Tim Howard appears prone to begin Friday’s all-important World Cup qualifier in opposition to Honduras, however that sport apart there are quite a few questions surrounding the U.S. goalkeeper expertise pool.
BY
Doug Sibor
Posted
March 22, 2017
4:00 PM
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PUNDITS AROUND THE WORLD love to level out how america has by no means produced a really “world class” participant. For a rustic so giant, they posit, the truth that no American has made an enduring mark on world soccer is just astonishing. However all these supposed consultants are forgetting one essential factor: goalkeepers are folks too.
From Tony Meola to Kasey Keller and Brad Friedel to Tim Howard, the U.S. males’s nationwide crew has loved a gentle, two-plus decade run of top-quality goalkeeping that might be the envy of just about any footballing nation. Keller, Friedel, Howard, and Brad Guzan have all loved prolonged runs within the English Premier League, with every serving as full-time starters for his or her respective groups and spending a minimum of 5 seasons in England. Howard and Friedel, in actual fact, are two of solely 14 goalkeepers ever to report 100-plus clear sheets in Premier League play.
For the primary time for the reason that days of Meola, the U.S. is in peril of not qualifying for the World Cup. Lengthy a supply of depth and power, the goalkeepers have now turn out to be one of many greatest query marks swirling round Bruce Enviornment’s aspect because the all-important matchups with Honduras and Panama loom on the horizon. With January Camp firmly within the rearview mirror, the MLS season underway, and the roster set for the upcoming qualifiers, here is a have a look at the state of the American goalkeeper.
The Holdovers
Enviornment initially introduced a really acquainted group of goalkeepers for the upcoming Honduras and Panama matches: Howard, Guzan, and Nick Rimando. It’s the identical group that comprised the U.S. goalkeeping corps on the 2014 World Cup, and would have represented a way of continuity for a crew that continues to have a revolving door of gamers manning different defensive spots. Guzan bowed out, nonetheless, because of the imminent delivery of his second baby. David Bingham took his spot on the crew.
Enviornment’s most well-liked goalkeeping triumvirate, the general resumes of Howard and Guzan are past reproach. Howard has greater than 100 caps for the nationwide crew, and Guzan confirmed within the Copa America Centenario final summer time that he too generally is a top-level worldwide goalkeeper. However no place on the sector embodies the concept of “what have you done for me lately” greater than the goalkeeper, and in each Howard and Guzan’s circumstances the reply is: not a lot.
After leaving Everton and returning to MLS final yr, Howard was excellent for a Colorado Rapids crew that had the stingiest protection within the league. Howard was an enormous a part of that superlative, posting seven clear sheets in his 17 begins and serving to the Rapids attain the MLS Western Convention Ultimate. He was named crew co-MVP within the course of. However his harm in November in opposition to Mexico—a fracture of the adductor longus, primarily a groin tear—required surgical procedure and put him out of motion till he returned for the Rapids on March 11. He additionally simply turned 38 years outdated. Though Howard’s performances of late have definitely belied his age (he was fairly sharp in his debut), you are kidding your self for those who assume he will come again, strap on his cape, and crank out Belgium-level 16-save performances once more.
So what about Guzan, you ask? In any case, he is nonetheless enjoying within the Premier League. Properly, “playing” could also be a little bit of a beneficiant evaluation; the 32-year-old has had a entrance row seat for Middlesbrough’s dismal marketing campaign, making simply seven whole appearances thus far after conceding a Premier League-worst 58 objectives final season in 28 video games for transcendentally horrible Aston Villa. His final look for the U.S. wasn’t precisely one for the report books, both. After shedding the beginning job to Howard (who subsequently got here off injured 39 minutes into the World Cup qualifier in opposition to Mexico), Guzan conceded the game-winning objective to El Tri after which presided over the U.S.’ 4-0 shellacking by the hands of Costa Rica. Will a return to MLS this July buoy Guzan’s confidence the identical approach it did for Howard final yr? American followers are definitely hoping so.
Essentially the most in-form goalkeeper of the three could, in actual fact, be the 37-year-old Rimando. The MLS stalwart has quietly amassed 22 caps for the U.S., along with his most notable contribution for his nation coming within the crew’s march to the 2013 Gold Cup title (5-0-0 with a clear sheet within the closing). His 2017 is off to an important begin: In MLS’ opening weekend, he posted a clear sheet in opposition to Toronto that included the twenty ninth penalty kick save of his profession, with that efficiency approaching the heels of a clear sheet for the U.S. within the January pleasant in opposition to Serbia. If current type had been extra essential than general monitor report relating to who will get the nod in web, Rimando may be the person for these all-important matches.
In his Fb Reside chat after initially saying the roster, Enviornment was not fairly able to anoint any one of many three because the starter, saying that “I feel very comfortable playing any of them.” Nonetheless, his follow-up remark could have shed a bit extra gentle on the place the U.S. coach is leaning for his first aggressive match again in cost.
Enviornment indicated that well being can be a key think about his resolution, including that, “Once we get into camp Sunday and we see how our players get out of the weekend matches and how they look in training, we’ll determine who starts in the goal.” Whereas bland on the floor, that remark appears to be pointed on the one goalkeeper who’s recovering from an harm: Howard. Contemplating Enviornment’s implication and the truth that his closest competitors (Guzan) by no means even made it to camp, it positive sounds just like the job is Howard’s to lose.
The January Crew
The U.S. completed January camp with 4 goalkeepers: Rimando, Bingham, Luis Robles, and Brian Rowe (though Rowe was reduce from the ultimate 23-man rosters for friendlies in opposition to Serbia and Jamaica). Of these, none is underneath the age of 27. So whereas it is at all times good to report a pair clear sheets because the U.S. did within the two friendlies, there wasn’t a lot to guage, a minimum of from an outsider’s perspective. Towards Jamaica, Robles and Bingham every performed one half and barely touched the ball aside from amassing crosses and distributing to teammates. Equally, the Serbia match was a snoozer for Rimando—aside from a vital late-game cease that preserved the shutout.
Rimando’s efficiency earned him a call-up for the upcoming qualifiers, making him the clear winner of the January competitors. Bingham’s last-minute addition within the wake of Guzan’s departure is definitely a feather in his cap, though it appears extremely unlikely that he’ll see the sector.
At the least within the brief time period, there could also be a little bit of a lid on how excessive any of those goalkeepers can ascend within the pecking order contemplating the slate of qualifiers forward. The subsequent (and probably final) probability for this group might come on this summer time’s Gold Cup, the place the U.S. has historically given in-form North America-based gamers a chance to show that they’ll carry out in aggressive worldwide matches.
The Not too long ago Injured
Each Invoice Hamid (knee) and Stefan Frei (ankle) missed January Camp with accidents, disappointing developments for 2 goalkeepers hoping to get within the combine for the U.S. goalkeeping spot. Each put collectively sturdy MLS seasons final yr, with Hamid ending fourth within the voting for MLS Goalkeeper of the 12 months (having gained the award in 2014) and Frei making what is going to doubtless be the most well-known save of his life to assist the Sounders win the MLS Cup.
The issue for these two, because it so typically is for proficient however oft-injured goalkeepers, is the numbers sport. Neither is particularly younger (Hamid is 26 and Frei is 30), and this January could have been their final, greatest probability to raise their standing in U.S. soccer’s crowded participant pool.
Let’s get actually technical for a second: In soccer, just one goalkeeper can play at a time. Which means for each Hamid and Frei there are an entire bunch of individuals forward of them to leapfrog earlier than they’ll see the sector for the nationwide crew. Whereas each, if wholesome, have the power to make a run on the huge open beginning job, it’ll be an uphill battle.
The Youth Motion
A goalkeeper tends to age higher than a participant at every other place, so it is significantly promising that the U.S. has a couple of youthful goalkeepers who’re already pretty polished regardless of being on the youthful aspect. William Yarbrough (OK, so he isn’t that younger contemplating he simply turned 28) has gotten off to a robust begin for an otherwise-poor Membership Leon aspect at the moment sitting lifeless final in Liga MX, with the goalkeeper at the moment third within the league in whole saves and having stored two clear sheets. That kind of type, to not point out a season final yr through which he led Liga MX in saves and clear sheets, is why he continues to be within the combine for the nationwide crew regardless of solely having three caps to his title.
The duo of Ethan Horvath and Zack Steffen stands out as the U.S.’ greatest probability at having one other set of world class goalkeepers, following within the footsteps of the Keller-Friedel and Guzan-Howard duos. The 21-year-old Horvath signed with Belgian powerhouse Membership Brugge in January after two standout seasons with Molde, the place regardless of his youth he established himself on the European stage as a reliable No. 1 goalkeeper. Whereas Horvath has but to see the sector for his new membership, it is only a matter of time earlier than he will get an opportunity to show himself. He already earned the belief of former U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who final April tabbed Horvath as one of many crew’s “biggest hopes for the future,” named him to the 23-man roster for the Copa America Centenario, and handed him his first cap in an October pleasant in opposition to Cuba. Whereas Horvath may be disenchanted to not get a call-up for the March qualifiers, his time will come.
Additionally simply 21 years outdated, Steffen has already had a whirlwind profession that has taken him from School Park, Md., to Freiburg, Germany, and again to the U.S. and Columbus, Ohio, in a span of simply two years. After starring on the College of Maryland for 2 seasons, Steffen signed with German aspect SC Freiburg in December 2014, and after performing properly for his or her reserve aspect and the U.S. under-20 nationwide crew, earned the call-up to the senior crew final yr because it earned promotion to the Bundesliga. Regardless of his stable run of type, Steffen didn’t see the sector and determined to return to MLS, signing with Columbus in July. Having earned the beginning job with the Crew to begin the season, Steffen now has an opportunity to see common enjoying time and fulfill the star potential many consider he has in him.
The Beneath-/Non-Achievers
Not each promising prospect blossoms right into a star, and for Sean Johnson and Cody Cropper their window to appreciate their U.S. No. 1 potential could also be closing.
As soon as a darling of U.S. followers and a participant seen as a possible inheritor to Guzan and Howard, Johnson has fallen down the pecking order. He has been on the periphery of the nationwide scene for years, incomes his first cap in 2011 and seemingly at all times discovering himself within the dialog of high American goalkeeping “prospects.” And but he by no means fairly managed to interrupt by means of and discover sustained success on the worldwide stage. He’ll be 28 this Could, and barring a sensational early season efficiency along with his new membership, NYCFC, it would not appear doubtless that Johnson might be seeing a lot—if any—time with the nationwide aspect.
One other participant who has, considerably randomly, had an extended profession overseas, Cropper spent the final six seasons in England with Ipswich City, Southampton, and Milton Keynes Dons earlier than returning to MLS this previous summer time. Now the starter with the New England Revolution, the 24-year-old might want to successfully reboot his profession after logging simply 9 first-team appearances throughout his time overseas. With extra enjoying time and a robust worldwide monitor report already—he has carried out properly for each the under-20 and under-23 U.S. nationwide groups—Cropper may have a chance to determine within the U.S. goalkeeper dialog for the subsequent a number of years if he can rapidly discover his type.
