Start with Marcinkowski and Vom Steeg, and go from there. San Jose and LAG have both had among the worst GK situations in the league in recent seasons, and neither young keeper has been given a chance to earn the starting spot. MLS teams are risk adverse with giving young keepers minutes. You can ask who should've been given minutes, but there was a point where Aaronson, McKenzie, Akinola, Keita all were guys that would've been very low on the list of players that fans wanted to see. MLS is not so good that only the most hyped guys can have success. For all we know, Callender or Lopez might do incredibly well with a chance to play. We just don't know. Goalkeeper is the one position where MLS teams don't even consider playing young Americans, and it clearly reflects in the NT player pool, where we don't even have a YNT-eligible keeper whose starting in MLS or anywhere else. This isn't a problem thats exclusive to MLS, so some of our players playing abroad (Klinsmann, Scott, Dos Santos) might be facing a similar situation abroad, but I don't know how anyone could say this isn't becoming a problem for the NT. It's also curious that now people want to start questioning the caliber of these keepers. I don't remember much questioning of them at the time. It's convenient to do so now, and write off the whole generation as inadequate. It's a good way to avoid the problem.
But...what if it's true? I don't know that it's true, but I think it's a possibility that's worth considering. I absolutely believe that there are coaches/orgs in MLS that lack the courage to take worthwhile chances on players, but I also believe that the answer to "why isn't Young Player X playing?" is "because he doesn't look ready in training" more often than we'd like to admit. I don't think the fact that some of these guys got hype as U20s means all that much. For as long as I've followed the U20s, there's aways a group willing to hype the GKs and other than Steffen all of those keepers fell short of expectations. I came of age as a YNT follower when Chris Seitz was the Next Big Thing. I remember people being excited about Brian Perk's U20 shutout streak. Zac MacMath had hype, and so did Cody Cropper. I definitely agree that the thin GK pool is a problem for the USMNT.
I'm not suggesting that some (maybe a lot) of them aren't going to fail. The individual names really aren't important. They might also be a terrible crop of keepers. I find it unlikely, considering I think we would've known it was weak when this group of players was playing for YNT's. You can see these types of trends, like how bad the '94 age group was, for example. There's also a good number of them that are on first team contracts. If this group of players was so bad, there would probably be very few of them on first team contracts (or at big clubs). I wouldn't rule it out though. What I find peculiar is that apparently this generation of keepers is so bad that they have 16 first team appearances at their respective clubs during their careers between all of them (5 for Marcinkowski, 7 for Freese, 3 for Klinsmann, 1 for Vom Steeg) at a point when the Olympics would probably be held in a normal cycle. Cody Cropper, who turned into a throughly mediocre keeper (now playing in USL), almost hit that total of 16 by himself at this point four years ago. Is it asking too much that we see that they are mediocre with their play on the field? There are plenty of mediocre young players that get minutes. It's not asking much for a few of these guys to get a run of games for us to see what their ability level is. For the '97-'00 age group (this U-23 generation) I believe there are 12 keepers right now that are on pro contracts around the world for a first team. The youngest of them, Ejimadu, turns 21 next month. I would say that this crop of keepers are all old enough that if they are any good, they should be able to show it by now with the first team.
It could just be an ebb. It might also be that the position has radically changed and the US Development system, lets say 10 years ago, didn't. Do college teams play the ball on the ground, possession, utilizing the distribution skills of a GK? Or are GKs in college still great shot stoppers and long punters? At youth games, GKs pass the ball to a CB, but rarely is the next pass or some other pass back to the GK. GKs are never given a return pass and asked to pick out a fullback on the touchline. I think we kept pumping out shot stoppers, like Howard and Friedel and Keller, but the rest of the world are looking for something more. Even Steffan is not that great with his feet, he is just a great shot stopper that is passable (no pun intended) with his distribution. There is also the possibility that sports nutrition is keeping all players fit longer. GKs tended to play into their 30s before, and now are playing into their 40s. You don't sub GKs at 60' and they don't need rest. Lots of MLS GKs are old. Howard and Rimando just retired, and Howard is playing again.
I think they have until next July to get this in. Before delaying it a yr, they were going to play it all the way into March-April. So I presume it happens. In good shape at cb, cm, and fb even w/ an exclusive MLS roster. Questions at gk, wing, and cf. Though Ebobisse will probably suffice. May be compelled to play Aaronson at wing where he can create. GK we got screwed over by SJ & RSL playing Vega over Marcinkowski + MacMath over Ochoa. Hopefully that changes between now & then so maybe we're even favorable.
I just think that these guys aren't in the category of Bill Hamid or Tim Howard or the U23s that have gotten playing time in the past. I've never been totally convinced by JT Marcinkowski, and it seems like for both club and country.................coaches haven't been either. Almeyda is a good coach that wants to win. He's picking a former NASL keeper over JT, right? He's not picking Iker Casillas. If JT can't beat out a 36 year old keeper that SJ picked up off the Tampa Bay Rowdies scrapheap, then what am I supposed to say? I've never been totally convinced by Jonathan Klinsmann. He's a bench player in the Swiss league. Justin vom Steeg did little of consequence in Germany and moved back to the states to sign for the Galaxy. Fortuna Dusseldorf let him walk away, not Borussia Dortmund. What has Kevin Silva done recently? As far as I can tell he did absolutely squadoosh in Scotland for Hearts. Nothing. Unbeknownst to me, he moved back to MLS for TFC. Scott Brady was just dumped by Koln. Will Pulisic was in Germany playing for Dortmund U19s. They didn't pursue him and he came back to the NCAAs. Is Matt Freese going to start over Andre Blake? Hardly. Is Carlos Avilez going to start over Jesse Gonzalez (if and when he returns) or Jimmy Maurer? Hardly. What I'm trying to say is its not just MLS that's rejecting these keepers. The world market is. These keepers have had opportunities, and it just hasn't happened for them regardless of what league they're in. THe world market seems quite interested in the next generation (Las, Odunze, Wady, Wilson, etc.)
Freiburg rejected Steffen. I'm not sure clubs rejecting young Americans means they are all so bad that Cody Cropper is good enough to get nearly as many first team appearances at this point four years ago as all of them combined.
Shrug. IT sometimes just comes down to "right place, right time." There are some clubs where JT Marcinkowski might be given more of a chance. Hell, Dallas might be one of them with Gonzalez' status uncertain. Clubs only need one keeper. Most keepers spend their careers as journeyman just waiting for a chance. Former US U17 and U20 Kendall McIntosh is on NYRBs roster after leaving the TImbers. He was on the Timbers first team roster for three seasons without ever appearing in a first team game. He's never played in an MLS game. There are tons of examples just like that. Former US U17 starter Earl Edwards Jr. has been a professional since being drafted in 2015. I think he's played something like 6 MLS games. Backup to Hamid at DCU now. I can see a Tim Howard or Zack Steffen as a youngster and think "he has it." He's going to break thru this quagmire. But none of these keepers in this generation have given me that feeling. They're Kendall McIntosh. They're Earl Edwards Jr. They're Cody Cropper (now a backup in Houston). THey may get lucky and hit upon the "right place, right time." Or in 2025 we will look at the Houston Dynamo and see JT Marcinkowski as their 3rd string keeper. That's just my amateur assessment of their skill level. And by the way, that's a good keeper career. We have a lot of former USYNTs that never make it that far. What happened to Dynamo academy and US U17 starter Fernando Pina? Last I saw him was with Detroit City, but I think he left there..................he may be done at 26. The other keeper on the 2011 U17 World Cup team? Wade Hamilton. Last I saw him was with LAGII in 2018. Appears done at 25. We can go on and on.
I think it was some of both. He wasn't projecting towards first team playing time. I think he wouldn't have left if he was about to take the starting spot, like he did in Columbus.
Two things I'm hearing. 1) CONCACAF will not necessarily have 8 teams at the 2026 WC. It's likely the 3 host teams, 3 more directly via qualifying, plus 2 more via an intercontinental playoff. So it's 6-8 spots 2) U-23 Olympic qualifying likely in March 2021 back in Guadalajara— Brian Sciaretta (@BrianSciaretta) July 28, 2020
I don't know. I think you're probably both right to some degree, but Steffen definitely wanted to come home. Did Freiburg try really hard to keep him? I don't know. It was a free transfer after all (if I remember correctly). https://sbisoccer.com/2016/08/follo...-steffen-rediscovers-happiness-with-crew-move "Freiburg, they had a really good plan for me. It was a really good opportunity, and I’m glad I took it,” Steffen told SBI, “but at the same time it was tough to be over there. It was kind of like I was in a different little world. There’s a six-hour time difference and it’s a nine-hour flight and I’m a big family person, so it was tough to not have a support system over there, especially being a goalkeeper. After having a tough training, not being able to just relax with some family or some friends. When the opportunity with Columbus came up, I talked to my agent and my family and friends and it was a good opportunity to come back to the states and be just a few hours from my family and friends.
More and more outlets talking about the possibility that the Olympic Games won't be held at all: https://tass.com/sport/1150515 The Summer Olympics in Tokyo that had to be postponed by one year might need to be cancelled if the coronavirus pandemic is not dealt with by summer 2021, head of the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee Yoshiro Mori said in an interview with Japan’s Nikkan Sports daily published on Tuesday.
Ha. The first worldwide international tournament I genuinely think we can win and it'll get cancelled. Hilarious.
Of course that's the only reason they are discussing it. No way the rest of the world wants us to win a soccer tournament on the men's side. in case anyone thinks I'm serious.
By the way...............its not just U23s. There is one starting keeper younger than 27 that gets regular playing time anywhere in the world. Our U20s (Ochoa, Las, and company) are years away. Matt Turner is the only American GK in MLS or an equivalent/better league who is both a starter for his club and is under the age of 27. (He's 26.)Steffen is a big-club backup now. Horvath & Bono are stuck as #2s. Gonzalez got cut and may face criminal charges.— Jamie Hill (@_jameshill) August 6, 2020
Cannon's sale just reduced the chances he's not on the Olympic qualifying roster if/when that happens next year. Kyle Duncan just moved into the crosshairs of the depth chart. Aaron Herrera is an obvious replacement and his proven ability to play either FB spot practically guarantees him a roster spot as long as he's healthy. (I've personally had him penciled in as the back-up U23 FB because of his versatility.) Brooks Lennon can, and has, played there too. Aruajo is an option but he's four years younger than Duncan, Herrera and Lennon.
While true, I also think that Herrera, Duncan, and Lennon are no worse than average MLS starting RB's. If those guys can't get the job done against the likes of Trinidad and Guatemala, we're in big trouble. Cannon should only be needed in the summer Olympic tournament.
I think Duncan is pretty darn good. We'll be fine with him in a hypothetical CONCACAF U23 Championships. The disaster that is NYRB this season puts a dull on his shine. If not for his significant injury, I wonder how we'd have him valued compared to Reggie. I personally think the potential loss of Aaronson (compounded by the Pomykal injury and the likely unavailability of Ledezma this time around) would be more problematic.
An issue with this squad is that the guys who would otherwise be on the team have risen rapidly past this level. I think you build around Aaronson. Mueller looks like a potential forward. Maybe you look at pulling Pepi and Ferreira from Dallas.
It's starting to chap my ass a little that Canada has had two U23-eligible GKs start in MLS this month while the US can't get one of our 19 USMNT-eligible keepers on the books of an MLS team to get a minute of playing time. Adding to the frustration is seeing JT Marcinkowski rotting on the bench while the Earthquakes are giving up more goals per game than any team in league history.