For the Tony Meola and other older Goalkeeper fans, I mean who's the best MLS Goalkeeper that is a possibilty for World Cup 2006.
Also, who do you think will be our 3 goalies we take to World Cup 2006. My guess would be Starter: Friedal Back-ups: Howard and Brown
My first choice was Howard, though given how many goals the Metros gave up last year, sometimes I wonder. My second choice would be Rimando. Unfortunately his heighth (sic) will preculde him from ever being the USMNT #1 (or so I would think).
It has to be Howard. Rimando makes a lot of acrobatice saves but most come from him being out of position. Howard is more positionally sound even if slighty less spectacular.
Haha. I say Tim Howard. And revolutionfan, I would say both Keller and Friedel will still be around for 2006, unless one decides to retire from the national team.
keller could retire from the national team in arena continues to go with friedel... i think howards the best.... hes a great athlete... makes a lot of plays most goalies wouldn't because of it...
If we are going to insert Howard and Brown into the world cup, without competion from Jonny Walker and Marcus Hanneman, lets just get honest. I am a big supporter of the MLS, but guys like Hanneman and Walker are getting better experience abroud, and should be considered for the 3rd goalkeeper slot as well. We all no that Arena values experience, because if it was purely about potential then Meola would have not made the world cup team in 2002. I personally feel that the experience that Hanneman and Walker are getting in big games will give them serious consideration for the 3rd goalkeeper slot. As for the argument againest Walker that when he was with the Dallas Burn 5 years ago he was not that good. That is the biggest ************************ argument so there is no reason to bring it up. Because 5 years ago neither Brown or Howard would be able to compete in the MLS. Addtionally Hanneman and Walker have improved dramastically in the last couple years. I feel that Friedel and Keller are the clearly the best goalkeepers that we have. Brown and Howard have the most potential. Walker and Hanneman have the most big game experience againest top competion. I can see any one of these 6 goalkeepers in the nets moving forward.
If Nicky was taller I'd go with him in a heartbeat. As it is, I'd actually go with Adin Brown, based on current form. Or at least the second half of this past season....
Friedel will be like 36 in 2006 right?. If he is still in the English Premier League, he might have a chance, but if he is in the MLS, Howard is tha man. Another thing is that Howard might head to Europe in the near future, hopefully in a couple years.
Sure, Arena should consider them, just like he considered Joe Enochs for the defensive midfield slot last year. However, while Walker and Hahnemann may be "getting better experience" (a highly subjective criteria), that doesn't make them international caliber by any stretch of the imagination -- now or in the future. Walker has played in a bunch of tough league and cup matches for a decent South American side -- and that should count for something in the overall calculation. However, having seen him play dozens of times, I would not put him in the top three challengers for a spot on the Nats right now (mine -- Howard, Rimando, Brown). In fact, based on recent form (which included some shaky starts late in the season and a couple of gaffes in tournament play), I probablly wouldn't even put him in the top five. Hahnemann, on the other hand, has reportedly shown great form recently. However, he has not really been tested in the crucible of the EPL, league finals, or late-stage domestic or international cups . I haven't seen him play, so I can't comment on his strengths and weaknesses. However, I have seen many Nationwide games, and wouldn't necessarily give him an edge over a hot MLS keeper just because he can bathe in the Thames before a game if he wants to. His good play may not last and he's unlikely to get much playing time a the international level as long as Friedel and Keller are around and he plays in Europe (at least the MLS-based keepers can count on getting a handful of friendlies each year when Arena does not call up the Euro-based players). Howard, Rimando and Brown have the athleticism to become world class keepers; Walker and Hahnemann (at least from what I've heard) do not. Rimando may be limited in the long term by his size. The MLS guys are young and, by international standards, error prone -- the one who takes it to the next level mentally and develops the most consistency probably will end up getting experience abroad as well as the ticket to Germany in '06.
Of course, they both would have difficulty starting on most MLS teams these days. The Yanks Abroad fanatics.... I just don't get it.
Well, that is surely just a matter of opinion. I dont know that much about Walker but Hahnneman deserves a good look from Arena. He has performed well for Reading.
Timmy Howard is the best goalie in MLS. If it wasn't for him, the MetroStars wouldn't have had any fight at all for a playoff spot. He's also a really good PK stopper. He stopped a few this past season, and the Hernanadez PK in the All-Star game in 2001.
I don't know about the other keepers, but Tim Howard has been on the national team since he was fifteen. I doubt many 23 year old keepers have more game experience than he has.
Hartman is more seasoned than most of these guys, and it shows. He has composure, presence of mind, sang-froid - something Joe Cannon, for example, lacks completely. Cannon is all athleticism and no brains. Thorton is 2nd tier MLS. Guys like Brown operate on bravado. I prefer to see genuine confidence like Nicky Rimando's. But compared to the US pool of keepers, Nicky has an obvious handicap. Howard has perhaps the best combination of the above traits, but is that competitive edge there? Does he look to you like he thinks the cards are stacked against him? We've only seen him on a losing team, I want to see how he develops psychologically over the next couple years. Also, in the discussion of future back-ups, nobody's mentioned DJ Countess and I suspect he's very good.
Re: Re: Who's the best Goalkeeper of MLS? Yes, they will both be around, but I don't think either will want to play back-up to the other. I remember reading an article about that somewhere.
Brown and Howard are neck and neck in my view. On pure talent, they are are both game-breakers who, with a decent defense in front of them will keep the shutout. The only knock against Brown, and the thing I worry about if Arena makes him the man, is his propensity for being injured. If I recall correctly, his religion doesn't allow for most kinds of medical treatment, right?
Inch for inch, I'd say Rimando is the best GK in MLS. It's just that he doesn't have enough inches. So I'd say Howard, with Brown a rising, close second. If either Friedel or Keller is around in 2006, uninjured etc., I'd say he is the likely starter. I assume neither would be content with back-up and, given his experience in Korea, that may mean that Keller retires (I hope not; I'm one of those who prefers Keller to Friedel). So, that means Keller or Friedel as starter, with Howard or Brown likely to be one, if not both, of the back-ups. Hanneman probably will get a call-up as well, and so will Walker. That's what 2003 is all about.