USA goalkeeper discussion thread - Episode IV: No Hope

I'm reminded of some angry Everton fan tweeting at an aging Sylvain Distin on his last legs after some bad loss in like 2015 that he was crap and shouldn't play for Everton and Distin's response was basically "sorry mate but we can't afford anyone better".... not joking, that's the sort of interaction that sticks with you. It would've been funny if it wasn't so sad!

 

I mean, it's hard to watch the last four or five games and think goalkeeping is THE problem.

We've scored two goals in the last four games.

Our GD is -7 in that span.

The whole thing is kinda a problem.

In the game against Switzerland, we had zero shots on goal.
How many games are you going to win that way? You can have Iker Casillas in goal if you want.

 

Starting Freese in the Gold Cup is a pretty easy decision IMO. Let's see what he can provide.

 

The longer this GK position fiasco goes on for the USMNT it makes me reflect with fondness upon the days of Friedel/Keller/Hahnemann/Howard and even Guzan [before he turned into a pumpkin]

25-30 years of just well above average keeping.

I started really paying attention around 2006 and just took for granted we produce great goalkeepers because we had like 4 EPL starters at one point in the 2006-2008 time period.

Keller at Fulham
Friedel at Villa
Hahnemann at Reading
Howard at Everton

I thought it somewhat at the time but looking back it's like WOW. That's incredible 20% of the starting keepers in the top league in the world are American and all of them are very good and well thought of.

Problem was all of those guys [save Howard] were already mid or late 30s by 2007. They came in an unfortunate [especially for them] cluster.

Hahnemann with only 9 caps? Very unlucky. Great goalkeeper.

Who could imagine by [roughly] 2016 the cupboard would be so bare and stay so bare.

 

Guzan was excellent for us. Posted a shutout at Azteca in WCQ with an outstanding performance.

Hahnemann would be HANDS DOWN our number one keeper if he was playing today.

 

Guzan's peak was very short, Steffen didn't reach the expected level (once hailed as a generational talent), and the MLS goalkeepers that were starting games at a young age like Sean Johnson and Bill Hamid never really developed into top level options... also there were no diamonds in the rough that emerged out of the rest (eg Zac MacMath, the ones that did emerged too late like Stuver), the ones in Europe were complete busts and didn't go anywhere at all (eg Cody Cropper at Southampton). Any other MLS starters that had their fanboys were probably never the answer (Melia, Frei, etc.) given that Turner was by far the best of the bunch which is why he was bought by Arsenal and they were not.

The lesson as always is that you want as many lottery tickets as you can get your hands on, because the hit rate for prospects is always going to be low.

 

Guzan fell off by about 32 which was an unwelcome and unpleasant surprise.

The thinking at the time was Guzan would be a high quality replacement for Howard but unfortunately just as Howard was aging out Guzan decided to turn into a pumpkin prematurely.

 

Just imagine that many of them could have even extended their careers if they dropped down to the Championship or remained the no.2 at their Premier League club ala Friedel at Tottenham. He was still starting for a few months after Spurs picked up Hugo Lloris.

 

When we think about it, Steffen was the one from that generation that DID develop. Which is a sad realization, but true. Developed to the point that Manchester City bought him. And he actually played in games for them. Technically won four trophies in England. Has a Champions League winners medal, because he did play in the early rounds in 2020-2021.

The other goalkeepers in the 2015 U20 World Cup squad were Thomas Olsen (who was last playing for the Northern Colorado Hailstorm) and Jeff Caldwell (who was last seen playing for the Colorado Switchbacks). Both now retired. Ethan Horvath is in that generation (was on the CONCACAF Championships squad, but not the World Cup squad), He was seemingly on a good path, but its evaporated.

Turner came out of nowhere. Which happens with GKs. He didn't even start his freshman year at Fairfield. Wasn't even drafted. Happened to be picked up as an undrafted free agent by a club that ended up being coached by Brad Friedel. Friedel was a disaster as NE head coach, but did see something in Matt Turner.

Right now we have a lot more lottery tickets than in previous years. We'll see who turns out. We really only need one.

Its hard to predict the futures of keepers. Three years ago, I'm sure a poll would have shown most Big Soccer posters thought Gabriel Slonina was the future starter of the USMNT. Now he's vanished. Another poll now might show its Diego Kochen that could be the future. Who knows?

What I do feel is none of these guys are emerging in time for 2026. Its Matt Turner's to lose. Could he lose it with poor play? Yes. But I don't know who would emerge to win it.

 

Despite the lost season Slonina could still end up the future of the position. It’s a later developing position and while I think Kochen has the highest ceiling in the pool there’s a very real chance it’s one of the other young guys who ends up being the long term starter. But it’s more a next cycle question as I think the pool for 2026 is basically Turner, Steffen, Schulte, and maybe Freese.

 

Sure. He could. Who knows? But its not like he was playing great in League One this season before the injury.

Keeper is so weird.

You can go from the penthouse to the outhouse, or the outhouse to the penthouse very quickly.
All of a sudden CJ dos Santos is back on the radar. He needed an opportunity and got it in San Diego. He was on the 2017 U17 World Cup team with Justin Garces and Alex Budnik. Justin Garces (former Atlanta homegrown signing) seems to have retired, and Alex Budnik is an investment banker. That's just how the position goes. Even for the higher end USYNT prospects.

It seems so much to be about finding the right opportunity.

The four guys you've listed above...........Turner, Steffen, Schulte, and Freese...............all played in the NCAAs. Two of them for "unsexy" programs.

So while we're slobbering over some kid who sits on the bench for Barcelona B, our future USMNT starter is just as likely to be playing in the NCAAs right now.

 

Meanwhile new deal for Eyestone

🚨🇺🇸 Excl: Brentford agree new deal for 19 year old goalkeeper Julian Eyestone, set to be a first team player next season.

Understand it will be a contract valid until June 2031 while he’s on course to represent the USYNT at the U20 WC in September. pic.twitter.com/qv07ZVP0wV

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 14, 2025

 

I mean goalie is a position where you often end up in college if you are coming up domestically since it’s hard to break into a starting job at a young age. Goes back to it being a later developing position.

 

I don't think Tuesday night means much of anything beyond just further evidence that his play has fallen off a cliff since '17-'21. He was still good in '22, but it's been straight downhill since. He, like Steffen, has no right to the job whatsoever. In my lineup, I'm playing Schulte (ranked 4th among American Keepers in MLS in '25, 5th in '24) and Freese ranked 3rd among American keepers in '25 and 3rd in '24), and I'm calling in Kochen, Steffen was more worthy of a call up for '25 than Turner obviously, but after those two (Schulte and Freese) I'd have given Brady the third spot, he was horrific in '24, but solid in '23 and '25, and is a prospect. With Schulte injured, not sure who I'd bring, but I would not bring in Turner, probably just reward Celentano for a consistently solid run the past several years (7th, 8th, 5th amongst American Keepers with starting gigs the past 3 seasons).

Turner doesn't have a right to this gig, period, right now, he's a backup goalie, playing like crap, and he hasn't been better than that in 3 freaking years. Time to move on, period.

 

Schulte, Freese, Celentano, Kochen. He's been poor in the shirt for years, plural, and has not looked consistently good for club since '21. He's got no claim on it. Schulte, and Freese have consistently been top 5 keepers in MLS for multiple years, Celentano for the last 3 years straight. Call all of them up, and Kochen, whoever's hurt (apparently Schulte), can sit out for Kochen.

 

Yep, but its pretty damn easy to switch from a goalie who isn't playing, and plays poorly the rare times he does occasionally break that streak of not playing, for a goalie who is playing, and playing consistently well, or solid (Schulte, Freese, Celentano, supposedly Kochen). The fact that he's been a USMNT regular since '21, and the starter since '22 should be totally irrelevant. The dude's best since '23 has been solid, the dude's typical performance since '23 has been subpar to god awful. You don't get a call up, let alone the gig in that kind of situation unless "veteraness". Time to move on. We need to give someone else experience with the defense, so the guys are familiar by WC '26. Freese is whose available so start Freese every single game of the Gold Cup, once Schulte is healthy, bring him in too, if the reports on Kochen are positive, bring him in in the fall, call up Celentano if Schulte isn't ready for the September friendlies. We need our Wings, CM's and defense familiar with Schulte and Freese and the others because Turner at this point has been a liability for virtually this entire cycle and for his clubs since '22. Gotta move on, like we did from Steffen after his fifth straight crap year in '22.

 

Here's our run of starting goalkeepers in the top 4 leagues. Only including players with at least 20 league starts in a season.

1995-96:
Sommer - 33 starts for relegated QPR (PL)

1996-97:
Keller - 31 starts for 9th place Leicester (PL)

1997-98:
Keller - 32 starts for 10th place Leicester (PL)

1998-99:
Keller - 36 starts for 10th place Leicester (PL)

1999-2000:
Keller - 27 starts for 9th place Rayo Vallecano (LL)

2000-01:
Keller - 23 starts for 14th place Rayo Vallecano (LL)

2001-02:
Friedel - 36 starts for 10th place Blackburn (PL)

2002-03:
Keller - 38 starts for 10th place Tottenham (PL)
Friedel - 37 starts for 6th place Blackburn (PL)

2003-04:
Keller - 38 starts for 14th place Tottenham (PL)
Howard - 32 starts for 3rd place Man United (PL)
Friedel - 36 starts for 15th place Blackburn (PL)

2004-05:
Keller - 21 starts for relegated Southampton (PL) and 15th place Monchengladbach (BL)
Friedel - 38 starts for 15th place Blackburn (PL)

2005-06:
Keller - 33 starts for 10th place Monchengladbach (BL)
Friedel - 38 starts for 6th place Blackburn (PL)

2006-07:
Howard - 36 starts for 6th place Everton (PL)
Friedel - 38 starts for 10th place Blackburn (PL)
Hahnemann - 38 starts for 8th place Reading (PL)
Keller - 28 starts for relegated Monchengladbach (BL)

2007-08:
Howard - 36 starts for 5th place Everton (PL)
Friedel - 38 starts for 7th place Blackburn (PL)
Hahnemann - 38 starts for relegated Reading (PL)

2008-09:
Howard - 38 starts for 5th place Everton (PL)
Friedel - 38 starts for 6th place Aston Villa (PL)

2009-10:
Howard - 38 starts for 8th place Everton (PL)
Friedel - 38 starts for 6th place Aston Villa (PL)
Hahnemann - 25 starts for 15th place Wolves (PL)

2010-11:
Howard - 38 starts for 7th place Everton (PL)
Friedel - 38 starts for 9th place Aston Villa (PL)

2011-12:
Howard - 38 starts for 7th place Everton (PL)
Friedel - 38 starts for 4th place Tottenham (PL)

2012-13:
Howard - 36 starts for 6th place Everton (PL)
Guzan - 36 starts for 15th place Aston Villa (PL)

2013-14:
Howard - 37 starts for 5th place Everton (PL)
Guzan - 38 starts for 15th place Aston Villa (PL)

2014-15:
Howard - 32 starts for 11th place Everton (PL)
Guzan - 32 starts for 17th place Aston Villa (PL)

2015-16:
Howard - 25 starts for 11th place Everton (PL)
Guzan - 28 starts for relegated Aston Villa (PL)

2016-2025:
Nothing (but Steffen and Turner each managed 17 starts in a single season for 17th place Dusseldorf and 17th place Nottingham Forest, respectively)

So 21 straight years of having at least one starting goalkeeper in the top leagues. 14 straight years of having at least two starting goalkeepers in the top leagues at any point in time.

And we're now heading into our 10th straight season without any starting goalkeepers in the top 4 leagues.

 

As I've said elsewhere, I think we have a pretty good chance of having the situation fixed by Copa America '28. We just don't have enough time to do anything but spackle a strong American performer, or a kid, over the problem for WC '26. As I've pointed out in prior posts, we've got 3 years of positive returns from Celentano in terms of PSxG per 90, and 2 apiece from Freese and Schulte (Schulte was meh in '23, but I think 8th in PSxG per 90 among Americans, even though it put him 20th in MLS for keepers with 20 plus full 90's), we just need to stick them in there, and stop calling in Turner, period, so they can become familiar with the 11 and with the depth chart below the 11. Turner knows the guys already, so if he puts on a heater for Lyon for 7 or 9 months or whatever we can call him back in March or May, but we need to give the gig to other options for the next several windows, its beyond enough already, and has been so at the very least since fall '23 to winter '23-'24.

The other piece I wanted to mention is that we do have a lot of prospects percolating: Kochen, Gaga, Brady, Eyestone, maybe Beavers, another kid in Germany apparently fast rising, Schulte's not a kid anymore, but he was an U23 for the past Olympics (now 24). We have more upside prospects than we've had since at least that '08-'15 window when we saw Steffen, Horvath and Hamid (and Turner stealthily) pop up over about 6 years. Hopefully this run goes better than that one did. We'll see. I want Gaga and Brady playing for better teams with competent defenses so it doesn't look like Hudson and Vasquez at the end of Aliens 2. I think it should be noted that Gaga and Brady spent all of their early career with abject disaster teams that were constantly under siege. Not the best training for what's typical for goalies, and probably something that incubates bad habits in terms of crisis management. I also want Kochen to get a good loan since Barca B or whatever apparently got relegated. If we're lucky, maybe 2 of those 5 or 6 guys hit, and maybe Schulte or Freese prove to be legit above average keepers like they've looked in MLS. Turner has been bad for the past few years, and Steffens last good complete season was I believe 2017. At this point solid to above average would be significantly better than Steffen has been since his early 20's, and Turner since '21, hell even Celentano has been consistently solid to very good by the metrics across eighty 90's ('23-'25) the past 3 seasons in MLS: he's been remarkably consistent, never top 10, never below top 20 (16th, 13th, and I think 11th for regulars in '23, '24, and '25.

Get that floor guy in, and that 24 and 26 year old who've been quite good the past two years. Stop gifting camps and starts to vets who've gone years since they've been in consistently solid form (Turner and Steffen).

 

Those other guys haven't won the job either.

Poch seemed willing to look at other guys in this summer window, and then both Steffen and Schulte pulled out. There honestly aren't that many windows left.

At some point, it's just Turner's job. Inertia goes to the incumbent.

 

The US has played 38 international matches since the end of the 2022 World Cup. Here is the breakdown of goalkeeper appearances in the 32 matches that occurred on full international breaks:

Matt Turner - 28 starts
Sean Johnson, Ethan Horvath, Patrick Schulte, and Matt Freese have 1 start each.

Other than the first 6-9 months of this cycle, Matt Turner has been nowhere near good enough to dominate playing time this overwhelmingly for the US.

The Gold Cup is the opportunity to change this and should be seized.

 

People look at those stats and still come to unusual conclusions.
Matt Turner has 28 starts in games that have mattered this cycle. No other keeper this cycle has more than 1.

We've had multiple coaching staffs, multiple goalkeeping coaches, etc. this cycle and Turner has been picked by all.

That's about as clear cut of a #1 keeper as there is.

People are hoping he's going to be replaced, but based on what evidence???

Hopes and wishes???

Poch seemed willing to give other guys a shot this summer. Then the guys who seemed to be #2 and #3 on the depth chart both pulled out of camp.

Its not that I'm some big Turner fanboy. I just don't actually see these other choices as being better.

Inertia goes to the incumbent. Right now, there's inertia in the keeper pool.
I'm not convinced Matt Freese is better than Matt Turner. Not convinced. And a series of USMNT coaches and interims seem to agree with me.

When it comes to keepers, people are talking a lot about our prospects. Prospect is a Latin word for "hasn't done squat yet." Maybe one of them will surge forward, but I doubt it will be in time to be handed the starting job at WC26.

 

i posted it elsewhere, but us soccer tweeted a gc preview and turner was the pic...

 

There's a level of cluelessness, and disrespect for the fan endemic in the USSF from the price gouging, to the bull----ing. Ridiculous.

 

I don’t think that necessarily means a ton in terms of who plays in the Gold Cup.

 

Turner is going to get a club move however where he’s going to have a real legitimate chance to be the starter and we’ll be able to judge him on a week to week basis.

As for Kochen he’s going to need a move (even a loan) to have any chance of getting real first team minutes anytime soon.

🚨🔵🔴 Plan confirmed: Barcelona have activated and paid €25m release clause for Joan García.

Official statement to follow next, here we go confirmed.

Barça proceeded today as planned, as @monfortcarlos has reported. pic.twitter.com/IZeDq4YLPQ

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 13, 2025

Garcia feels like he closes off the path to the first team for the foreseeable future (as they are trying to push out Ter Stegan and give the job to Garcia who is 24 and well regarded).