For decades, the U.S. produced iconic men's and women's goalkeepers, but the game has changed and the search is on
Goalkeeper is a funny position. It’s lonely and, at times, thankless. Overlooked much of time – until suddenly needed – goalkeepers tend to live in their own little world under their own little spotlight.
It also happens to be the position that has become the signature of American soccer.
For decades, the U.S. has repeatedly produced elite-level shot-stoppers on both the men’s and women’s sides. Legends of the game have worn the gloves for both national teams. While the world has shifted and talent has ebbed and flowed during various USMNT and USWNT eras, the two squads have always been able to rely on having a defined, go-to, elite star in goal.
Not anymore.
Currently at very different points of their World Cup cycles – the men's team focused on 2026, the women's side on 2027 – both the USMNT and USWNT find themselves in unfamiliar territory when it comes to the defining position: uncertainty.
For the first time in decades, neither have clearly established starters in goal. What has always been a lonely position – a clear starter, a clear hierachy – has suddenly become a crowded one, with both teams lining up numerous candidates, waiting for reliable World Cup stars to emerge.
A competition is brewing for the USWNT and, with a two-year runway to the World Cup, it's one that will take time to complete. USWNT boss Emma Hayes will spend the next year or more assessing all of the options, looking under every rock to unearth the shot-stopper that could be the next great USWNT No. 1.
For the first time in the team's modern history, there's no seamless transition. The USWNT is experiencing goalkeeper growing pains.
There's a similar competition underway on the men's side but, just a year out from the World Cup, there's no luxury of time for Mauricio Pochettino and his staff. There are multiple goalkeepers vying to be the USMNT No. 1 and, heading into the 2025 Gold Cup, that spot seems about as uncertain as ever. This summer will be vital in determining next summer's starter in what – oh by the way – will be the most important tournament in USMNT history.
The two teams have been united by their ability to find and develop the best-of-the-best at the position. And now, for the first time, American soccer is at a crossroads when it comes to the next generation of goalkeepers.
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History of iconic shot-stoppers
The most heroic USMNT performance of all time didn't come from a striker. It didn't feature a hat-trick or a long-range stunner. It didn't even come in a win. That just goes to show what Tim Howard achieved with his 16 saves against Belgium at the 2014 World Cup. On that day, the Secretary of Defense became legendary.
What made that performance so special, in some ways, is that it was no fluke; it was actually expected. Throughout the team's modern history, the USMNT has been defined by great goalkeeping. Howard, on that day, was just the latest in a long line. Tony Meola set the tone in 1994. Brad Friedel and Kasey Keller carried the torch for years. Eventually, it fell to Howard and, like his predecessors, he proved he could define games all on his own.
"We went to a situation where, at one stage, we had four [American] goalkeepers starting in the Premier League – from Brad, myself, Tim and Marcus Hahnemann," Keller told GOAL. "I think the person I feel the most sorry for is Marcus – he'd have 100 caps if he was born 10 years later.
"And it's just one of those anomalies I think that happened at that stage, and then now we're going through maybe a little bit of an anomaly the other way, that we're we're not having anybody really at this point grab this position by both hands – where it was something that we hadn't had to worry about in a long, long time. Because even with Tim, when let's say Brad and I got a little older, then Brad Guzan steps in to be a great competition for Tim."
When any USMNT goalkeeper puts on that kit, they feel the weight of those who came before. Patrick Schulte, one of the team's current contenders, says he can feel it every time he sees his name on that shirt in the locker room. When you step into the national team, the level changes. So, too, do the expectations. There is standard, and it's expected to be met.
"I grew up on it," Schulte told GOAL. "Tim Howard was the guy for me. That was the guy I wanted to be, just because that's when I started transitioning to be a goalkeeper. For me, watching him gave me the mentality of knowing you're the backbone. You have to be Mr. Reliable. You have to be the guy who's going to save points or save wins week in and week out.
"We have just been used to that as Americans. Meola, Keller, Friedel, Howard, Guzan – all of these guys, it was like, when they came into the team, they were the backbone. You knew you could rely on them. You have to be that guy and, if you're not that guy, there are going to be questions. You have to be that standout, that stud, that is going to win games."
Also reliable? The women who have served at No. 1 in goal for the USWNT. That spot has been safe since the first Women's World Cup, when Mary Harvey was in the net en route to the first of many trophy triumphs. Harvey passed the baton to the legendary Brianna Scurry and, as she completed her run, Hope Solo was ready to take it and sprint right on by.
By the time Solo's national team career came to a close, Alyssa Naeher had served as her understudy at two major tournaments, making the transition seamless. Naeher was arguably the best goalkeeper in the world right on through to her international retirement last year – winning an Olympic gold medal in her last hurrah. No national team in the world has had safer hands than the USWNT.
So that begs the question: how has American soccer done so well to develop players in this specific position? Given the success across both the men's and women's sides, it isn't luck – it's culture.
From a young age, Americans tend to play multiple sports. Schulte was a point guard for his high school basketball team. Matt Turner, the USMNT's No. 1 at the 2022 World Cup and still today – at least for now – played baseball at a high level in his youth. Naeher, too, was a star basketball player in high school, while Scurry was a track, floor hockey, softball and basketball star.
For years, sports diversification has been seen as crucial for goalkeepers. It's not a myth, says Jack Robinson, U.S. Soccer head of goalkeeping. Rather, it's a major reason that the U.S. has so often had success that few other countries have been able to match.
"There have always been fantastic goalkeepers in there, and the sports in America naturally align themselves to that," Robinson told GOAL. "Basketball, American football – it's all hand-eye coordination. Obviously, for developing goalkeepers, that's perfect. I think that's one of the biggest strengths… An American trait is that athleticism, that hand-eye coordination."
In his role, Robinson oversees just about every aspect of the position in American soccer. He works with both the men's and women's sides while also developing the coaching education systems designed to grow the next generation of American goalkeepers. Robinson's job, in many ways, is the bigger picture. But at the moment, both the national teams have questions of their own to answer.
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The state of the USMNT
For the past four years, Turner has essentially been the guy for the USMNT. He seized that spot on the road to the 2022 World Cup, carrying it through Qatar and beyond. In 2022, he became the first American goalkeeper with two shutouts in one World Cup tournament. There was a time when Turner's status as the No. 1 was unquestionable.
Not anymore. Since moving to Arsenal before that World Cup, Turner has played just 31 matches on the club level. Just four of those came this season, as Turner was glued to Crystal Palace's bench while on loan from Nottingham Forest. He's done well when he has transitioned over to that USMNT shirt, but Turner's club situation has allowed the door to open up for challengers to walk in.
“After a long period, he didn’t play, and I think we were talking about the necessity to play," Pochettino said on the Unfiltered Soccer podcast. "Because we cannot give all the tools in a few days to prepare him to compete. They say that the competition provides some capacity, not only in your confidence, in your timing as well – and everything that is important.
"You need to tell some players, 'Look, you need to play! At the moment, so far it’s good because we’re checking your character, your personality, your capacity to be a leader. But at some point, to be a leader, you need to compete to have the right to express your talent and to talk with your teammates. That, I think, is really important for us. And that is why it was time to talk with the players who are in this situation to try to help.”
Heading towards the Gold Cup, Turner has other contenders. Zack Steffen, the man Turner leapfrogged for the role in Qatar, was called into camp as was NYCFC standout Matt Freese. U.S. youth standout Chris Brady was called in as a fourth goalkeeper, replacing Schulte, who saw his Gold Cup chance slip away due to an untimely injury. The depth took another blow Wednesday, however, when U.S. Soccer announced that Steffen has departed camp with a knee injury.
"For me, I don't see myself as the No. 1 all the time," Turner said of the competition. "That's my mindset going into every camp right now: every inch, every opportunity, needs to be fought for. Every opportunity I've had under this current staff, I've earned by my performances in training or the opportunities I had with Crystal Palace. I never think to myself, 'Oh, I'm going to come in and play' or do this or do that. I think everyone can attest to the work that I put in to earn each opportunity I get.
"In terms of pecking order, a lot of guys are performing well, especially the guys here in MLS, so it's nice to be around them and to keep pushing myself to get better and hold true to the standards of what we want to build on for this national team."
The man helping Pochettino assess the goalkeepers is one of his most trusted confidants, Toni Jimenez. A former Spain international, Jimenez has been by Pochettino's side since his time at Espanyol, working with some of the world's top shot-stoppers throughout his career as the Argentine's goalkeeper coach. He, like Pochettino, is new to American soccer, but he's always watched from afar as the USMNT rotated in talented goalkeeper after talented goalkeeper.
"My first memory was 1994 with Tony Meola, because at that time I was playing in La Liga and had some options to go with my national team," Jimenez tells GOAL. "I know all of the keepers: Brad, Tim, Kasey Keller. I think the level that they had was always amazing and always very high. Now, the challenge for this new era is for us to keep that level."
The USMNT's race is on and, while this particular one may be a sprint, the USWNT's goalkeeper marathon is just beginning.
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The state of the USWNT
When Hayes arrived as USWNT boss ahead of the 2024 Olympics, she inherited one of the best goalkeepers in the world. Naeher was a phenomenon throughout 2024, as she had been for nearly every year prior. Naeher won U.S. Soccer Player of the Year for her heroics in France. Then, she was gone.
In December, Naeher called time on her legendary career, stepping away after 115 caps. It can't be overstated how big a void that left for the USWNT. For nearly a decade, Naeher was the starting point for every USWNT team. With her departure, the U.S. found itself without anyone who could fill her shoes.
It was, in part, a problem of their own making. Due to Naeher's dominance, the USWNT never really developed her backups. As a result, Hayes' big task is now to figure out which goalkeepers in the pool are up to her standard.
"For a couple of reasons, I think I inherited that challenge. I didn't make that challenge," Hayes said. "You had a goalkeeper in Alyssa Naeher who played a lot of minutes, and no one else played a lot of minutes. You can't cut a corner on that stuff and, unfortunately, it will take a little bit of time."
Since the Olympics, Hayes has called in six additional goalkeepers. Save for Naher's send-off in the winter, Hayes has spread out chances. Veterans Jane Campbell and Casey Murphy, long-time Naeher understudies, were given opportunities to start. So, too, were newcomers Mandy McGlynn and Phallon Tullis-Joyce.
The latter two, alongside uncapped Claudia Dickey, were named to the most recent USWNT roster. Tullis-Joyce started both friendlies this week, recording clean sheets against China and Jamaica. But she was never really challenged, especially in the USWNT's 4-0 win Tuesday night against an overmatched Jamaica side.
This will be a process. Naeher's retirement exposed the lack of depth – or at least experience – in this goalkeeping pool, and one of Hayes' biggest tasks ahead of the World Cup is to spread the wealth in terms of playing time, building experience as part of the search for Naeher's successor.
"I think we all know they don't have the international experience, say, of Alyssa Naeher, but that's what this is all about," Hayes said. "We are giving exposure to a less-developed group of goalkeepers and a lot of them have under five caps. We've got to start building that."
Added Naeher on TNT during the Jamaica match, "There's always this goalkeeper union that we talk about, and it's a unique group. It's ultra-competitive and everyone wants to be on the field. But at the same time, it's super supportive. Whoever is on the field gets the support of the others. You want to compete and be on the field every single day."
Expectations have changed, though. Hayes isn't just searching for a goalkeeper who can stop shots; she needs something more modern as the position continues to evolve.
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The goalkeeping evolution
There’s no denying just how much the goalkeeper position has changed over the last two decades. Goalkeepers are no longer just judged on shot-stopping. They’re also evaluated on how they can help their own team score.
At times, shot-stopping has become almost secondary to goalkeepers' ability with their feet, leading to plenty of debates and discussions about the future of the position. At the highest level of the game, it’s very much about the little things, the extra advantages – both mental and physical – that make each goalkeeper unique.
"There are three things I start to look for," says Robinson, who, prior to joining U.S. Soccer, was goalkeeper coach for Liverpool.. "The first is emotional control. We're asking guys and girls to step into a World Cup final, potentially, or a later stage of a World Cup. Can they remain in control? Can they deal with pressure? Then, are they adaptable? Can they recognize what's going on in a game? Can they use different techniques to either make a save or play a pass?
"The final thing we want is for them to have an impact on the game. Can they make that big save? Can they make that difficult pass into the six? It's all definitely important."
Ethan Sonis, a former U.S. youth international who now trains many of the game’s top stars through SAT Sport, works with Steffen and USMNT up-and-comer Diego Kochen during the offseason. Sonis is a former outfield player, and conventional wisdom would suggest there's not much he can teach a goalkeeper. Not so. Steffen and Kochen work with Sonis as they look to develop a more modern skillset.
“The sport has evolved," Sonis told GOAL. "I'm working to build the modern keeper and, when you think of the top keepers in the world, they're not just making saves, they're also very clean on the ball… I can't come in and tell them how to make those saves because they should be making them already. The difference at the top is seeing them and going, 'Damn, his feet are superb.' The saves are the baseline to get to the higher level, but the separation from elite keeper to regular keeper is now about all of that other stuff."
That said, Jimenez is quick to point out that the game can get caught up too much in all of that other stuff. You can have the tallest, most athletic, most skilled goalkeeper in the world, he says, but if that goalkeeper doesn’t have the basics down, it’s all for nothing. The feet are, in many ways, a bonus. They need to have that old-school baseline first.
“I watch training sessions of younger goalkeepers, very young, and there's too much direction towards positioning,” Jimenez says. “If you are eight, 10, 12 and don't know how to catch the ball, dive with the ball, get up, adjust, it doesn't matter if you know the perfect position. First is technique, and we are losing, a little bit, some of the finer details. This is just my opinion.”
And for all the evolution, don't forget about saves. Sort of important, too.
”We need to be very quick and our advantage is to be very clever," he said. "The keeper needs to be clever and we say many times that a keeper needs to play well with his foot, but they need to make saves first. Remember that, please!"