"What's the state of U.S. goalkeeping?"
I've been asked that question many times over the years, and it surfaced again recently when Brad Friedel announced his retirement from Tottenham. Friedel is the latest of several veteran U.S. goalkeepers to retire: Marcus Hahnemann retired at the end of the 2014 MLS season; I did so a few seasons back; and, looking toward the future, Tim Howard, who turned 36 in March, will likely be the next long-tenured American to move on from the game, though probably not anytime soon (sorry Tim, time waits for no one!).
The position has been a consistent strength for the U.S. over the past 15-plus years, with multiple American keepers earning regular playing time in top European leagues. But the one constant in U.S. soccer from a position standpoint is now starting to come into question.
When did the U.S. goalkeeping surge start; where are we at now; and what's the future outlook of the position as we head deeper into the 2018 World Cup cycle? Here's some background on the rise of U.S. goalkeepers and a look at next-up and long-term targets from the pipeline who will determine the strength of American goalkeeping moving forward.
American ascent
Back in the early 1990s, Major League Soccer was still a pipe dream. If you didn't want to play indoor soccer, you had to try your luck in Europe. I got the chance to go on trial at Millwall (second tier of English leagues) in December of 1991 after my final college season. I was able to win the starting spot two games into the 1992-93 season and, during my first few months with the club, most interviews were prefaced with, "Why is an American playing football, and why is he playing it so well?"
When I arrived in England, fellow American Juergen Sommer had signed a few months earlier with Luton Town (at the time in the Football League First Division, the predecessor to the Premier League). Sommer then went on loan at a few smaller clubs before winning the spot at Luton Town in 1993-94 (then relegated to the second division) and would go on to become the first American to play in the Premier League. Another American keeper in England during this time was Ian Feuer, who in the mid- to late '90s earned regular time with West Ham United, Peterborough and Luton Town.
Meanwhile, Friedel unsuccessfully tried to gain entrance into England in the early '90s, being denied a work permit. He spent time in Denmark, Turkey and early in MLS with Columbus. He finally got his chance at Liverpool in 1997 and truly established himself with Blackburn in 2000, going on to post more than 400 appearances in England's top flight.
During this time, another American, Hahnemann, came over to England, signing with Fulham in 1999. He initially found it difficult to get playing time, but he went on loan, landed with Reading, which was promoted, and got his chance to prove himself in the Premier League. Howard signed with Manchester United soon after in 2003. At that point, American goalkeeping was truly on the map.
For me, U.S. goalkeeping reached its apex during the 2007-08 season. Four of us were playing in the Prem -- I was at Fulham, Howard at Everton, Friedel at Blackburn and Hahnemann at Reading -- and no longer was I fielding questions about being an American playing in Europe.
Current pecking order, next in the pipeline
Seven years removed from having Americans make up 20 percent of starting Premier League goalkeepers, we're down to two in the Prem and no others receiving regular playing time in a top European league.
So what's the future look like for U.S. goalkeepers?
We first have to look at Brad Guzan, now established with both the U.S. men's national team and Aston Villa, though he's had some challenges at the end of the 2014-15 season. At 30, he is just coming into his prime. I think we can all agree that Guzan is the heir apparent to the No. 1 spot on the men's national team. (I've also got to mention Nick Rimando, the third-choice keeper last summer in Brazil. But given he turns 36 in June, we really can't talk about him in terms of the future of the national team -- sorry, Nicky).
Following Guzan, things become less clear. Here's a look at a handful of goalkeepers -- of varying ages, abilities and readiness levels -- who have spent time in U.S. program's camps and appear to be next up in the pipeline.
Sean Johnson -- Johnson, who turns 26 at the end of May, has played five seasons with the Chicago Fire and tallied 11 caps with the national team. He's a great athlete and an excellent shot-stopper. He had a trial at Manchester United in 2011 and last fall with Hull City. It's time for Johnson to start pushing to the top, or he will soon no longer be considered part of the future at the position.
Bill Hamid -- He's played six seasons with D.C. United and earned two caps with the U.S. team. Just 24 years old, Hamid, like Johnson, is also an athletic goalkeeper with strong shot-stopping skills. He broke out last season and was voted MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. In January, it was rumored that Hamid was drawing interest from English and Italian clubs. If he wants to jump up Jurgen Klinsmann's pecking order, he needs to continue playing at the level he established in 2014.
William Yarbrough -- Yarbrough, who helped guide Leon to back-to-back Liga MX titles, earned his first two caps over the past few months after accepting a call-up from the national team (before that he was eligible to play for either the U.S. or Mexico). While he is a strong distributor and good with his feet -- skills that Klinsmann values -- he can be mistake-prone. He was a bit suspect on crosses in last month's friendly against Mexico, which isn't a particular strength of El Tri to begin with. He has potential, but it's unclear if he has staying power.
Cody Cropper -- Cropper, a 22-year-old "veteran" of U.S. youth teams, will need to find a new club after Tuesday's announcement that Southampton wasn't going to renew his contract. He had been playing with the team's U-21 side and hadn't come close to breaking into the Saints' senior squad. While he's starting for the U.S. U23 team at the Toulon Tournament in France (the U.S. lost its opener, falling on Wednesday to France 3-1), the bottom line is that he needs to play regularly at higher club level to get into the conversation.
Zack Steffen -- The 20-year-old prospect left the University of Maryland after his sophomore season and signed with Freiburg of the Bundesliga. He will be in action with the U.S. under-20 team when it begins play this week at the U-20 World Cup in New Zealand. With lots of potential, he's a keeper who U20 coach Tab Ramos is very high on (more on that below).
Keys to success, outlook
If you look back on all the keepers who have made the leap to Europe and been successful, their common thread is showing promise, being able to get a contract and spending several years learning before getting a big opportunity. It's a process that takes time, perseverance and the utmost effort and consistency.
It's taken some of the best American keepers years and years to get a shot in Europe after arriving (Guzan, who had impressive MLS experience before jumping to England, had to prove himself for years before Villa gave him a shot and, eventually, the starting job). The reality is that even established starters in the Premier League, particularly those from lesser-known soccer-playing countries, are fighting for their lineup spots each week, having to prove their skill and ability every day in practice in addition to performing each match day.
So where do our goalie prospects stand in terms of that process? After recently speaking with Klinsmann, I found he had a level of optimism but was clear about the reality of the current situation.
"Our next generation is struggling with the consistency of performance to be considered by top teams in European leagues," he said.
Among those in the pipeline, Steffen in particular has generated buzz that he can continue his rise and carry the torch of Americans excelling in Europe. Ramos, who has been part of the past three U20 cycles, offered high praise of his goalkeeper.
"I think Zack Steffen is the first 19-year-old goalkeeper in a while to have the potential to be the next American goalkeeper to make his mark in Europe," Ramos recently told me regarding the Maryland product, who turned 20 last month.
But Steffan and the other rising U.S. keepers have a long way to go to get in the conversation for the top U.S. keeper spot, let alone to get a shot with a club in a top European league.
We've heard words like "future" and potential" being thrown around the U.S. keeper pipeline for years. But if U.S. goalkeeping is to continue its world-class standards, success for most of those in the pipeline will depend upon becoming more consistent and elevating their games in order to have a shot at earning regular minutes on the big stage of Europe.