Overcoming a Goalkeeper's Worst Moment

Have you ever been curious how a professional goalkeeper overcomes their mistakes? Or do you have a story from your time as a goalkeeper that others would love to hear? Dive into the mental side of the game with this worldwide project open to all goalkeepers!

Yes, all goalkeepers, even you! Any player who has ever played the position is welcome to participate, regardless of age, ability, or prestige. Simply fill out the survey (six questions), leave a contact email, and your responses will be featured on Everybody Soccer. Here are some published interviews to see how professional goalkeepers overcame setbacks in their career:

• Bobby Edwards (FC Cincinnati, Indy Eleven)

• Lauren Watson (Texas Tech, Keflavík FC, Assí FC)

• Brandon Miller (Charlotte Independence)

Continue scrolling to the survey or click here to fill out the questions. (For mobile users, the link may be the better option.)

Thank you for taking time to partake in Everybody Soccer's "Reliving a Goalkeeper's Best and Worst Moments" survey. One of the core values to the "goalkeeper union" is being able to understand how difficult the position is for any goalkeeper you encounter, something outsiders likely do not understand.

Women's Soccer Stories Interview: Resurrecting a Forgotten Past

Thibault Rabeux is the name behind the up-and-coming account, Women’s Soccer Stories, which features forgotten or rarely reported stories in the history of women’s soccer. Today, Rabeux talks about his time as a historian of the women’s game, as well as future projects and his list of the most unappreciated players of all-time.

For clips and stories of monumental moments in Women’s Soccer, you can find Women’s Soccer Stories on Instagram (@women.soccer.stories) and YouTube (WSS Channel). For more history on the game itself, Rabeux’s book on the beginnings of women’s soccer can be found on Amazon, “Women's Soccer: The Official History of the Unofficial World Cups”.

What was the starting point that first got you interested in women’s football history?

I got interested in the history of women's football in 2014 when I was working for a specialized website called Foot d'Elles. I had discovered by chance that the French club of Reims had won a tournament in Taiwan in 1978. At the time, there were only a few lines on Wikipedia devoted to this tournament. So I interviewed the captain of the Stade de Reims at the time, Renée Delahaye, who told me the incredible story of this tournament in Asia. The story was so amazing that I incorporated it into my book. It was after doing this interview that I realized there were incredible little-known stories to tell.

Renée Delahaye (middle) in 1978 in Taiwan

You’ve done an excellent job digging up old clips on your YouTube and Instagram, as well as writing a book chronicling the major tournaments before the World Cup in 1991. Out of all the decades in women’s football, what event is criminally overlooked in your opinion? What makes it so important and intriguing to you?

Without a doubt, the history of the origins of the United States National Team (USWNT). When I was doing research to write my book, I found out about the Xi'an tournament that took place in China in 1984.

I found out that it was an American team that won the tournament: the Sting Soccer Club, a U19 team from Dallas. I contacted Alicia Tannery Donelan, a former player who participated in the Xi'an tournament. What she told me was amazing! As a Frenchman, I didn't understand why no American website had ever told the story of the Sting SC, which is in fact the first women's football team that represented the US around the world before 1985 and prompted the creation of the first official USWNT. I realized that without these young girls from Dallas, there probably never would have been Alex Morgan or Megan Rapinoe. I have told this amazing story in my book, as well as on my YouTube channel.

A reporter from Sports Illustrated contacted me about the history of the Sting SC. He wanted to make an article about it, but the article’s rights were bought by producers. I believe that a film or a documentary about this story is in preparation.

Every time I’ve spoken with a former player, I’m always shocked at how humble they are and how quickly they downplay their accomplishments when, from my point of view, they’ve accomplished so much. Have you had similar experiences in your conversations with former players?

I agree with you. Former players don't want to compare eras and tend to downplay their exploits. Renée Delahaye, the former captain of the Stade de Reims who won the World Cup in Taiwan in 1978, told me this:

"You can't really compare it with modern soccer. We didn't train as often back then, we didn't earn any money. Soccer was just a hobby for us. You need to look at our performances in relative terms and keep your feet on the ground. Yes, we were world champions, but that's no reason to get carried away with what we did.”

There is something I love about women's football, it is the fact that it is "easy" to contact the players. It is possible to chat with Hall of Famers without difficulty. The players are approachable and it's very pleasant. It would be impossible to contact male players so easily.

What are some future plans that fans can look forward to?

I am currently working on the development of a new book dedicated to the history of women's football. I'm collecting ideas and will start writing soon. This new project takes a lot of my time, so I'm a little less active on my YouTube channel. I'm trying to compensate for this by posting on my Instagram account that I created at the beginning of 2021. So don't hesitate to follow me on Instagram and YouTube :-)

For our last question, although this may be a long answer, give us your all-time *underrated* starting eleven. What players were great but, for whatever reason, have had their accomplishments and talent overlooked?

This is a very complicated question because one of the major problems with "vintage" women's football is that matches cannot be viewed. To answer this question objectively, you would have to do the same work you did for your Goalkeeper Hall of Fame. However, I would like to name three players who deserve more recognition:

Susanne Augustesen (Denmark): She scored three goals in the 1971 World Cup final in Mexico at the age of 15. She played in Italian Calcio for several seasons and scored over 600 goals. In 2017, she was inducted into the Danish Hall of Fame.

Rose Reilly (Scotland): She played the Scottish team's very first official match in 1972. She was, however, banned by the Scottish Football Association and eventually played with the Italian national team with which she won the 1984 edition of Mundialito. She played 10 matches with Scotland and 22 with Italy. In 2007, she became the first woman to be inducted into the Scottish Hall of Fame.

Sissi (Brazil): She is certainly the second most famous player in Brazil behind Marta. But while a lot of people know his name, I don't think everyone knows his story. She was top scorer at the 1999 World Cup and was voted second-best player in the tournament. I recently learned that Sissi's short hair was a tribute to a young child who died of cancer. This story was very touching.

Goals Saved Above Replacement (2020 MLS Season)

Not familiar with Goals Saved Above Replacement? Click here to read about the methodology.

The 2020 MLS Season proved to be a tumultuous season for everyone involved. For MLS goalkeepers specifically, many struggled with consistency but the successful ones were able to rise above the hurdles and provide a stable foundation throughout the entire season, not swaying back and forth between great and abysmal performances. To evaluate each goalkeeper’s season, GSAR returns to break down each netminder’s output.

Here’s a brief explanation for the following chart:

• GSAR - Goals Saved Above Replacement; a metric to gauge a goalkeeper’s performance against the rest of the league’s. For those unfamiliar with GSAR, please check out the explanation and rundown of the 2018 season or compare this year’s numbers with the 2019 results.

• Shots, Misc, Passing - The three categories combine for the total GSAR output of a goalkeeper. “Shots” is focused exclusively on shot-stopping. “Passing” evaluates the goalkeeper’s success in helping create goal-scoring opportunities for his team. “Misc” is every other goalkeeper action wrapped into one. Although “Misc” covers a wide spectrum of actions, the reason they’re lumped together is because they’re not consistently repeatable actions from season-to-season. For example, penalty success for a goalkeeper in one season may look completely different as a goalkeeper faces only so many penalties each season. The most common actions that impact the “Misc” column include penalties, cross management, deflected shots, and slotted balls from the end line.

• GSAR/90 - Each goalkeeper’s GSAR rating over a 90-minute span. Typically a good season is above +.05 a game while a great season is above +.15 each match.

• Proj.Salary - An attempt to quantify a goalkeeper’s GSAR into a salary amount. The metric is admittedly erratic as teams don’t solely pay off of goals saved over the course of a season, as well as ask for different requirements in their respective goalkeeper. The metric is simply to give an idea of what the season would typically cost for a seasonal performance, not give the overall worth of the goalkeeper.

Underneath the table are three takeaways although I’ll eventually publish a team-by-team rundown of how each MLS goalkeeping core performed with a review of the predictions for the 2020 season. For now, every goalkeeper who earned at least 360 minutes is listed below, excluding goalkeepers who received less for the sake of simplicity. Goalkeepers who received less than 1000 minutes are separated to the bottom half of the chart in an attempt to break the list into starters and backups. The knockout stages of the MLS is Back tournament were counted as well.

Note: For mobile users, the table scrolls horizontally but switching your phone to landscape mode may provide a better view of the table.

rank	GSAR	keeper (tm)	shots	misc	passing	gsar/90	mins	proj.salary
1	4.99	Matt Turner (NE)	4.49	-0.14	0.64	0.22	2070	$482,217
2	1.95	Tim Melia (SKC)	-0.58	2.09	0.44	0.09	1964	$223,624
3	1.78	Andre Blake (PHI)	1.65	0.17	-0.04	0.07	2160	$207,647
4	1.62	Stefan Frei (SEA)	0.62	0.02	0.98	0.07	2070	$203,373
5	1.55	Clement Diop (MON)	1.46	0.73	-0.63	0.07	1890	$202,243
6	0.51	Brad Guzan (ATL)	-1.72	1.24	0.99	0.02	2070	$149,276
7	0.25	Jimmy Maurer (FCD)	0.20	0.03	0.03	0.02	1392	$142,679
8	0.15	Pedro Gallese (OCSC)	-0.94	0.28	0.81	0.01	2070	$136,078
9	0.13	Steve Clark (POR)	-1.45	1.17	0.41	0.01	2160	$135,381
10	0.02	Bill Hamid (DC)	0.56	-0.46	-0.08	0.00	1530	$131,782
11	-0.1	Bobby Shuttleworth (CHC)	-1.04	0.75	0.19	-0.01	1530	$127,173
12	-0.33	Quentin Westberg (TOR)	-0.31	-0.40	0.38	-0.02	1890	$120,175
13	-0.37	Eloy Room (CLB)	-0.30	0.02	-0.09	-0.02	1511	$117,235
14	-0.41	Ryan Meara (RBNY)	-0.62	0.33	-0.12	-0.03	1142	$112,898
15	-0.44	William Yarbrough (CLR)	-0.68	-0.07	0.30	-0.03	1260	$112,624
16	-0.59	Joe Willis (NAS)	-0.78	0.39	-0.21	-0.03	2070	$112,932
17	-0.63	Dayne St. Clair (MIN)	-0.74	0.82	-0.71	-0.05	1170	$103,700
18	-0.89	Sean Johnson (NYC)	0.51	-1.32	-0.08	-0.04	2250	$106,705
19	-1.04	Marko Maric (HOU)	-0.70	-0.09	-0.25	-0.05	2070	$102,010
20	-1.15	Przemyslaw Tyton (CIN)	0.65	-1.49	-0.31	-0.09	1161	$89,058
21	-2.71	Pablo Sisniega (LAFC)	-1.37	-1.20	-0.14	-0.19	1260	$64,355
22	-2.79	Andrew Putna (RSL)	-1.25	-0.69	-0.85	-0.19	1350	$64,899
23	-2.99	Luis Robles (MIA)	-2.81	-0.16	-0.03	-0.20	1350	$62,814
24	-3.33	David Bingham (LAG)	-3.16	-0.23	0.06	-0.20	1530	$62,196
25	-6.12	Daniel Vega (SJ)	-2.83	-2.95	-0.34	-0.44	1260	$14,313
-	0.89	Tyler Miller (MIN)	0.57	0.24	0.09	0.11	720	$197,729
-	0.69	David Jensen (RBNY)	-0.41	1.18	-0.09	0.07	928	$185,346
-	0.62	Brian Rowe (OCSC)	0.45	0.06	0.11	0.16	360	$192,797
-	0.6	Thomas Hasal (VAN)	1.00	-0.32	-0.08	0.06	842	$183,273
-	0.36	Kenneth Vermeer (LAFC)	-0.60	0.60	0.35	0.04	900	$169,870
-	0.15	James Marcinkowski (SJ)	0.09	0.14	-0.08	0.01	990	$181,006
-	0.02	Evan Bush (VAN)	-0.61	0.19	0.43	0.00	720	$133,511
-	-0.51	John McCarthy (MIA)	-0.16	-0.24	-0.11	-0.06	720	$97,419
-	-0.57	Zac MacMath (RSL)	-0.57	-0.32	0.32	-0.08	630	$95,711
-	-0.59	Chris Seitz (DCU)	-0.48	0.08	-0.19	-0.10	540	$94,835
-	-0.82	Kenneth Kronholm (CHI)	-0.82	-0.26	0.25	-0.16	450	$90,573
-	-1.21	Andrew Tarbell (CLB)	-0.32	-0.77	-0.12	-0.15	713	$86,723
-	-1.44	Jonathan Klinsmann (LAG)	-1.33	-0.13	0.02	-0.36	360	$81,796
-	-2.12	Clint Irwin (CLR)	-1.17	-0.66	-0.28	-0.53	360	$74,568
-	-2.47	Spencer Richey (CIN)	-1.00	-1.39	-0.08	-0.27	819	$73,161

Three Takeaways

1. Most goalkeepers finished around +/- 1 goal from center - The stop-and-go nature of the season mirrored most goalkeepers’ productions. 13 of the 25 goalkeepers with at least 1000 minutes were just on either side of a 0 GSAR. Compared to 2019 and 2018’s numbers, it was a little disappointing to see so few eclipse +1 GSAR and only have one goalkeeper surpass +.1 GSAR/gm (Matt Turner). In comparison, nine starting goalkeepers passed +.1 GSAR/gm in both 2019 and 2018.

   The simplest explanation for the drought in standout performances can be linked to a lack of a stable year. This is perhaps best illustrated in Andre Blake and Marko Maric’s seasons. Blake got off to a hot start, tallying a +3.67 GSAR through July 26th while Maric struggled in the same time span (-2.81). However for the rest of the season, the Blake combined for a -1.88 while Maric rebounded with a +1.78. In any other year, Blake and Maric might have found more consistent momentum but 2020 proved to be difficult to find that rhythm.

2. More than most years, “miscellaneous” played a large role in a goalkeeper’s success - As stated above, miscellaneous covers a number of categories. Penalties played a large factor (with goalkeepers facing somewhere between 0-5 penalties in the 2020 season) while scrambles in the box or deflected shots could heavily influence a goalkeeper’s season, as shown by the unbelievable 2020 MLS Save of the Year from Eloy Room. Additionally, no goalkeeper saved more than half a goal’s worth through cross management, although this did help boost some goalkeeper’s GSAR.

   The best way to interpret the miscellaneous category is to take it with a large grain of salt, knowing they might have a completely different 2021 season in the same category. For example, Melia received a +1.9 for his penalty heroics (saving both of the two he faced) while Tyton fell -1.4 for not saving any in the penalty shootout against Portland during the MLS is Back tournament. Had both goalkeepers faced more penalties, their performance would have become less extreme. In contrast, Joe Willis (+.49) and Stefan Frei (+.40) leading the league in cross management is more likely to be repeated, although how their defense allows opposing teams to attack will influence their quantity of crosses faced.

3. Matt Turner is still underrated - Over the last three years, Turner has blown away the competition in goals saved. Since 2018, Turner has amassed a staggering +16.22 GSAR (+.23 GSAR/gm). The second closest goalkeeper is 3.5 goals away and with 1600+ more minutes to their name (see the chart below for the top goalkeepers over the past three years).

   Despite the dominance in goal, Turner has struggled mightily when it comes to the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award, finishing a distant second behind Andre Blake. Although Turner looks to earn his first cap with the US Men’s National Team this week, it may be even longer before he earns his due in MLS.

GSAR 2018-2020 (Top 15)

rank	GSAR.tot	GSAR/gm	Mins	Goalkeeper	g.2020	g.2019	g.2018
1	16.22	0.23	6266	Matt Turner	4.99	8.02	3.21
2	12.72	0.14	7904	Tim Melia	1.95	4.04	6.73
3	8.62	0.12	6210	Tyler Miller	0.89	2.81	4.92
4	8.41	0.15	5166	Steve Clark	0.13	8.21	0.07
5	8.16	0.11	6660	Evan Bush	0.02	2.23	5.91
6	7.00	0.24	2668	Maxime Crepeau	-0.18	7.18	---
7	5.71	0.06	8010	Stefan Frei	1.62	-1.34	5.43
8	5.65	0.17	2934	Jeff Attinella	0.81	0.10	4.74
9	5.15	0.08	5535	Nick Rimando	---	-1.90	7.05
10	3.90	0.04	8044	Brad Guzan	0.51	2.06	1.33
11	3.37	0.06	5105	Tim Howard	---	2.99	0.38
12	3.34	0.04	7650	Sean Johnson	-0.89	4.97	-0.74
13	3.15	0.19	1508	Zac MacMath	-0.57	2.77	0.95
14	3.13	0.04	7110	Luis Robles	-2.99	5.18	0.94
15	1.46	0.02	5760	Bill Hamid	0.02	1.33	0.11

Marcus Alstrup Interview: Danish-American Goalkeeper Climbing the Ranks in Denmark

Marcus Alstrup is a Danish-American goalkeeper playing for Odense Boldklub. At just 16, Alstrup has been heavily featured in OB’s U19 squad, starting seven of the thirteen matches this season. Marcus discusses his route to OB, his time trialing in Italy, and how he is approaching his dual-nationality when it comes to international play. Cover photo from Marcus’ Instagram page.

For those that may not be familiar with your story, how did you end up at Odense? And how long do you see yourself with the club?

After playing for 5 years in my hometown club (Munkebo BK), I got drafted by Odense Bk. This was in the summer when I started the U13 team. I felt that Odense BK is one of the teams in Denmark that have great success in developing goalkeepers, so that’s why it made sense for me to play there. I have always wanted to play for an international club. That is still something I work hard for and I hope it will happen sometime in the near future. Even though I enjoy playing at Odense BK, this is something I would like to pursue.

At 16, you clearly still have a long career ahead of you and are still developing as a goalkeeper. How are you going about finding your “style” as a young player? Is there a well-known goalkeeper that you could compare yourself to?

I have always been a huge fan of Iker Casillas. He was good at reading the game, so he was always in the right position at the right time so he could make the save. I compare myself with Ederson (Manchester City) and Onana (Ajax) because they are both good with their feet and understand and read the game pretty well.

You’ve trailed with Serie A club Bologna in December of 2019. How did you feel like you performed and what did you take away from that time?

I felt like I did pretty good during my training in Bologna. It was a very different experience and a very different way of training than I am used to. It was both harder and a more explosive way of training than we do here in Denmark. I got great feedback, but the trainer encouraged me to practice catching the ball as high as possible on corner kicks.

You’ve recently been playing with Odense’s U19s, going 5-1-2 (W-T-L) with you in goal during 2020. What areas of goalkeeping are the coaches encouraging you to explore and continue to grow in? 

Yes, I had an okay season with the U19s this year. The coaches are encouraging me to keep working on my communication on the pitch and continue to work on longer kicks with the ball, like Ederson.

You’ve spent a decent amount of time with the Danish youth national teams. Obviously we're at a very early stage but how are you currently approaching international play, knowing you have dual citizenship with Denmark and USA? And are you getting any encouragement to play for one more than the other from family and friends?

I really enjoy playing for the Danish youth national teams. So far, I have been playing quite a few times abroad, against some really strong teams. That is such a great experience. We played against the US back in February last year. I am still young and I enjoy very much being a part of the Danish youth national team, but if possible I would like to play for the USA later on. No, my family and friends support me in whatever my dreams and goals are. So we’ll see what the future brings.