USMNT: Top 3 candidates for Gold Cup starting goalkeeper
Conclusion
Since the decline of Tim Howard, the U.S. has seemed uncharacteristically weak at the goalkeeping position. Brad Guzan has steadily declined since leaving England in 2017, and despite testing himself in Europe, Bill Hamid was not able to make the leap across the pond.
Jesse Gonzalez and Sean Johnson’s development has more or less stagnated in the context of the potential each player was thought to have had. Further, as of the end of last season, it seemed as though Ethan Horvath too would fail to make an impact in Europe. This all painted a pretty dire picture where the U.S. was overly reliant on Zack Steffen to stay healthy.
Thankfully for the USMNT, Berhalter now has two very reliable options to choose from. Horvath has seemingly burst back onto the scene over the last six months and Steffen has continued his meteoric rise. Could this be the new Howard and Guzan — or Kasey Keller and Brad Friedel — tandem that brings respect to the United States’ development of goalkeepers? Time will tell, and both have a lot more to achieve to be compared to the latter goalkeeping duos, but the potential is certainly there.
Next. USMNT: Top 4 strikers on depth chart. dark
At the moment, it appears that all these goalkeepers, including the likes of Sean Johnson, will have a shot at cementing their spot in the team. Moreover, all these keepers have great reason to play well for their clubs over the next few months as they jockey for the opportunity to represent the U.S. this summer and establish themselves as mainstays under Berhalter. It will be interesting to see who Berhalter awards with such an opportunity.