USMNT and Modern Goalkeeping

[Grace T.]

Interesting article about the USMNT and their struggle to find a legendary goalkeeper like in the past. My 2 cents are that the US used to have a natural advantage because we had a lot of kids that were into handling sports (football, baseball, basketball) that used to later on make the transition to goalkeeper. But the rest of the world has caught up, and the ball moves so fast now that things like catching and high catches aren't as important to the game anymore as playing with your feet, high diving and punching...Europe has started training them young as their academy ages get younger and younger.

The USMNT is facing a goalkeeper crisis ahead of the 2026 World Cup

The USMNT's options at goalkeeper are not bad exactly, but they aren't good. A longtime position of strength for the U.S. suddenly seems shaky. Why?

www.espn.com

 

[Mystery Train]

Interesting article about the USMNT and their struggle to find a legendary goalkeeper like in the past. My 2 cents are that the US used to have a natural advantage because we had a lot of kids that were into handling sports (football, baseball, basketball) that used to later on make the transition to goalkeeper. But the rest of the world has caught up, and the ball moves so fast now that things like catching and high catches aren't as important to the game anymore as playing with your feet, high diving and punching...Europe has started training them young as their academy ages get younger and younger.

The USMNT is facing a goalkeeper crisis ahead of the 2026 World Cup

The USMNT's options at goalkeeper are not bad exactly, but they aren't good. A longtime position of strength for the U.S. suddenly seems shaky. Why?

www.espn.com

Good article. Thanks for sharing. I agree with you assessment as well. Although the article is about the USMNT, my DD and I have observed the same on the women's side, and in some ways that shift is even more dramatic. The last WWC and the Euros before that was a showcase for the female European GK's. I think it's two-fold. The shift of importance away from prioritizing altheticism, acrobatics and great hands to prioritizing foot skills, defensive organization, and distribution has favored European and South American training systems/culture and the US has always been playing catch-up in that regard. The second factor is probably just the perception of American goalkeeping being unrealistically high based on a small handful of super-nova talents like Howard, Keller, and Solo on the women's side.

 

[Grace T.]

Good article. Thanks for sharing. I agree with you assessment as well. Although the article is about the USMNT, my DD and I have observed the same on the women's side, and in some ways that shift is even more dramatic. The last WWC and the Euros before that was a showcase for the female European GK's. I think it's two-fold. The shift of importance away from prioritizing altheticism, acrobatics and great hands to prioritizing foot skills, defensive organization, and distribution has favored European and South American training systems/culture and the US has always been playing catch-up in that regard. The second factor is probably just the perception of American goalkeeping being unrealistically high based on a small handful of super-nova talents like Howard, Keller, and Solo on the women's side.

One thing I think you really hit on is both defensive organization and organization off the first kick. It's the one thing I've noticed that US club soccer does really really poorly because of the way we train. The coaches for the most part have poor goalkeeping knowledge and don't understand the trade off between managing space and defending the goal so aren't in a position to fully coach the goalkeeper. Except with the exception of some of the academies, the goalkeeper coach isn't there for team training or games, and so isn't there to provide that training and can't do it in the context of goalkeeper classes without the field players. Then when the GK screws it up the coach and GK coach point their fingers at each other and say why didn't you deal with this. It's the most frustrating part of the frustrating experience I've encountered. Some private GK coaches like Tackett are really good about teaching tactics, but unless he's there in actual/training or a game, it's all abstractions that players have to apply on their own, assuming they or their parents can see it. Tackett recently did a workshop on analyzing your own game film, and he's the only one I've seen do something like that (which doesn't really help BTW unless your goalkeeper has enough frontal cortex development to actual do and understand it, and most teenage boys, god love em, don't until about 17).

 

[Mystery Train]

One thing I think you really hit on is both defensive organization and organization off the first kick. It's the one thing I've noticed that US club soccer does really really poorly because of the way we train. The coaches for the most part have poor goalkeeping knowledge and don't understand the trade off between managing space and defending the goal so aren't in a position to fully coach the goalkeeper. Except with the exception of some of the academies, the goalkeeper coach isn't there for team training or games, and so isn't there to provide that training and can't do it in the context of goalkeeper classes without the field players. Then when the GK screws it up the coach and GK coach point their fingers at each other and say why didn't you deal with this. It's the most frustrating part of the frustrating experience I've encountered. Some private GK coaches like Tackett are really good about teaching tactics, but unless he's there in actual/training or a game, it's all abstractions that players have to apply on their own, assuming they or their parents can see it. Tackett recently did a workshop on analyzing your own game film, and he's the only one I've seen do something like that (which doesn't really help BTW unless your goalkeeper has enough frontal cortex development to actual do and understand it, and most teenage boys, god love em, don't until about 17).

YES! Especially this: "the goalkeeper coach isn't there for team training or games, and so isn't there to provide that training and can't do it in the context of goalkeeper classes without the field players. Then when the GK screws it up the coach and GK coach point their fingers at each other and say why didn't you deal with this."

Oh, how many times I watched this happen with my DD! The best situation my daughter ever had in club soccer was when her head coach just happened to be a former semi-pro GK himself. She still had a separate GK coach, but the head coach was able to take what the GK training was about and fit it into actual game scenarios in a way that none of her head coaches (including college) have ever been able to do. The other line you wrote that is pure truth is this one below. I've always been shocked at how incredibly ignorant most HC's are about the GK position. Most of them openly admit it when you talk to them about your kid. "I'm not a GK coach." I've heard that from 4 different coaches including a highly respected NCAA coach in reference to questions my DD would ask about positioning or how to play a given situation. I mean, seriously? If I were a head coach of any sport, I'd make it my business to know as much or MORE about every position than all of my positional assistant coaches.

The coaches for the most part have poor goalkeeping knowledge and don't understand the trade off between managing space and defending the goal so aren't in a position to fully coach the goalkeeper.

 

[Footy30]

YES! Especially this: "the goalkeeper coach isn't there for team training or games, and so isn't there to provide that training and can't do it in the context of goalkeeper classes without the field players. Then when the GK screws it up the coach and GK coach point their fingers at each other and say why didn't you deal with this."

Oh, how many times I watched this happen with my DD! The best situation my daughter ever had in club soccer was when her head coach just happened to be a former semi-pro GK himself. She still had a separate GK coach, but the head coach was able to take what the GK training was about and fit it into actual game scenarios in a way that none of her head coaches (including college) have ever been able to do. The other line you wrote that is pure truth is this one below. I've always been shocked at how incredibly ignorant most HC's are about the GK position. Most of them openly admit it when you talk to them about your kid. "I'm not a GK coach." I've heard that from 4 different coaches including a highly respected NCAA coach in reference to questions my DD would ask about positioning or how to play a given situation. I mean, seriously? If I were a head coach of any sport, I'd make it my business to know as much or MORE about every position than all of my positional assistant coaches.

100%

 

[Slobodan]

Interesting article about the USMNT and their struggle to find a legendary goalkeeper like in the past. My 2 cents are that the US used to have a natural advantage because we had a lot of kids that were into handling sports (football, baseball, basketball) that used to later on make the transition to goalkeeper. But the rest of the world has caught up, and the ball moves so fast now that things like catching and high catches aren't as important to the game anymore as playing with your feet, high diving and punching...Europe has started training them young as their academy ages get younger and younger.

The USMNT is facing a goalkeeper crisis ahead of the 2026 World Cup

The USMNT's options at goalkeeper are not bad exactly, but they aren't good. A longtime position of strength for the U.S. suddenly seems shaky. Why?

www.espn.com

Matt Turner is every bit as good as any U.S. keeper (sans perhaps Tim Howard) in history.

 

[Grace T.]

Matt Turner is every bit as good as any U.S. keeper (sans perhaps Tim Howard) in history.

Yeah but that’s not good enough anymore. In the case of turner da feet

 

[Slobodan]

Yeah but that’s not good enough anymore. In the case of turner da feet

Fair point... but many "world class" goalkeepers can't use their feet and I'm not sure it ever existed in the U.S. anyway.

 

[Grace T.]

Fair point... but many "world class" goalkeepers can't use their feet and I'm not sure it ever existed in the U.S. anyway.

True...but like De Gea look what's happening to them....the point is more the US is getting left behind in goalkeeping because what we used to do isn't working anymore (we used to take kids that were good at handling sports and convert them, but now Europe is slotting kids in as early as 6 into the role whereas the advice here has been no fulltime keepers until 12 until recently). In any case, Matt Turner just got shafted today, so the market has spoken.

 

[Brav520]

Nature of the best in the top 5 leagues in Europe , they cycle through keepers a lot , especially in the Prem league

Turner had some pretty big errors this season, mostly involving his feet

As far as the USMNt goes , I don’t really worry that much about keeper

 

[Slobodan]

True...but like De Gea look what's happening to them....the point is more the US is getting left behind in goalkeeping because what we used to do isn't working anymore (we used to take kids that were good at handling sports and convert them, but now Europe is slotting kids in as early as 6 into the role whereas the advice here has been no fulltime keepers until 12 until recently). In any case, Matt Turner just got shafted today, so the market has spoken.

I'd give De Gea a pass for that. The guy more than makes up for footy mistakes with saves that boggle the mind. And honestly, goalkeepers aren't soccer players. Goaltenders aren't hockey players. Kickers and punters aren't football players. Pitchers aren't baseball players. They're all specialized positions and who wants to be a full time goalkeeper at 6? I started out there because nobody else would do it. Then you reach a point where you stay there because nobody else can do it better and your team can't win without a decent representation in the nets.

Forrest should just be happy they're in the news at all. The last keeper they had, that anyone remembers, is Peter Shilton... which also happens to be the last time they were relevant.

 

[Grace T.]

My son is athletic and wanted to be a full time goalkeeper at 6 (and continues to be one at almost 10), but I am observing how rare that is!

I did not grow up playing soccer or watching it. I did other sports. What baffles me is how the team training is always on half-sized fields (or smaller) where my son needs to stay close to the line to pass or to make saves. Then, in games, parents shout at him to move forward, beyond the box to make himself a passing option and allow the defense to move up. I understand this is the right thing to do (and he does intellectually), but there's no muscle memory for him to be that far forward because that's not how they practice. He's becoming a sweeper more and more, but there's a lot to the position that is not really practiced in training.

1. The passing part is only half of the sweeper keeper. The other part is the sweeping (rushing out to head the ball or to kick it or possess it when the ball is an aerial or ground through ball) or even through the keepers presence disrupting the possibility of a through ball. Other than header and touch drills that practice the skills, there is no practical way for a GK coach to practice this outside of team training (corner defense and long goalkicks are similar problems). The key part of the skill is learning to stay 10-20 yards behind the back line and learning to read when that has to be more (to preserve against a lob) and when it has to be less.
2. Which is why it's stupid that the GK trainer usually doesn't show up for team training let alone games for most clubs. Because it's worse than you lay out. Your kid is basically having to figure it out on his own (or with input from his coach or the parents, none of which may know about the position). Your kid has it harder because you did not grow up playing soccer or watching it (which is why so many GK parents are forced to become the most knowledgeable experts among parents in the team, because nobody else is looking out for their kid)
3. So the only way they can learn is by trial and error during games, which is bad, because then they get blamed for the errors.
4. It's why many kids who are GK hide out among winning teams (where they aren't challenged and won't necessarily grow due to the limited scenarios they'll see).
5. Futsal is great for building the muscle memory for what you describe but for GKs it has some real downsides. Higher concussion possibilities, bad habits with leg and k saves, bigger possibility of tweaked fingers.

 

[Grace T.]

1. The passing part is only half of the sweeper keeper. The other part is the sweeping (rushing out to head the ball or to kick it or possess it when the ball is an aerial or ground through ball) or even through the keepers presence disrupting the possibility of a through ball. Other than header and touch drills that practice the skills, there is no practical way for a GK coach to practice this outside of team training (corner defense and long goalkicks are similar problems). The key part of the skill is learning to stay 10-20 yards behind the back line and learning to read when that has to be more (to preserve against a lob) and when it has to be less.
2. Which is why it's stupid that the GK trainer usually doesn't show up for team training let alone games for most clubs. Because it's worse than you lay out. Your kid is basically having to figure it out on his own (or with input from his coach or the parents, none of which may know about the position). Your kid has it harder because you did not grow up playing soccer or watching it (which is why so many GK parents are forced to become the most knowledgeable experts among parents in the team, because nobody else is looking out for their kid)
3. So the only way they can learn is by trial and error during games, which is bad, because then they get blamed for the errors.
4. It's why many kids who are GK hide out among winning teams (where they aren't challenged and won't necessarily grow due to the limited scenarios they'll see).
5. Futsal is great for building the muscle memory for what you describe but for GKs it has some real downsides. Higher concussion possibilities, bad habits with leg and k saves, bigger possibility of tweaked fingers.

p.s. the key question I'd ask yourself is how much does your team play/scrimmage on a full field. If your team is doing only a handful of summer tournaments and 1 game a weekend, depending on what you want out of it (what level you want your kid to achieve when they are a teenager), and particularly if you are on a winning team, you'll probably want to get additional game time to give your kid that practice and those looks (knowing that it comes with a higher risk of injury). Futsal, latino league, guesting, play as backup or cover for another club team, or when they are older UPSL adult, are all great options to get those added looks if your coach allows them. If your team is already doing a lot of games, I wouldn't sweet it too much...if he has a good GK coach that talks to him about these scenarios and gives individual attention, he'll pick it up. (This is the opposite advice for field players, who are generally taxed a lot in games).