USA goalkeeper discussion thread - Episode IV: A New Hope

Why do you do that? Why not look at their high school and college numbers, if you're gonna go out of your way to carry water for him?

Because I'm a helpful guy, here are turner's FBFEF numbers. (They aren't, like, GOOD, in shot stopping, but great on crosses): https://fbref.com/en/players/4a51ba65/Matt-Turner

And hey, look at that, Zack Steffen, the guy we're all supposed to hate, has a better CURRENT save % than Turners CURRENT save %:

https://fbref.com/en/players/42130443/Zack-Steffen (Not years and years ago, currently.)

Isn't this exactly what Turner is today? Is a 0% starting XI rate a good one?

https://www.transfermarkt.us/matt-turner/profil/spieler/425306

 

I'm pretty sure Kochen can, if you've seen the footage of the guy, he's got ridiculously quick, quick twitch reactions, he's our most athletic goalie. Gaga's pretty good too, just inconsistent with that and a bunch of other stuff.

But yeah, in terms of comfort with shot stopping capabilities, right now Turner is the only vet we have that anyone could probably feel comfortable with, especially if we all knew he could focus more on what he does best: eliminating chances other teams fire at his open net.

 

Save percentage isn’t a particularly relevant number given it doesn’t take into account the quality of the shots faced.

As for shotstopping it’s not particularly close in terms of their MLS stats. Both have a lock track record in the same league which we can compare for both. We also have their shot stopping stats from the USMNT.

Turner didn’t do great in the EPL but Steffen didn’t really get much of an opportunity and wasn’t particularly good in the Championship.

Turner is a flawed goalie, but if we had a must win game tomorrow he’d be the first choice. The question is more whether one of the younger options (Schulte, Freese, Slonina, Kochen, etc) takes it from him than it is if Steffen reclaims the starting spot.

 

The problem is Forest has to let him. He has teams interested in other top 5 leagues but they wouldn’t let him go. I assume it’s because they weren’t willing to pick up as much of his salary as Palace.

 

And Turner's current % is lower than a guy we're all supposed to hate, independent of that factor. (Or several other factors, tbh.) Not his % from 5 or 10 or 15 years ago. TODAY'S numbers.

That other poster's free to like who he likes, but the use of old numbers was at best, dumb.

So what? Anything from more than a season or two ago is ancient history.

But he also got the chance to, like, PLAY. Turner's riding pine. In this (or any other) game, actually playing >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> getting paid to watch others play.

Like who you like, and carry the water for whomever you want. I'm of the mind that they all kinda suck to some degree or another.

But citing Turner's MLS numbers, in an effort to artificially inflate what he is TODAY, s a fool's errand. Its about as cogent as polling likely voters if they'd prefer Biden or Meatball Ron in this upcoming election.

 

I mean Turner has no real stats to go off this year.

And Steffen is having the worst shotstopping season in MLS history for which stats exist (they go back to 2013).

They’re not irrelevant, especially as the issue isn’t that Turner has gotten old and lost a step or something like that. Do you think he’d be doing better or worse than Steffen if he were in MLS right now?

If they all suck why carry water for Steffen?

 

Thats the point.

How do we know for sure, when he's getting paid to watch games, rather than play in them?

Who's carrying water for Steffen? I did say we're all supposed to hate him.

For better or worse, he's actually gainfully employed as a professional goalkeeper, not a professional game watcher.

 

Right. He's wage trapped. His wages and transfer fee are too high, and he has not had the performances to demand those wages and fees. He is undoubtedly the most talented GK in our pool. The way I see it, his issue is not with his feet, but rather his brain.

Here I would have been backpedaling. He went all in and was duped by his defender.


And here at 5:27, he should avoid passing it in the center of the pitch. It's not a bad pass on technique, and his teammate did not step towards the pass as he should, but danger was lurking and he did not recognize it. Just avoid passing in the center of the pitch and many bad outcomes are avoided, including this one.


So the problem is in his brain, not on his feet. This is something correctable.

 

Not Gaga, not sure about Kochen, probably Brady. But as you implied highly doubtful that any of them will be ready for 2026.

 

I think Steffen is here because Guardiola and Pochettino are friends and Poch called Guardiola and got his opinion of Steffen. Guardiola would have given a pretty good opinion of Steffen IMO. Steffen has the experience and skills, he just needs to get to a better place mentally, which may never happen. Steffen is a project.

 

Not there anymore.

 

No kidding, but Guardiola will have still given his opinion, and it is hard to ignore Pep Guardiola. That does not mean Steffen walks into the team. It just means that Pochettino wants to look at him up close.

Steffen needs to become in MLS what he was 5 years ago with the Columbus Crew.

 

Any confirmed clubs or just "interest"?

 

Those Man City connections just keep on giving even years after the fact.

 

........................of course they do.
Connections are important in any business. They open doors. And Zack Steffen isn't a nobody. He's known in the business. He literally won a Premier League title.

You know what? If Pep and his goalkeeping staff can be part of the group to tap back into the "good Zack Steffen".........................that would be a great development for the USMNT. So go for it! I don't know if that's possible. The knee and back injuries have taken a toll. But maybe they can work with him on the mental side.

Zack Steffen is only 29.

As strange as it is to realize, he's younger than Matt Turner. He's just been known on these boards for a lot longer as he was high profile with the U20s and before.

He's got a long way to go in his career. Form can ebb and flow. Our goalkeeping pool isn't such that we can give up on anybody.

Steffen and Horvath are both still only 29. Still a lot of years left in their careers. They'll remain part of this competition for a while.

We all want one of these young guys to crush it and become an undisputed #1. Untill that time (if it happens) its an open competition. Everyone is a part of it.

 

There were reports from credible sources of clubs in the Bundesliga and La Liga but we didn’t get more than that. I assume because Forest said no pretty quickly.

 

Goalies don’t typically make a leap at 29. Once you get to that point in your career you basically are what you are.

 

I've thought for a while that our best hope for 2026 is that Turner regains his '21-'22 form. I don't see anyone else in the pool who is likely to be as good as Turner was in '21-'22 in 2026. The young guys likely aren't going to be ready, and the 20-something MLS guys likely don't have that sort of ceiling.

Of course, it's not a given that Turner can regain that form, so we should trying other guys to see if they're better than the '24 version of Turner, but it's also why I'm ok giving Turner more chances
with the Nats even when he's not getting minutes with his club.

 

We're in unfamiliar waters. We've had a consistent no.1/no.2 for years. Damn shame Steffen didn't work out although his failures allowed Turner to swoop in and have a good World Cup. Maybe if wages weren't as big of a dealmaker this past summer , we could very well be seeing if Turner might have performed better in the Bundesliga or La Liga rather than on the bench at Palace.

 

Oh what could have been had some other Premier League went for him instead of City or if he might have gotten a shot in the Bundesliga after Dusseldorf's relegation. Looking at Ortega's performances ever since Steffen left and wondering what if.

 

Agreed, and probably the only way that happens is if Turner gets a move away from Crystal Palace in the January window. Otherwise, it is probably going to take an injury to Dean Henderson. I'll dust off my Schadenfreude Voodoo Doll ASAP.

 

But isn't Turner clearly the most talented goalkeeper in the pool? For me he is. Turner needs to make better passing decisions and he needs to get a new club where he will play regularly. Those are two challenging problems to work out, but I think with Poch's help he will get there.

 

Most talented? How do we know for sure any more, since he's now 30, and he hasn't played regularly in a few years?

How do we know the most talented GK isn't Kochen, or another GK?

Agreed.

I dont know how Poch will help with this. Turner has to put in the work, and be given an opportunity to play, and then take advantage of said opportunity, if it comes along.

And I agree, Turner most likely will have to find another club and accept a lot less cash for all of this to happen, so who knows.

 

Because talent is what you can do right now.