Adin seems to control his box much better than anybody else we have in our keeper pool. It will be interesting to see how he plays out if he can stay healthy, but right now I'm really liking what I've seen from him.
He still has a lot of ground to make up on Howard, but he is making strides. Adin has always had potential but has had a rough ride over the last two years. Nice to see him in the big game.
He's one of my top three keepers for the US in the future. Rimando and Howard being the other two at the moment.
Forget "potential", he was ahead of Howard at the last olympics, and would still be today, had he had an injury free couple of years. And, frankly, had he not played for Tampa Bay. IMO, he IS better than Howard, right now. I'm sure I'm in the minority though.
Howard *may* be a better shot blocker, but Adin clearly is the best I've seen at dominating the air in the box in MLS. Only Keller might be better in that area.
Right on. Pre-olympics Brown was the man we all had high hope to displace Keller and Friedel. Howard was no where near Brown's ability at that point. Right now, they are kinda on pair, but the good thing is we knew how good Brown was and barring any injuries, he'll push Kasey and Brad for the money. I wouldn't say that he is better than Howard for the time being, but he sure can be. Please let me join this minority community.
Everything is spot on about Adin.I was totally amazed at the fact he didn't hesitate in coming out for the ball and how quickly he reacted to startng the counter attacks.He is improving game by game. Adin really had some outstanding reaction saves as well and kept the Revs in the game.He possibly could be the starter against ES.
If Howard stays with Feyenoord or another Euro team,Brown wins the title by default.He kept today's game from being a rout.
I think it'll be a situation similar to that with Keller and Friedal, where Brown and Howard are both great and there's no clear cut favorite.
I've never seen Keller, Freidel or Howard make a save with their forehead before, let alone on a bike attempt. So, based upon that, he's the best we've got until I see those three not just attempt a save with their head, but be succesful in one.
Please tell me that is a joke.... or at least congratulate me next time I try to open the door with my nose in the dark....
No joke. In the MLS final, Ruiz went for the overhead in the box, Brown went low to smother the ball and the ball bounced instead of rolling. Brown's hands were low, so he could only save the shot with his head.
I'm a DC fan, but here's the thing. You can't teach height. I don't see Rimando ever being our first choice. I was extremely impressed with Brown today. I hope that the transfer market will pick back up in a year, and MLS starts cashing in on a couple of these keepers. Maybe Howard will end up in Feyenoord, and start the trend.
No. Keller did that once. I couldn't remember which game though. Basically, a striker threateningly chased a bouncing ball passed back by one of our back defenders. Keller could neither use his hands or feet to thwart the ball away, so he used his semi-bald head instead.
Did he intend to block it with his head? Why would a keeper use his head if he can use his hands? He looked handcuffed and fortunate to me.
He's done it before, back in his rookie season, right before the olympics i believe. He was playing w/ the Rapids and the guy volleyed it point blank at goal. The ball slipped through his hands and hit him in the face with some power. I remember seeing high lights on that.
He had a good game yesterday and will absolutely be in the group that challanges once Keller and friedel start to slip. Still, that save on the bike was lucky, his face was in the way when he missed with his hands after he went down too quickly. Good positioning to have something behind the ball for when the hands miss, but anyone who thinks he wanted to save the ball with his face is insane. Overall, he looked very good and controlled his area well. He almost got the shot that beat him, which was a remarkably accurate shot taken with perfect timing, and he still barely missed getting a toe to it. I remember seeing some poor performances by Brown in the past and wondering what the hype was about, figuring people just liked him 'cause he was big. Well, now I can start to believe that some of the hype was warranted. I just have one complaint, and it extends beyond Brown. Why is it that goalies outside of Germany and Italy today don't seem to have the slightest idea how to punch the ball. I saw Brown and Hartman yesterday slap at balls in the air when they couldn't catch them. I see this happen in practically any game I watch these days. A punch can clear the ball from danger. A slap lets the ball drop out to the edge of the area and the goalie has to pray his defense clears or he's pretty well screwed. Anybody else notice this trend and find it disturbing?
Timmy has saved a ball with his head. He was in proper position when someone took a shot in Giants stadium and somehow the ball bounced up and hit him in the head. Probably the crappy field caused it. Anyway, he and Brown still seem pretty even to me.
Believe it or not, there are some schools of thought in goalkeeping training that a punch is a last resort because unless you strike the ball properly in the midline, the ball could deflect to the side, and as a result you might be caught out of position when the ball drops. A slap, on the other hand, can be more controlled, because a open hand offers more striking surface to the ball, even though it doesn't get distance. Supposedly the plan is to slap it to (a) keep the ball in front of you and (b) get it ideally to a defending teammate, who can then clear it out. It seemed to work yesterday, even though it appears much more dangerous. I don't know whether I buy this theory or not, but it is interesting. Also, notice how infrequently you see a two-handed punch; however, even then, your two sets of knuckles provide a smaller striking surface than a completely open hand. And of course, all parries are done with open hands for maximum striking surface. Anyway, I think part of it is our young keepers are simply not as technically accomplished, although as Adin Brown showed, few are more athletic or imposing.
Yeah, I'd heard that some places are actually teaching that these days. I guess I'd just point out that the best in the business right now, Kahn, would never be seen flapping limp-wristed at a ball he couldn't catch when he could punch the thing well clear. Yeah, it turned out OK yesterday, but a goalie not either catching or clearing a cross at least well out of the box really makes his defense work harder. I can see that slapping at the ball could be easier, but I'd rather have something done right than easy any day of the week, especially at the top level. I can kind of see why the two fisted punch would die more quickly as if you can get two hands to it, one could extrapolate that you may be in good enough position to catch it.
I personally like neither...bottom line...if you can get two hands on the ball to punch it then you should be able to catch it... And Brown is a great keeper. However, (if I remember correctly) Brown's religion prevents him to recieved advanced physical therapy and is an injury liability. I personally think that Howard is the better keeper. I would trade height for supreme athleticism and charisma any day.