The 24 Best U24 American Goalkeepers

cover photo belongs to Naomi Baker/Getty

Both the USMNT and USWNT are at a crossroads when it comes to infusing young talent with their respective squads. The USMNT are notably sporting an already young roster while the USWNT are transitioning out of a legendary squad and have a number of players eager to prove themselves. Diving into the top U24 goalkeepers gives us an idea of what the rising talent pool looks like, as well as surveys where American goalkeepers are being developed. The following rankings are centered on a combination of current form and projected ability to succeed at the next level.

There are a few notable omissions, such as the Chicago Fire’s Gabriel Slonina. I have gone back and forth on this over the years but these current lists only include goalkeepers between the ages 18-24. Although starting for a professional side at such a young age is unquestionably an impressive accomplishment, ultimately I’ve never felt comfortable grouping 17-year-old goalkeepers with 24-year-old ones. There is already too much hype elsewhere on the internet for goalkeepers who have yet to reach adulthood and projections for 17-year-old goalkeepers are rarely correct or reasonable. So their exclusion is centered around letting them develop on their own timeline, not adding to the snowballing frenzy, and recognizing their relevancy with the national team is several years away.

Lastly, Brandon Austin was originally included as the second top prospect for the USMNT but he was confirmed by USSF that he is ineligible to play for the US. Vicente Reyes was added to keep the list at 24 names.

USMNT Prospects

1. Ethan Wady, 19 - Chelsea U23s
2. Brooks Thompson, 19 - Sporting Kansas City
3. Carlos dos Santos, 21 - Benfica B
4. Matt Freese, 23 - Philadelphia Union
5. JT Marcinkowski, 24 - San Jose Earthquakes
6. John Pulskamp, 20 - Sporting Kansas City
7. Rocco Rios Novo, 19 - Atlanta United 2 #
8. Jonathan Klinsmann, 24 - Los Angeles Galaxy

9. Nicolas Defreitas-Hansen, 20 - Swansea City U23s
10. Alex Borto, 18 - Fulham U18s
11. Zion Suzuki, 19 - Urawa Red Diamon (Japan.1)
12. Hector Holguin, 20 - Tampico Madero (Mexico.2)
13. Eric Lopez, 22 - Los Angeles Galaxy
14. Benny Diaz, 22 - Club Tijuana
15. Damian Las, 19 - Fulham U23s
16. Eric De La Cerda, 20 - San Jose Earthquakes

17. Justin vom Steeg, 24 - Los Angeles Galaxy
18. Hunter Sulte, 19 - Portland Timbers
19. Daniel Peluffo-Wiese, 18 - Unterhaching (Germany.3)
20. Tomas Romero, 20 - Los Angeles FC
21. Luca Lewis, 20 - New York Red Bulls
22. Abraham Rodriguez, 19 - Colorado Springs Switchbacks
23. Victor Vidal, 22 - Lleida Esportiu
24. Vicente Reyes, 18 - Atlanta United (USA.1)

# - on loan from Club Atlético Lanús II

What to know about Ethan Wady: For the first time in years, the U24 depth chart is a bit of a mystery at the moment. Although Steffen’s grasp on the position doesn’t look to be loosening any time soon, the most recent U23 outing left fans still wanting more. Olympic qualifying starter David Ochoa has switched his international alignment to the Mexican national team and the backups for the Olympic squad - as well as the rest of the list - have struggled to find consistent playing time.

Although the depth chart is largely lacking momentum, to Wady’s credit, he’s certainly passed the eye test with Chelsea’s U23s. Most recently, Wady has aided the U23s in reaching the second round of the EFL Cup, only allowing one goal in the two cup matches. The 6’4” English-American goalkeeper checks a lot of boxes in terms of what Premiership clubs are looking for: fluid movement, confident decision-making, and no fear in an added challenge. Although climbing the ranks at Chelsea is a tall order, it’s safe to say that even if he doesn’t become the Blues’ number one, he’s on track right now that another EPL club will be happy to groom him for their club’s starting spot.

USWNT Prospects

1. Mandy McGlynn, 23 - Gotham FC
2. Shelby Hogan, 22 - Portland Thorns FC
3. Hillary Beall, 22 - University of Michigan
4. Angelina Anderson, 20 - University of California, Berkeley
5. Bridgette Skiba, 22 - Oregon State University
6. Ruthie Jones, 20 - Duke University
7. Macy Enneking, 21 - University of Iowa
8. Lindsey Romig, 20 - University of Tennessee

9. Emily Puricelli, 19 - Saint Louis University
10. Katherine Asman, 21 - Penn State University
11. Brittany Wilson, 24 - Orlando Pride
12. Heather Hinz, 20 - University of South Carolina
13. Claudia Dickey, 21 - University of North Carolina
14. Jalen Tompkins, 24 - Valerenga (Norway.1)
15. Mia Justus, 18 - Florida State University
16. Nadia Cooper, 18 - Washington State University

17. Hensley Hancuff, 21 - Clemson University
18. Katie Meyer, 21 - Stanford University
19. Laurel Ivory, 22 - University of Virginia
20. Kaylie Collins, 23 - Orlando Pride
21. Cayla White, 20 - University of Virginia
22. Samantha Murphy, 24 - North Carolina FC
23. Jordyn Bloomer, 23 - University of Wisconsin-Madison
24. Lauren Brzykcy, 22 - UCLA

What to know about Mandy McGlynn: The unfortunate reality for graduating collegiate players, especially goalkeepers, is that the NWSL is an extremely difficult league to break into. It’s not a developmental league - not that it claims to be - but it raises a question about how young American players should develop. The most common routes have been to train in-house with an NWSL side for a few years or try to find traction overseas.

In two years since leaving Virginia Tech, McGlynn has earned only 44 minutes in NWSL action despite being a former U20 USYNT goalkeeper. McGlynn has a number of tools at her disposal with her balanced blend of mobility and athleticism. However, there’s a fine line between appropriately prepping a player and having them rot away on the bench. McGlynn is in need of minutes so hopefully either Gotham FC will grant them to her in 2022 or she can obtain them outside the country. Sweden, Iceland, and France’s leagues have typically been kind to American goalkeepers over the past 5-10 years.

Top Goalkeepers Who Scored in the Premier League

Traditionally, good goal-keeping will suffice the cliché of been among the elite, while the like of Nock Pope and Sam Johnstone are creatively doing their quota to ensure their team remain among the elite in English football but in reality, football is fast evolving with goalkeepers equally evolving in their role

In fact, the goalkeeper are expected to do more than shot-stopping in modern game while some are very vibrant with their reflex, while commanding the defense with topnotch authority, the goalkeepers see expected to contribute to their team offensive prowess in symptoms and glorified manner in order to ensure their team becomes victorious going out of match.

More so, Premier League have seen many keeper getting involved in their team play but only few have been able to aid their team with goal scoring feat.

Moreover, Allison Becker in recent time came out of his shell to help Liverpool scoop their Champions League birth while scoring a goal that would make won a match and eventually aid The Red to a top three position after sports betting websites have offered their odds in favour of Leicester City and Chelsea qualifies ahead of the Merseyside team.

His fellow countryman in Manchester City and Selecao rival for the number one spot had previously been louder for his ability to pinpoint a pass for his player in Premier League  while assisting their players to net an opponent in an emphatic attitude have given rise to the importance of a goalkeeper in their team’s build-up in the Premier League.

Despite the fact that goalkeepers are keeping pace with the attacker to put their name in Premier League goal scoring record book, it was not until tenth season after the inaugural season of the English top flight Premier League that the custodian began to have their way against their counterparts.

Irrespective of how well their names is in Premier League, below are the top class goal keepers that have registered their name as a Premier League goal scorer beyond their excellence shot stopping skill that have rank them among the elite that Premier League has to offer.

Tim Howard

The American shots stoppers was one of the best goalie in the Premier League during his illustrious twelve years campaign ranging from Manchester United and Everton. In fact, the genesis of his Premier League career started off with an impressive capacity for United until he began to be clumsy in his realign which led to competition with Carrol until the two custodians lost their place to Van Der Sar.

Moreover, the American international will be remember for his brilliant goal against Bolton Wonderers. But what makes the goal enthralling is the factor that associated with the goal, as the windy conditions on Merseyside played a huge part in Tim Howard only Premier League goal, while the ball moved strongly against Adam Bodgan

Though, Everton eventually lost the game, thanks to Stephen Ngog and Gary Cahill’s goal that earn Bolton the much needed three point. But the Howard’s goal will be remember by many Toffees and  Premier League fans for years to come

Allison Becker

Already claiming one of the best goal custodian in Premier League in his less than five years at the Anfield. With the Brazilian shot stopper in goal, Liverpool have had the luxury of winning the Premier League which have evaded the Merseyside’s team for decades

In fact, Allison is not just one of the Premier League shot stopper, he is among the elite goalkeeper all over the world and his presence have riven to be the standard of goalkeeping in recent times.

Moreover, in what will be lived in the memory of many Kops and the Premier League fans is the goal that secures the champions berth for The Reds in their bid to turn their season around after their shambolic outing since Van Dijk against Everton

In a match that looks frantic and erratic for Liverpool to exert their dominance to claim a victory against the lowly West Bromwich Albion. The Brazil international came up with a late header by connecting to a brilliant corner with inch-perfect header directions to the right angle without the reach of his counterpart

The goal beyond the need of Liverpool’s victory came with an outstanding effort which is well placed like an outfield player trained to score such a goal. Allison Becker goal will echo in the heart of many Premier League fans for years to come

Peter Schmeichel

Beyond imitation of greatness stand one of the greatest Premier League custodian of all time. The big Dane was at the heart of Manchester United’s dominance while winning a series of League titles, FA Cup, league cup and Champions League.

However, the Denmark international will be remembered for his goal-scoring feat as the first goalkeeper in the rich history of the Premier League to find the back of the opposing team net. While it was nearly a decade of Premier League existence, Schmeichel do the unthinkable beyond everyone’s imagination.

Though Pete was replaced with an excellent goalkeeper, Barthez who was also a brilliant goalkeeper like Schmeichel, but the Dane was well placed as me of the great with his saves and shows-stopping capabilities.

More so, Schmeichel on October 2001, before the league swing in full gear, before the big boys began to settle in their prime, the Danish custodian stole the headline as the first goalkeeper to find the back of the next in Premier League after he smashed home a superb volley for Aston Villa as the Villa Park’s team home a memorable 3-2 victory of Everton on a thrilling encounter

Though he is known to score goals while recording nine goals throughout his career, his strike against Everton will be remembered by many as it was the only goal scored by the Dane in Premier League throughout his stay in the league.

Top 100 American Goalkeepers

Cover photo belongs to Tom Flathers/Getty Images. To see how the top 100 rankings have evolved since July 2013, click here.

1. Zack Steffen, 26 - Manchester City
2. Ethan Horvath, 26 - Nottingham Forest (England.2)
3. Matt Turner, 27 - New England Revolution
4. Brad Stuver, 30 - Austin FC
5. Sean Johnson, 32 - New York City FC
6. Josh Cohen, 29 - Maccabi Haifa (Israel.1)
7. Brad Guzan, 37 - Atlanta United
8. Tyler Miller, 28 - Minnesota United FC
9. Jimmy Maurer, 33 - FC Dallas
10. Tim Melia, 35 - Sporting Kansas City

One to watch: Ethan Horvath. Horvath joined Nottingham Forest on a free transfer this summer after seeing barely any minutes after Simon Miglonet joined. In mid-August, Horvath did impressively well in a 4-0 EFL Cup loss to Wolves, making a number of top saves to keep the scoreline from nearing double digits (highlights). Unfortunately, all progress feels undone when he gifted a goal away in a 2-0 league match against Middlesbrough, losing possession on a simple build-out in his own box. Horvath’s career has been stop-and-go for much of the past four years so in some sense this is nothing new. On the other hand, at 26 years old, there really isn’t much time left to “develop”. While the competition is great, ultimately Horvath needs traction to reach his ceiling. Horvath doesn’t need every minute from a club but he will need more than two games a year.

11. Steve Clark, 35 - Portland Timbers
12. Bill Hamid, 30 - DC United
13. William Yarbrough, 32 - Colorado Rapids
14. Stefan Cleveland, 27 - Seattle Sounders
15. Sean Lewis, 29 - FC Tulsa
16. Andrew Tarbell, 28 - Austin FC
17. Logan Ketterer, 27 - El Paso Locomotive
18. Joe Willis, 33 - Nashville SC
19. Kyle Morton, 27 - Houston Dynamo
20. Stefan Frei, 35 - Seattle Sounders

One to watch: Stefan Cleveland. As the Stefan Frei-era in Seattle enters its final hours, Cleveland has stepped up as an unlikely replacement. Similar to how Seattle obtained Frei from Toronto, the Sounders picked up Cleveland for essentially pennies (trading their first-round draft pick for Chicago’s second round). As of October 6th, Cleveland has 15 starts this season with an eight-game unbeaten streak to kick off his campaign. Cleveland’s style can be a bit chaotic but his quick feet and “nose for the ball” have produced a number of head-scratching saves for opposing strikers. It’s hard to say how far Cleveland can take his approach in the league but so far he’s made a strong case for starting for the Sounders in 2022.

21. Michael Nelson, 26 - Houston Dynamo
22. Pablo Sisniega, 26 - Los Angeles FC
23. David Bingham, 32 - Los Angeles Galaxy
24. Zac MacMath, 30 - Real Salt Lake
25. Jeff Attinella, 33 - Portland Timbers
26. Mike Lansing, 27 - Aalesunds FK (Norway.2)
27. John McCarthy, 29 - Inter Miami
28. Jon Kempin, 28 - DC United
29. Bobby Shuttleworth, 34 - Chicago Fire
30. Kendall McIntosh, 27 - Sporting Kansas City

Ones to watch: Michael Nelson. Similar to Austin FC’s Brad Stuver, Nelson entered 2021 without finishing a 90-minute league match since 2019. With 25-year-old Croatian goalkeeper Marko Maric on the depth chart for the Orange, Nelson’s road to seeing minutes has been tricky. In 2019 USL action, Nelson displayed an effortless combination of mobility and explosiveness and fortunately that didn’t evaporate when his opportunity arrived in 2021. Nelson notched eight straight starts this fall and helped end Houston’s 16 game winless streak. Nelson seems to have the tools to be more than an MLS backup but if he can’t get the minutes to lead him there then he’ll end up as yet another American caught in the MLS goalkeeper logjam of "what could have been”.

31. Evan Louro, 25 - Tampa Bay Rowdies
32. Alex Bono, 27 - Toronto FC
33. Cody Mizell, 30 - New York City FC
34. Bobby Edwards, 26 - Indy Eleven
35. Joe Bendik, 32 - Philadelphia Union
36. Zac Lubin, 32 - Phoenix Rising
37. Alec Kann, 31 - Atlanta United
38. Quentin Westberg, 35 - Toronto FC
39. Ryan Meara, 30 - New York Red Bulls
40. Spencer Richey, 29 - Seattle Sounders

One to Watch: Bobby Edwards. Edwards’ exit from Cincinnati wasn’t a pretty one. While Edwards only conceded three goals in two games, it was the dropped cross against DC United that many criticized and ended up being the last time Edwards started for Cincy. [Read Edwards’ own words on how he overcame the setback here.] Edwards moved west to Indy Eleven and replaced former Indy goalkeeper Evan Newton as the club’s starter. At 25, Edwards still has plenty of time ahead of him but 2021 needs to be a year where Edwards shows doubters that not only has he put the error behind him, but that he deserves another shot as an MLS goalkeeper. Being 6’7” has its obvious advantages but correctly executing on nuanced and difficult situations is its own challenge for any goalkeeper.

41. Evan Bush, 35 - Columbus Crew
42. Danny Vitiello, 25 - Pittsburgh Riverhounds
43. Eric Dick, 27 - Columbus Crew
44. Bryan Meredith, 32 - Nashville SC
45. Alexandros Tabakis, 28 - New Mexico United
46. Clint Irwin, 32 - Colorado Rapids
47. Kyle Zobeck, 31 - FC Dallas
48. Earl Edwards, 29 - New England Revolution
49. Adam Grinwis, 29 - Orlando City SC
50. Tomas Gomez, 28 - Sacramento Republic

One to Watch: Eric Dick. Butler alum Eric Dick received strong backing straight out of college, seeing 22 starts with SKC’s USL side from 2018-19. However, minutes have been difficult to come by since then, only earning six starts in the past two seasons. Dick has an odd kit to work with: game-changing saves look easy for him but movement in the box can look clunky at times. Depending on who you ask, Dick definitively does or doesn’t pass the eye test for most viewers but it’s hard to get a fair assessment on a goalkeeper whose playing time has been so erratic over the past four years. If Dick can get more consistency and not just bounce from place to place, we should get a better idea of his ceiling. However, if Dick can’t make a strong case for himself to deserve the added resources, reaching his ceiling won’t be a possibility at all.

51. JT Marcinkowski, 24 - San Jose Earthquakes
52. Joe Kuzminsky, 27 - Charleston Battery
53. Brandon Austin, 22 - Tottenham U23s (England.1)
54. Danny Rogers, 27 - Oldham Athletic (England.3)
55. Evan Newton, 33 - Vancouver Whitecaps
56. Jonathan Klinsmann, 24 - Los Angeles Galaxy
57. Matt Lampson, 32 - Hartford Athletic
58. Andrew Putna, 27 - Real Salt Lake
59. Brandon Miller, 31 - Charlotte Independence
60. Matt Bersano, 29 - San Jose Earthquakes

One to Watch: Brandon Austin. Although there are questions about his eligibility to represent the US, it’s safe to say that Austin’s loan to Orlando was a positive one. The lanky youngster was an immediate boost for Orlando City’s goalkeeping core with his polished foundation and ability to pull a save out of the corner of the goal through precise timing and fluid reactions. Austin’s ceiling is hard to pinpoint at this time with sparse playing time in the last 24 months but loans like this might help him become an intriguing talent for the English club down the line.

61. Tim Murray, 34 - FC Honka (Finland.1)
62. Cody Cropper, 28 - MLS Pool
63. Matt Van Oekel, 35 - Birmingham Legion
64. Justin vom Steeg, 24 - Los Angeles Galaxy
65. Chris Seitz, 34 - DC United
66. Jeff Gal, 28 - Degerfors (Sweden.1)
67. Matt Cardone, 28 - San Antonio FC
68. Ben Lundgaard, 26 - Atlanta United
69. Richard Sanchez, 27 - North Texas SC
70. Jeff Caldwell, 25 - Hartford Athletic

One to Watch: Jeff Gal. Gal has quietly been chipping away at a career in Sweden. Starting in the lower leagues in Sweden, Gal has climbed to the first division with Degerfors after joining the club two summers ago. 2021 has seen him once again battle for the starting position with Swedish goalkeeper Ismael Diawara and English youth international Alfie Whiteman. Gal tends to shoot from the hip and relies heavily on instinct, which can provide some game-saving moments or some soft goals, depending on the day. If Gal can display consistency his club can build confidence on, look for him to nail down the number one position with either Degerfors or another club in the Allsvenskan moving forward.

71. Joe Rice, 25 - New England Revolution II
72. Adrian Zendejas, 26 - Minnesota United FC
73. Tyler Deric, 33 - Rio Grande Valley FC
74. Kenneth Kronholm, 36 - Chicago Fire
75. Andre Rawls, 31 - Colorado Rapids
76. Trevor Spangenberg, 30 - Birmingham Legion
77. CJ Cochran, 30 - Oklahoma City Energy FC
78. Carlos dos Santos, 21 - Benfica B (Portugal.1)
79. Micah Bledsoe, 27 - Michigan Stars
80. Benjamin Machini, 25 - Sollentuna FK (Sweden.3)

One to Watch: Benjamin Machini. It’s been some time since Machini was first featured on Everybody Soccer back in February of 2016 but the young Swedish-American has been carving out a respectful season in Sweden’s third division. Through September, Machini started 16 matches to help Sollentuna into the top half of the table. Watching Machini from over the years, it’s easy to see how his time in Spain has paid off. He’s confident on the ball, moves effortlessly in the box, and has no issue stepping forward to stop an attack. If Machini can clean up some of the post-to-post timing and find his set position in rhythm within tricky attacks, he could continue climbing the ladder in Sweden.

81. Jake McGuire, 27 - North Carolina FC
82. Kyle Ihn, 26 - Oklahoma City Energy FC
83. Luis Barraza, 24 - New York City FC
84. Thomas Olsen, 26 - FF Jaro (Finland.2)
85. Austin Rogers, 26 - San Diego 1904
86. Dylan Castanheira, 26 - Inter Miami
87. Matt Freese, 23 - Philadelphia Union
88. Rashid Nuhu, 25 - Union Omaha
89. Keegan Meyer, 24 - Loudoun United
90. Akira Fitzgerald, 34 - Richmond Kickers

One to Watch: Matt Freese. As Chicago and Real Salt Lake find ways to distribute minutes to their teenage goalkeepers, Freese has struggled to find ways to get on the field. Despite being a backup for the US U23s, Freese saw 15 starts in 2019, 8 in 2020, and just 237 minutes this year. Philadelphia putting their USL team on hiatus hasn’t helped his cause - nor has him receiving a red card in his first match with the Union this year - but either way, fans are still waiting to see more of the Harvard alum who sits behind Jamaican international Andre Blake.

91. Carlos Saldaña, 25 - Sacramento Republic
92. Benny Diaz, 22 - Club Tijuana (Mexico.1)
93. Ben Beaury, 25 - El Paso Locomotive
94. Ford Parker, 25 - Birmingham Legion
95. Eric Lopez, 22 - Los Angeles Galaxy
96. Elliot Panicco, 24 - Nashville SC
97. Parker Siegfried, 24 - Louisville City FC
98. Andrew Thomas, 23 - Seattle Sounders
99. Kevin Silva, 23 - Toronto FC
100. Jahmali Waite, 22 - University of Connecticut

One to Watch: Carlos Saldaña. Saldaña joined Sacramento midseason after Sacramento has worked to replace injured starter Tomas Gomez. Just within 30 minutes of Saldaña’s debut, the 25-year-old Mexican-American goalkeeper made a phenomenal stretch on a skipping header towards the side-netting to keep a 1-0 scoreline in Sacramento’s favor. Saldaña is in desperate need of minutes and Sacramento has quickly inserted him, giving signs that they’re willing to continue to develop him. Sacramento has done well with scouting goalkeeping talent in the past and this is yet another win for the ambitious USL side.

NCAA Men's Goalkeeper Rankings (Spring 2021)

cover photo from the University of Pittsburgh

Seniors

1. Andreu Cases Mundet (Santa Clara, Spain)
2. Nico Campuzano (Pittsburgh)
3. Ruben Stuiver (San Francisco, Netherlands)
4. Andrew Pannenberg (Wake Forest) #
5. Colin Shutler (Virginia) #
6. Will Palmquist (Denver)
7. Tor Saunders (Coastal Carolina) #
8. Will Pulisic (Duke) #
9. Noah Lawrence (Ohio State) #
10. Ben Hale (Furman)
11. TJ Bush (James Madison)
12. Paul Tyson (Georgia State, England)
13. Chase Vosvick (Loyola Maryland)
14. Drew Romig (Belmont)
15. Keagan McLaughlin (Notre Dame)

# - Pulisic signed with Austin FC, Pannenberg with Colorado Springs, and Shutler with North Texas SC. Saunders and Lawrence were drafted by Nashville and Austin, respectively.

One to Watch: Noah Lawrence. Describing Lawrence’s last 18 months as “tumultuous” would be underselling it. After the former Bearcat saw the University of Cincinnati terminate their men’s soccer program, Lawrence joined Ohio State for his last year of eligibility before COVID upended his senior season. In January, Lawrence heard his name called in the third round of the 2021 MLS Superdraft, showing his hard work had not gone unnoticed. However, Austin has since stocked up on young goalkeeping talent (Brady Scott, Will Pulisic), leaving Lawrence with yet another challenge to clear.

Lawrence’s game is built off of covering ground quickly and easily, although he has struggled to solve tight situations consistently. If the Bearcat-turned-Buckeye goalkeeper can add more tools to his toolbox to effectively take vertical space and solve awkward close-range shooting situations, look for Lawrence to work his way up Austin’s goalkeeping depth chart.

Juniors

1. Giannis Nikopolidis (Georgetown, Greece)
2. Neil Strauber (Florida Atlantic, Israel)
3. Carson Williams (Villanova)
4. Eliot Hamill (Duke)
5. Andrew Thomas (Stanford)
6. Daniel Husa (Gardner-Webb, Norway)
7. Quantrell Jones (UMBC)
8. Trevor Schneider (UTRGV, Canada)
9. Rimi Olatunji (Providence, Canada)
10. George Marks (Clemson)

One to Watch: Eliot Hamill. It’s not common for a goalkeeper with no USYNT experience to sit for three falls then take over the starting position for an ACC. However, after the exit of senior goalkeeper Will Pulisic, Duke turned to Hamill for the bulk of their minutes. Although USYNT alum and freshman goalkeeper JT Harms received some playing time, Hamil’s experience to handle pressure was something that impressed head coach John Kerr, which says a lot about Hamill’s determination to continue to develop despite the lack of minutes.

Similar to Lawrence, Hamill possesses impressive speed and reflexes but can resort to “shooting from the hip” when plays break down, which happened a fair bit during Duke’s 4-3-10 (W-T-L) season. Starting for Duke in itself is no easy feat - and keeping Harms on the bench only adds to the pressure - but Hamill could quickly find himself going from an unknown backup goalkeeper to a top prospect for the 2022 MLS SuperDraft, if he’s able to find a healthy blend of methodical and improvisational.

Sophomores

1. Lluis Martorell (SIUE, Spain)
2. Roman Celentano (Indiana)
3. Kris Shakes (Penn State)
4. Ryan Troutman (Kentucky)
5. Matt Zambetti (Virginia Tech)
6. Michael Collodi (Columbia)
7. Giacomo Piccardo (Davidson, Italy)
8. Seanan Main (Western Illinois, Canada)
9. Holden Trent (High Point)
10. Sam Fowler (Washington)

One to Watch: Roman Celentano. Celentano fits the bill for a typical Hoosier goalkeeper: big, strong hands, and confident cross management skills. The Illinois native plays in a way that is eerily reminiscent of goalkeeping from the early-00s, almost as if he missed the memo that goalkeepers don’t collect crosses outside of their six-yard box anymore.

Typically Indiana’s defense does well to protect their goalkeepers (notice the yearly high save percentage for their goalkeepers) and this year is no different. However, the modern game asks for goalkeepers to make quick, nuanced decisions in tenths of a second. Celentano reads attacking balls well but isn’t extremely quick-footed and can make playing out of the back look cumbersome at times. For goalkeepers with Celentano’s size, it’s not uncommon to perform well at the amateur level but plateau moving forward. Look to see if Celentano can answer nuanced questions within the position and be more than just a big goalkeeper moving forward.

Freshmen

1. Luis Ludosan (St. Joseph's, Romania)
2. Lorenzo Gordon (American)
3. Cyrus Margono (Kentucky)
4. Leon Musial (UNC Asheville, Germany)
5. Emil Larsen (Wofford, Denmark)
6. Josue Hangi (Akron)
7. Alex Bobocea (Loyola, MD)
8. Owen Elliott (Penn State)
9. Ryan Schewe (Georgetown)
10. Brandon Keniston (San Francisco)

One to Watch: Cyrus Margono. What’s in store for the future of Kentucky’s goalkeeping core is anybody’s guess. The Wildcats rotated three goalkeepers this season, including redshirt freshman Cyrus Margono, who transferred out of the University of Denver to join Kentucky. Although Margono only picked up one win in his three appearances, he played about as good as one could hope a 19-year-old stepping in for a top 25 school would. Margono possesses the athleticism and poise to take over the starting position but Kentucky saw success with sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Troutman in net, going 7-2-1 (W-T-L) over the ten games. Margono didn’t transfer to sit on the bench but Kentucky is well prepared to move forward in the post-Enrique Facusse era with two talented goalkeepers. Keep an eye out for who emerges as the top goalkeeper in Lexington.

Past Collegiate Goalkeeper Rankings

2020: Preseason
2019: Preseason and Final
2018: Preseason and Final
2017: Preseason and Final
2016: Preseason and Final
2015: Preseason and Final
2014: Final