WHY THE AMERICAN GOALKEEPER?

In the movie “Victory”, a young American goalkeeper is heralded as a hero for making the spectacular penalty kick save against an evil German side. Who could forget the dagger eyes of Werner Roth as he tried to stare down the brave American goalkeeper in what was nothing more than a German propaganda scheme of a match? “Hatch”; played by Sylvester Stallone, made his way onto the prison camp soccer team because he a had a knack for stopping balls, not to mention that he saw it as a way of breaking out as well. As we all know, he did get out; yet allowed himself to be re-captured so as to help the resistance cause. Good for the resistance and for the prison camp team as they had their stalwart American goalkeeper back “defending the pipes”. Despite not knowing where to stand for a corner kick, Stallone… uh, Hatch might have become our very first great American soccer goalkeeper. Certainly my tongue is firmly placed in cheek, but it does spark a bit of discussion relative to the predominance of world class American goalkeepers on the international stage.

I don’t claim to have all the answers as to why the United States has developed many superior goalkeepers, but I will certainly offer some insight as well as opinions from others which hopefully stir some discussion. What fascinates me the most is the fact that despite an acknowledged lack of true goalkeeper coaches in this country, we see some of the most proficient skills coming from our players in goal. The discussion as to why US player development in general is such that we do not (can not?) develop world class players is one that has been argued many times over. There are those who say that due to our overwhelming geographical size, the United States can not put everyone on the same page relative to a unified approach to player development. My quick response to that is “hogwash”. Any country our size that can mobilize so effectively in times of crisis can certainly get its soccer community on the same page. The “alphabet soup” of US soccer organizations fragments any real cohesive approach or philosophy to player development. You know the “MLS USYSA PDL USSF NSCAA USL…” bowl of soup. And we still face the significant problem of not having our best coaches at the youth level; which I believe is the real crux of the problem. It is widely acknowledged that players who do not master the technical aspects of the game before age 14, probably never will. Let’s take it a step further- without technique, there are no tactics; hence opening up an even deeper developmental wound never to be healed. Where are our best coaches at such an important level?

Let’s focus on the interesting dynamic which has seen a number of high level American goalkeepers reach world class status.

John Murphy, Assistant Coach for the Colorado Rapids as well as former goalkeeper coach for the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer shared some of his insights into the phenomenon. “The oversimplified answer is that the American ‘keeper is brave, competitive, and athletic. They have the classic American trait of being good with their hands too.” Murphy went on to share with me the notion that the true great American goalkeepers such as Kasey Keller and Brad Friedel really took “the next step” in their development once they went overseas. As we know, their move to Europe found Keller at Millwall and Friedel at Danish side Brondby, Galatasaray, and eventually Liverpool . Murphy contends that since the English game consists of many high balls and crosses from the flanks, it can be inferred that the style of play literally played into their hands. Again, the notion of the American “hand-eye” theory comes to light as it has served the development of both Friedel and Keller well. Without question, the elements of a more demanding competitive atmosphere on a daily basis in training and on match day can not be discounted relative to their development. That type of pressure pushes all players to another level.

Murphy’s reference to a “goalkeeper’s shelf life” was intriguing as well. Since typically the goalkeeper has a longer career than that of field players, the developmental time line is extended affording him the opportunity to continue development. So for Keller, Friedel, and those like them, emersing themselves in a style of game that was conducive to the American athletic traits, heightening the competitive cauldron, and having an extended period of development  (“shelf life”) has led to stellar results.

Tony Waiters, former English international and Blackpool goalkeeper, currently serving as the National Soccer Coaches Association Director of Goalkeeper Education cites the “carry over” from the traditional American sports such as football, basketball, and baseball as the throwing, catching, and fundamental handling of a ball is essential. Interestingly, Tony points out the notion that the position is “less complex than other positions” due in large part that “everything is in front of the ‘keeper”. In examining the point, a field player’s role, no matter what the position, and where he is on the field, is such that he is responsible for literally 360 degrees of space. That 360 degrees feature all the dynamics of players coming and going, and the associated tactical elements involved. The goalkeeper on the other hand has the entire game in front of him, affording the opportunity (simplicity?) of dealing with situations on a more one dimensional level.

What article of this nature can be written without featuring Tony Meola; arguably, one of our most high profile American soccer players, not just goalkeeper. At the tender age of 21, Meola was catapulted onto the world scene as he played every minute of all three games in the 1990 World Cup. He became the face of the American goalkeeper as he continued his World Cup run through 1994 and beyond, having contributed to the National Team on a number of occasions in qualification.

He is one of the “founding fathers” of American players that contributed to the birth of Major League Soccer. Meola may be the benchmark of study when examining the success of the American goalkeeper as his athletic prowess went beyond soccer. He was a letter winner for two years on the University of Virginia baseball team and was drafted by the New York Yankees. His athleticism found him briefly on the fields of the National Football League as he had a try out as a kicker with the New York Jets.

I can not disagree with the notion that American goalkeepers do indeed develop sound “hand-eye” skills and  overall athleticism because of their participation in a variety of “American sports”. Certainly, those are significant traits for playing goal in soccer. And yes, we have seen a significant number of American goalkeepers become world class; some have been mentioned here, and the list could be longer (Tim Howard, Marcus Hahnemann, Jurgen Summer to name a few). How is it though that so many goalkeepers in this country at the highest level can develop into world class when we have a void amongst those in the youth coaching community without an expertise in goalkeeper coaching / development. That dichotomy is what intrigues me. I contend that just like youth coaching in general, if we had more people educated in the realm of goalkeeper development, we would rule the soccer world in the position. Where did the technical basis come from with all the terrific professional goalkeepers we have? Did they all have the luck of having a capable goalkeeper coach when they were young? If not, and I’m inclined to believe they didn’t, did they just emulate the goalkeepers of their time? If so, who were they? My role models were Shep Messing, Dino Zoff, and Sepp Maier. I know that watching these great goalkeepers helped with my development in the position coupled with the fact that along with playing soccer, I played hockey (goalkeeper there too), and was a competitive skier. I guess I fall into the very same category of goalkeeper that developed athleticism with other sports which eventually translated into my becoming sound goalkeeper. But again, is that the reason we develop such sound goalkeepers? I contend that it is just too simple to say that Americans are good with their hands, are good athletes, hence they can play goal in soccer.

Yes, I leave you with more questions than answers, but that was my goal.

Giovanni Pacini is the Head Mens Soccer Coach at Lasell College, Massachusetts NSCAA State Technical Coordinator, member of the NSCAA Goalkeeper Academy, and directs Make The Save Goalkeeper Training.

To learn more about goalkeeper training opportunities with Coach Giovanni Pacini, check out Make The Save Goalkeeper Training at www.makethesave.net! Make The Save programs include personal training, consulting, and NSCAA goalkeeper diploma licensing as well!