I'm a huge Steffen fan but he has to improve his distribution especially from his feet. He's had some shaky moments and flat out blunders this year.
No clue but I'm rooting for Jonathan Klinsmann after a move to MLS. That would be best for hilarity's sake.
Sure................but he has years to work on it. I mean, the competition ain't exactly David De Gea and Thibault Courtois at the moment.
...hooray? And how long does he have before the next WCQ? I think this depends on how much international experience Steffen has/how well he's performed in those games, by the time WCQ rolls around. If we were playing WCQ today, I might go with Brad Guzan, particularly in an especially-difficult game (against Honduras, T&T, Jamaica, Panama, etc.) in those early rounds.
Honestly this next season is huge for our gk depth. I think Guzan is done, never been good in the air and his age has slowed him down more and that will only get worse. Against teams that cross a lot he will be in trouble. Steffen has problems with his feet. Horvath lost his confidence. Hamid and Johnson make mental blunders at an alarming rate for older keepers. Then the youth keepers have to prove themselves. My guess is probably Steffen. Horvath if he leaves and plays like he did before this spell could challenge again.
Howard for 2022. He'll be 43 at the next WC, hey if Egypt can have a 45 year old keeper Essam El-Hadary.....
I don't really care. Guzan will give up soft goals but he is serviceable. The young guys behind him will get caps. No more Rimando, though. We have too many younger keepers for him to take minutes and a roster spot.
The truth is that amongst the USMNT's problems, keeper is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down the list. If we have to go with Guzan in the next cycle, he won't be the reason we fail.
I agree. The problems start at the top with the USSF, go all the way down through the managers (and the lack of a manager) and support staff, and then through most of the lineup (aside from Pulisic and the CB's), and finally ends at mediocre GK's.
guys lets stay on topic this is a thread with a simple question don't clog it up with this stuff that isn't related.
I disagree. Being the sort of country that produces decent players with an eyedropper, we rely more than anyone else on top notch performances by our keepers not to get humiliated by the strong teams. Replace Keller, Friedel, and Howard with inferior keepers, and our numbers look a lot worse. Nothing is as vital to a team like the USA, that is going to defend a lot against anyone stronger than Panama, as a good keeper and a brainy attacker who can pull a rabbit out of nothing.
Strongly disagree. Positionally, goalkeeper might be behind only forward in regards to positional need.
You think we have proven left backs lining up? How about proven CB pairings? Proven midfield combinations? At least we have good MLS GK's, and an experienced veteran (Guzan) to pick from when we start WCQ. For the 3rd round (the one before the Hex), I think that's good enough.
Who do we face in WCQ stronger than Panama aside from Costa Rica (whose main strength is more defensive and tactical organization, not exceptional forwards) and Mexico?
Right now, the whole pool is a mess. That said, looking at prospects and so forth, goalkeeper looks absolutely dire. Think of it, who’s our best Olympic age goalkeeper? There’s absolutely no one on the horizon who is even worth half a damn.
Are we talking Olympics? Use an overage player. U23? Klinsmann is the only one I've heard of. I don't hear much on the YNT boards about the GKs, which I assume means they're not terrible (nor particularly good)...