even if the new wave is fronted by a foursome of young Yanks that many soccer fans don't know a lot about.
The next wave of outstanding U.S. goalkeepers appears to be here, getting it done in the nets as Major League Soccer's 11th post-season pushes forward. Did anybody notice that three young American goalkeepers kept three guys on the bench who have 111 U.S. national team caps between them?
In Chicago, Matt Pickens pried lose Zach Thornton's longtime stranglehold on the Fire's No. 1 spot. In Red Bull arena, Jon Conway kept Tony Meola pinned to the bench. And at D.C. United, Troy Perkins is doing everything he needs to keep Nick Rimando (Yes, Rimando has U.S. caps -- three of 'em to be exact.) tethered to the RFK sidelines.
And perhaps the best single moment from a young U.S. 'keeper happened in the bright SoCal sunshine, where Brad Guzan provided what probably was the big daddy of big plays in Chivas USA's young history. He turned away Dwayne De Rosario's penalty kick in the series opener to help tamp down a Houston Dynamo rally in Chivas' debut playoff match.
Guzan was 11 when he watched Meola in the 1994 World Cup. About that time, Guzan said, he was probably wearing his Tony Meola-endorsed goalie gloves. "I had plenty of pairs of those," Guzan said.
"Obviously, we watched those guys growing up and learned a lot from them," the Chivas starter said. "It's an honor playing with them, or playing against them. But the torch gets passed, and there are a lot of young guys now getting their shots, and they're doing well with them."
Perkins, Guzan and Pickens were winners in the first weekend, although only Perkins and his United group ultimately prevailed. Still, none of the goalkeepers will recall any big gaffes in their young MLS playoff careers. As for Conway, he certainly wasn't at fault as Christian Gomez and Jaime Moreno concocted United's spiffy game-breaker at Giants Stadium. And only Gomez could beat him in the return match -- and only then on a sly toepoke to the near post.
In Chicago, the man known around the spirited Section 8 bunch as "Slim" Pickens has emerged from behind Thornton's substantial shadow. Thornton's quad injury opened the door for Slim, and the third-year man exploited the opportunity to its fullest. (Pickens spent most of the 2004 season on loan to Virginia Beach, so, this was essentially his second Fire campaign.)
Pickens, 24, the MLS Player of the Month for September, shut out New England in his postseason debut. The scruffy, lanky 'keeper (who looks more like a guy manning lead guitar for Maroon 5 than a fellow manning goal at Toyota Park) was alert right away as Revolution attacker Steve Ralston got through in the second minute. Pickens made the first of eight saves, including a doozy on Taylor Twellman's second-half header from close range.
As solid as Pickens had been in September, Chicago manager Dave Sarachan had to resist the nagging temptation to slip back into the safe, comfortable choice: selecting the vet for the pressurized playoff run.
"There is a temptation to default to that," Sarachan said. "At the end of the day, you've got to have a hunch, a feel, a sense for where the team is and where each individual is. It was the right decision to stay with Matt, and that's no disrespect to Zach. We've got a guy right now who's in good form."
Pickens is practically an old geezer compared to Guzan, 22, who rallied from an extended stay on the bench earlier this season. Chivas USA's first-ever draft pick will remember his MLS playoff debut for the 86th-minute gem against De Rosario, one of Major League Soccer's MVP finalists.
Back in Houston for the return leg, Guzan had a solid night at Robertson Stadium, nearly reaching Brad Davis' second-half spot kick, which had to be dead perfect to beat the only goalkeeper in MLS history to be selected No. 1 overall in the SuperDraft.
Conway was certainly credible in two legs against D.C. United. Facundo Erpen's early header tested the Red Bull goalkeeper early in series opener, and he had plenty to do in the second half of the return leg back at RFK.
Conway is the oldest of the "youngsters" at 29. If you haven't heard of him, blame Joe Cannon. Oh, and Pat Onstad, too. The 6-foot-6 man from Rutgers spent most of his career as the understudy in San Jose, for three years behind Cannon then for another two behind Onstad.
Perkins, 25, the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, added yet another highlight to his breakout year by posting the first-leg shutout at Giants Stadium. The third-year man from Evansville played 16 games in his rookie season (2004) when Rimando was injured. He played in just two matches last year, but finally squeezed the veteran aside in 2006.
Back at RFK, Perkins was a picture of calm all night as he swept up a collection of crosses and through balls behind a surprisingly wobbly D.C. defense.
Obviously, goalkeeping has always been an MLS strength. Americans make strong goalkeepers because U.S. kids are used to hand-and-arm-friendly sports, etc., in this country. But the truth behind the clichés is that MLS goalkeeping quality will rise and fall like any other position.
The overall depth and caliber might have peaked around 2001, when the roster of netminders was so stacked that Kevin Hartman and Matt Reis were splitting time in Los Angeles. Tim Howard, Meola, Cannon, Juergen Sommer, Adin Brown and an undersized but quite athletic Rimando sprinkled themselves around league rosters.
And with all that, who led MLS statistically that season? Thornton, who was a little younger and slightly more nimble with that big body. (Although his stats were certainly protected that year by a sprightly defense anchored by Premiership-bound Carlos Bocanegra.)
The top-shelf quality held steady for a while but was waning a wee bit by 2004. By 2005, Meola, Thornton and Scott Garlick, all of whom had MLS titles in pocket, were slowing some. And as for Hartman, another shot-stopper with an MLS title, the erratic episodes seemed to be more occurring with a little more frequency.
MLS goalkeeping certainly wasn't falling into a worrisome state. But let's just say it was cruising down the highway at minivan-speed instead of sports car pace.
It's a natural evolution: Players are good. Players get older, but we remember them for what they were, not what they are today. We finally catch on, but by then, the standard has dropped a tad. So we finally drive the new models off the showroom floor and, voila, we find a little more pep in the pedal.
That's where we are with MLS goalkeeping, enjoying the new-car smell of these splendid newbies. Of course, Pickens, Perkins, Guzan and Conway have some work ahead before they challenge Tim Howard, having a fine season at Everton, as the heir to the U.S. goalkeeping position. But big playoff performances are certainly a good start.
This business of adventurous declarations and pronouncements can be risky stuff. Seems the next wonderkid of American goalkeeping is always idling somewhere in the U.S. Soccer developmental system. But more often than not, we end up with a big false alarm.
Anybody remember how good D.J. Countess was going to be once he took in some seasoning?
So, who knows where the current crop of emerging MLS 'keepers will land? But it sure seems worth watching.
"It says a lot that these teams have confidence in their young goalkeepers," Sarachan said. "It says a lot that when the whistle blows in big games, they know these guys will perform."
Steve Davis is a freelance writer who has covered Major League Soccer since its inception. Steve can be reached at BigTexSoccer@yahoo.com. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.
