In what was true until somewhat recently, a dependable strength of the USMNT has been goalkeeper. Somewhat recently is turning into a stretch now as it’s been nearly 10 years since a netminder has locked
down the no. 1 shirt for the USA. It could be said that there have been three eras where a starter nailed down the role helping the national team to some impressive victories along the way.
The Tony Meola era could be characterized as a gritty group of players who found playing time with clubs when they could but came together for the national team to achieve some impressive results. Meola nailed down the starting role and the USMNT surprised the world by qualifying for the 1990 World Cup, beat Colombia in 1994, and kept Brazil scoreless for 74 minutes while hosting the tournament.
Brad Fridel and Kasey Keller kicked off an era marked by American keepers emerging as starters in Europe, and especially the Premier League. Fridel’s time abroad paid off for the national team when he became the second ever keeper to save two penalties given in open play in a single game while helping to secure wins against Portugal and Mexico in 2002. He is the only American keeper with two wins in a single World Cup. For his part, Keller made 10 saves against Brazil as the USA upset the multi-World Cup winners 1-0. The 2006 World Cup was not as it was hoped, or hyped, but Keller kept five clean sheets in qualification helping the USA climb to no. 5 in the FIFA rankings ahead of the tournament.
Tim Howard and Brad Guzan were the last of the American keepers to have been able to help the USA punch above its weight against top international competition. Throughout their era the players were stalwarts for their clubs in the Premier League and brought that experience to the national team. Howard kept a clean sheet against Spain in the 2009 Confederations Cup and his performance in 2014 against Belgium is legendary. For his part, Guzan provided stiff competition and was in the net as the USA reached the semi-finals of the 2016 Copa America Centenario. These two would be the last keepers to feature in goal for the USA in upsets against top 10 teams.
After the USA failed to reach the 2018 World Cup a consistent starting keeper has failed to emerge. In this era, Matt Turner, Zach Steffen, Ethan Horvath, Bill Hamid, Sean Johnson, Matt Freese, David Bingham, William Yarborough, and Patrick Schulte have been in the mix for the wearing the gloves game in and game out. Turner and Steffen have been the most promising of this group but neither reached the same level of their predecessors.
Between 1990 and 2016 the USA enjoyed the reputation of a team that had its flaws but needed to be respected as it could take down a giant on its day. That time was marked by stellar goalkeeping where a strong performance against top teams kept the Americans within striking distance of top teams. The USMNT achieved impressive upsets thanks to those performances.
Looking at the growth of the national team in that time, the team features a roster of players showcasing their talents in the Champions League and in top leagues abroad. Major League Soccer has also grown more competitive as talented players look to the domestic league as a viable option to progress, or end, their careers. That rise in talent has not translated to success for the national team in the era when goalkeeper has not kept up with the rising talent across the pitch.
Chris Brady, Matt Freese, Patrick Schulte, and Matt Turner have a chance to stake the claim on what might be the most important position historically for the national team. The friendlies against Australia and Ecuador will give them a chance to do just that and it can’t happen soon enough with the World Cup approaching in less than a year.
