D'Angelo’s resume might need to bolster up a bit before fans feel comfortable with her in net.
31. Erin Nayler, NZ (Bordeaux, France) - 27
32. Haley Kopmeyer, USA (Orlando Pride) - 29
33. Laetitia Philippe, FRA (Rodez) - 28
34. Didi Haracic, BOS (Washington Spirit, USA) - 27
35. Meline Gerard, FRA (Free Agent) - 29
36. Karima Benameur, FRA (Paris FC) - 30
37. Katrine Abel, DEN (Brondby) - 29
38. Erina Yamane, JPN (Real Betis, Spain) - 28
39. Pauline Magnin, FRA (Arsenal, England) - 27
40. Anke Preuss, GER (Liverpool, England) - 26
One to watch: Meline Gerard. After being named a backup to American goalkeeper Casey Murphy, the longtime French national team back up walked away from Montpellier. An injury in the fall gave her another hurdle to returning the field, putting the once-promising goalkeeper a full fourteen months from her last professional match. Gerard announced in May she was working on receiving a coaching license but a Facebook post last month seems to imply she still has something left to prove on the field. Gerard might or might not have gas left in the tank, but the answer will surely come sooner than later.
41. Laura Benkarth, GER (Bayern Munich) - 26
42. Romane Munich, FRA (Soyaux) - 24
43. Patricia Morais, POR (Sporting CP) - 27
44. Barbara Lorsheijd, NET (ADO Den Haag) - 28
45. Nora Gjøen, NOR (Sandviken) - 27
46. Bryane Heaberlin, USA (Frankfurt, Germany) - 25
47. Jennifer Falk, SWE (Goteborg) - 26
48. Rute Costa, POR (Braga) - 25
49. Loes Geurts, NET (Goteborg, Sweden) - 33
50. Hedvig Lindahl, SWE (Chelsea, England) - 36
One to watch: Laura Benkarth. An ACL/MCL tear cut most of 2018 short for Benkarth but the recovery went so well she worked herself in a World Cup roster spot. Bayern Munich has a slew of strong, young goalkeepers going into next season with Austrian international Manuela Zinsberger (23), former Dutch U20 starter Jacintha Weimar (21), and Finnish U20 starter Katriina Talaslahti (18). It’s a hand-picked goalkeeping core that will be tough for Benkarth to emerge from. If she can nail down the starting spot for Bayern Munich, expect to see more from Benkarth on even bigger stages.
51. Emily Dolan, USA (Real Betis, Spain) - 24
52. Bárbara, BRA (Kindermann) - 30
53. Mackenzie Arnold, AUS (Brisbane Roar) - 25
54. Meike Kamper, GER (Duisburg) - 25
55. Nicole Barnhart, USA (Utah Royals) - 37
56. Lindsey Harris, USA (Klepp, Norway) - 25
57. Jane Campbell, USA (Houston Dash) - 24
58. Deborah Garcia, FRA (Rodez) - 24
59. Vanina Correa, ARG (Rosario Central) - 30
60. Emily Armstrong, USA (Sundsvall, Sweden) - 25
One to watch: Mackenzie Arnold. After a lackluster World Cup performance from Australian starter Lydia Williams, Arnold could theoretically work her way into the starting spot for the Olympic tournament in 12 months. Arnold hasn’t been playing regularly since February, at the conclusion of the W-League, and will probably need some more game time under her belt to truly make a push for Australia’s number one spot. But she’s certainly in a position to impress the higher-ups if the next year goes well for her.
Top 30 Under 24
1. Ellie Roebuck, ENG (Manchester City) - 19
2. Carina Schluter, GER (SC Sand) - 22
3. Elena, SPA (Fundacion Albacete) - 22
4. Elisa Launay, FRA (Lille) - 23
5. Anneke Borbe, GER (Werder Bremen) - 18
6. Zecira Musovic, SWE (Rosengard) - 23
7. Peng Shimeng, CHI (Jiangsu Suning) - 21
8. Stephanie Bukovec, CRO (ZNK Split) - 23
9. Cindy Perrault, FRA (Grenoble Foot) - 23
10. Sara Serrat, SPA (Huelva) - 23
One to watch: Ellie Roebuck. Second place WSL finisher Manchester City relied heavily on the teenage goalkeeper. Roebuck, who started 15 of the club’s 20 matches, has earned two caps with the English national team over the last year. Roebuck is so highly regarded that she not only signed a two-year extension with Manchester City but served as a surplus traveling member for England’s World Cup team this summer. When compared to her peers, Roebuck is in a league of her own.
11. Ayaka Yamashita, JPN (Nippon TV Beleza) - 23
12. Romane Bruneau, FRA (Girondins de Bordeaux) - 22
13. Cecilie Fiskerstrand, NOR (Lillestrom) - 23
14. Maria Quinones, SPA (Real Sociedad) - 22
15. Kailen Sheridan, CAN (Sky Blue FC, USA) - 23
16. Aurora Mikalsen, NOR (Kolbotn) - 23
17. Lena Pauels, GER (Werder Bremen) - 21
18. Casey Murphy, USA (Seattle Reign) - 23
19. Manuela Zinsberger, AUS (Bayern Munich, Germany) - 23
20. Sophie Baggaley, ENG (Bristol City) - 22
One to watch: Casey Murphy. Murphy is the next logical choice in the post-Alyssa Naeher era for many US fans. At 23, she’s certainly accomplished more than her American counterparts, leaving college early to play in France for two years with Montpellier. She’s recently returned stateside, filling in for Lydia Williams’ absence with the World Cup team. Murphy will likely be fast-tracked going forward by some NWSL side, whether it is Seattle or not, but the competition for a starting spot in the NWSL is unlike any other position in the league.
21. Chika Hirao, JPN (Albirex Niigata) - 22
22. Emily Boyd, USA (Chicago Red Stars) - 22
23. Lisa Klostermann, GER (SGS Essen) - 20
24. Jalen Tompkins, USA (University of Colorado) - 22
25. Ana, SPA (Rayo Vallecano) - 21
26. Mikayla Krzeczowski, USA (University of South Carolina) - 21
27. Matilda Haglund, SWE (Linkoping) - 22
28. Ella Dederick, USA (Washington State University) - 22
29. Alessia Piazza, ITA (Tavagnacco) - 21
30. Lize Kop, NET (Ajax) - 21
One to watch: Ella Dederick. Back in February, Washington State was happy to announce that Dederick was granted an additional year of eligibility after a knee injury cut last fall short. Dederick was on pace to be a top goalkeeper in the 2019 NWSL draft before the unfortunate setback. Now with a new lease on her playing career, Dederick will be a top draft pick for 2020 if everything goes as planned. Dederick’s fitness and playing level will be unveiled in August and if she can stay healthy through the grueling fall, look to see her name on everyone’s draft board in January.
