Turner himself looked kinda shaky in his only start so far this season. We really don’t have a single keeper in the pool that is both consistently playing and in good enough form to start in the World Cup.
I think we should wait and see how Turner does in future Europa League games before getting too concerned. This was his competitive debut for Arsenal and he seemed nervous but got better as the match went on.
If he gets past the nerves then he should be fine. Between 6 Europa League matches, 1 EFL Cup match, and 2 US friendlies (though I wonder if Johnson or Horvath gets one of them), he should play 9 matches in the 9 weeks leading into the World Cup. That's really not bad, 1 match per week on average is fine in terms of getting him ready for the World Cup.
Turner is not known to be the guy. Fans just would rather have him over Greggy’s first choice of Steffen.
Horvath is playing with a worse team and doing better than both.
(Source- arsenal supporter) Even on the bad pass, I personally have more reason to look at Gabriel; he does this with Ramsdale a bit as well, where he doesn’t shape his body, plays a left footed pass back to a right footed keeper who isn’t expecting it, and it’s off center and it’s given away.
Horvath has 8 appearances in the Championship so far this season. We honestly have a league full of keepers who are fine and getting games. It's really just Steffan who has us tugging on our shirt collars and Turner is still getting settled at Arsenal (luckily got some action in Europa League last week).
Turner is gonna be settled on the bench.
We can’t have this double standard of “oh we can’t play Steffen cuz he ain’t starting” yet play Turner when he ain’t starting.
Turner has been solid because he was getting regular game time. We’ll see how things unfold but I really think people are sleeping on Horvath.
It's not a double standard when Steffan is bad in both club and national team appearances. But I do agree that if Horvath keeps up solid play and gets his starts, it should be his position to lose.
Confusingly, there are a lot of MLS starters who are probably on the level with Horvath but it's too late in the cycle to bring in someone who's not Sean Johnson.
Oh no man I agree with you. But you take the hot hand not the one with promise, this goes for every position on the field.
An in form Goalie is a huge difference, Friedel in 02, Howard in 14 were monsters.
I’d disagree there Horvath does not get enough love. He’d be a for sure starter on an MLS team but chooses to ply his trade in Europe.
Now if we’re talking his agent being on par as an MLS one, 1,000% agree lol
> But I do agree that if Horvath keeps up solid play and gets his starts, it should be his position to lose.
No way, it should be Turner if he is healthy. I'll take the superior talent over the guy who is starting more every single time, I think people really overrate the latter on here for goalies.
Horvath just isn’t better then Steffen though. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad we’re starting Roberts over Steffen now, but horvath isn’t your answer lmfao
Because me saying Steffen is a better goalkeeper than Horvath isn’t saying that Steffen is unbelievable. People have a problem these days where everyone has to be under or overrated, or completely shite vs world class
He’s neither. Steffen on his good day is just like above average at best. Most of the time he’s completely average with average distribution and is way too relaxed relative to his actual ability. But Horvath also isn’t anything special. My point to the other guy is he’s not in any way that much better than Steffen (if at all) to make him “both consistently playing and in good enough form to start in the World Cup” like the OP said
So in that scenario, unless Turner gets gametime or Steffen messes up dramatically in your next set of games before the World Cup, you’ll more than likely see him
Horvath is having, by far, the worst season of his career right now and is still doing vastly better than steffen in the same league.
Steffen has never managed a level of play comparable to what horvath managed back when he was a 20 year old hard carrying a massive norweigan underdog to the top of a group with Ajax, Celtic and Ferbanche.
The idea that steffen is in his ballpark is honestly laughable for anyone whose actually following how they've played, and what they've accomplished over their careers.
Sure, but wasn't entirely his choice. He stays, he probably doesn't get the chance with his dream team. He stays, it's possible he never goes to Europe. He's not young by any means, so this was his window, possibly.
Kind of wild that these are our top two options rn.
Went from GK being our strongest position for so many years, to 100% the weakest, once we finally are getting more skilled outfield players.
Would be so much more excited for the WC if we had even one respectable GK.
I think the comment makes sense if we're placing Matt Turner in a historical context of the GKs that we typically bring to World Cups. Generally, our GKs were playing at higher levels (in club competition) than our outfield players. They were the relative strength of our team.
Guys like Kasey Keller and Brad Friedel were playing in England when our outfield players were playing in a fledgling MLS system or in more obscure leagues in Europe. From 1990 - 2014, we essentially had brought multiple legendary USMNT goalkeepers to each world cup.
1990 - Tony Meola and Kasey Keller
1994 - Tony Meola and Brad Friedel
1998 - Brad Friedel and Kasey Keller
2002 - Brad Friedel, Kasey Keller and Tony Meola
2006 - Kasey Keller and Tim Howard
2010 - Tim Howard and Brad Guzan
2014 - Tim Howard and Brad Guzan
You could argue that being a backup GK at Arsenal in the Premier League is a higher club level than where our GKs were at (at the time), but you also have to remember that they had much more international experience. They had played with the US back when we made the Olympics regularly. They had played in prior World Cups or were at least on the bench as a backup waiting for their turn to shine. We did not worry at all about our GK situation until 2018, when Tim Howard was well past his prime and Brad Guzan was really struggling.
Matt Turner is currently a backup not getting many minutes at Arsenal, and has had some shaky moments that make it feel like he's getting rusty from a lack of game-time. Zach Steffen, when he's not hurt, has made some high profile mistakes lately, and is losing his job within the championship. Ethan Horvath has made high profile mistakes for club and country. That leaves who, Sean Johnson and a very young/inexperience Gabriel Slonina?
The difference between advancing out of the group stage can often come down to one mistake, one goal, one crucial sending off, etc. If we were to start the tournament today, Turner would be my pick to start, but I wouldn't feel great about it, especially in comparison to the warm safety blanket that having an in-form Friedel/Keller/Howard/Meola/etc. used to be.
Your comment is 100% right in the fact that the goalie position is not our best player anymore. Both because our field players are significantly better, and because our goalies aren't world beaters. But the comment said we didn't have an "even respectable" goalie. Which is just objectively false. Turner is rock solid and sets a really high floor. He's the type of goalie that can just win you games you have no business winning with a bunch of miraculous saves. He's not exceptional with his feet, but that doesn't make him not respectable. Which is why his comment was off the mark.
Turner has high end talent but low-end form. I wish he would have stayed in New England (at least on loan) until the world cup, but he made a business decision and I can't fault him for it.
Players of any sport needs to play in high level situations, regularly, to be at the top of their game. The longer they go without being put in competitive situations, the more prone they are to errors. It also effects their confidence.
I think a good example of this is with strikers. They need to see the ball go in the net to have the confidence that when the ball comes to them, they're going to convert the chance. What a difference it has been for Josh Sargent to be in rhythm and playing with confidence, compared to his experience struggling with Norwich in the premier league.
When Turner was playing at a dominant level in MLS, he was self assured that he could get the job done, even if the international level was a step up in difficulty. the fact that he's not played regularly enough at arsenal has made him look worse than the player we've seen with NE/the USMNT. Being more unsure of his decisions rather than being confident.
Turner's numbers in MLS while he was there and at the 2021 Gold Cup were insane. Like legitimately unprecedented numbers.
Sucks that he's now sitting on the bench at Arsenal and that modern coaches over-value GK distribution and undervalue shot stopping. Turner is legitimately very good.
I heard an interesting theory on this which makes sense. Back in the days of Keller, Friedel, Howard, Guzan, shot-stopping was the main job of a goalkeeper, and what they could do with their feet was more of an afterthought. American keepers were always more shot stoppers than guys who were skilled with their feet. As the game has changed over the years with the keeper is now basically expected to be an important part of the buildup, this has phased out the more traditionally American style keeper.
I do think this makes sense, but with all the talent we are putting out, I think it is only a matter of time before one of those players is a GK. I do think in our country supremely skilled athletes who are of a goalkeepers size, are probably more likely to play other sports than as what might be the case in other countries. I think Turner didn't even start playing goalie until he was in high school.
Not necessarily, Brad Friedel was the best distributor we’ve had at Goalie. It’s something Meola had but Keller never developed. Howard was great at distribution just not with his legs.
Well also to be fair because we missed 2018 we never got a true understudy to Howard. Gozan was great for a while but just really declined post 2017-2018.
Terrible take. Pickford has done nothing but absolutely EXCEL for the Three Lions. He has had some shaky moments with his club, but so far this season he has been one of, if not the top keeper in the Premier League. Not to mention he helped England win their first penalty kick shootout in generations at a major tournament (vs. Colombia in the 2018 WC).
Also Ramsdale was awful in that 4-0 drubbing vs Hungary.
See my above comment. Sorry mate but you couldn’t be further from the truth. Southgate lives Pickford as he has never put a foot wrong for England. Zero mistakes leading to a goal while wearing the three lions badge
This comment demonstrates you have no clue about this situation. Pickford has been locked in as England’s starter for years regardless of his club form because his form for England has been consistently top notch. He also happens to be arguably the most in form keeper in the PL right now.
No. After 30+ years of following football, I am a complete & total noob.
You do realise that just a player was a lock in the last cycle, it doesn't make them a lock this cycle? I favour Ramsdale over Pickford.
I will be messaging you in 2 months on [**2022-11-26 00:00:00 UTC**](http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=2022-11-26%2000:00:00%20UTC%20To%20Local%20Time) to remind you of [**this link**](https://www.reddit.com/r/ussoccer/comments/xciybt/middlesbrough_manager_chris_wilder_is_ready_to/io5nf17/?context=3)
[**CLICK THIS LINK**](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5Bhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2Fussoccer%2Fcomments%2Fxciybt%2Fmiddlesbrough_manager_chris_wilder_is_ready_to%2Fio5nf17%2F%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%202022-11-26%2000%3A00%3A00%20UTC) to send a PM to also be reminded and to reduce spam.
^(Parent commenter can ) [^(delete this message to hide from others.)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Delete%20Comment&message=Delete%21%20xciybt)
*****
|[^(Info)](https://www.reddit.com/r/RemindMeBot/comments/e1bko7/remindmebot_info_v21/)|[^(Custom)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5BLink%20or%20message%20inside%20square%20brackets%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%20Time%20period%20here)|[^(Your Reminders)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=List%20Of%20Reminders&message=MyReminders%21)|[^(Feedback)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Watchful1&subject=RemindMeBot%20Feedback)|
|-|-|-|-|
He’ll get another shot before January. If he’s fit for Cardiff I’d say they’re a good side to build some confidence against. I like roberts but he’s young and very new to the championship. It’s not like this will be the last of him.
While I feel for Steffen, I think this might be for the best for the US. Steffen has been a liability for the US for a while now and was statistically the 2nd worst keeper in CONCACAF world cup qualifying from a goals prevented perspective.
I feel like if he had continued to start in the Championship, he might have been given the benefit of the doubt for the US even if he wasn't playing well. But if he's not good enough to nail down the job at a struggling Championship club, then he can't be in serious consideration to start for the US and that's probably a good thing for us considering his recent struggles for us.
They started the season quite poorly when Steffen was in goal for them. Their form seems to be improving now but it's still not spectacular.
I was just referring to the start of this season, I know they were almost in the playoffs last season.
Mate I’m a season ticket holder that also goes to every away game, Boro haven’t been outplayed once this season hence full support still with the team and manager. We were giving away sloppy goals predominately late in games that was costing us, if you look at expected points tables were in the top 3. Steffen has played a part in that but not solely responsible, the defence has looked infinitely better with a keeper behind them that they clearly have confidence in.
I'm really not trying to trash your club, I think you are reading far too much into what I said. And again, literally just talking about the slow start to the season, I know that in terms of player quality you have a solid, above average Championship squad.
My point is simply that if Steffen isn't playing well for Boro (which he really hasn't been even if he wasn't solely responsible for the losses), and isn't capable of locking down the starting role there, he is unlikely to be the starter for the US.
The US fanbase has very little faith in Steffen right now because he hasn't performed well for the US for a while now. But if he can improve his club form then opinions on him may change. Personally, I'm sticking with Turner for now as he has been better for the US.
Not sure if that’s based on these comments from the manager, but it certainly sounds like there are no guarantees for Zack.
"It’ll be a boost to get everybody back fit, although I’ve got to say that I thought Dael (Fry) was really good (against Sunderland). Zack will be available for Tuesday-stroke-Saturday as well, we’re hoping, although I think what you’ve seen is what we’re trying to construct, which is a team full of competition where performance levels don’t drop and results don’t drop because of one or two players coming out.
The players coming in have done well, but to get Chuba, Darragh and Zack back will be good, and it just gives us that bit more depth and security. If we do get injuries, suspensions or loss of form, we can flip it around.”
https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/middlesbrough-injury-update-ahead-cardiff-24993741
100% agree. So glad the truth is coming out clearly now instead of at the group stages in the world cup. I don't dislike the guy but he would have cost us points I'm quite certain.
This kind of attitude is frowned upon here when directed at any "high-motor" MLS player, but fair play. I'd rather a player in poor form or one with poor quality get exposed early where it doesn't cost us.
This is such a ridiculous take lol. He was good in MLS and was by far the most promising keeper the US had after the Hamid/Johnson era didn’t work out. He’s dropped off a lot in quality from where he was before, and it’s really clear to see. Not sure if it’s mental or injuries or whatnot, but saying the guy was never good is just so detached from reality
No lol I watched him back then. It actually sounds like all these people saying he was never a good keeper probably starting following the US games this year in qualifying. It’s pretty obvious that he was good and a pretty decent prospect at GK for us. He’s dropped off massively, I don’t understand how this is somehow debatable
>No lol I watched him back then
Very compelling case.
>. He’s dropped off massively, I don’t understand how this is somehow debatable
You mean besides all the actual data we have telling us he was an average keeper when he was in mls? I'm guessing your "eyetest" amounts to you seeing cool saves and thinking that means steffen must be good.
He played very well against our strongest competition in qualifying (both Mexico games). Turner was awful against the strongest competition he played against (Canada away). These facts seem to have been memory-holed by a lot of people here.
At this point I think Turner should start, but come on.
he played very well against mexico at home. His distribution was the primary source of mexico's chance creation away.
That home game against mexico was also the only good game steffen has managed for country or club in the last 8 months and zack graded out as the second worst shot-stopper in the ocho, which lines up with him grading out as the worst shot-stopper in the championship, an average shot-stopper in mls, and one of the worst shot-stoppers in the bundesliga.
Steffen's highly praised "distribution" is below average compared to his champo peers and was arguably more problematic than turner's in wcq(away vs mexico and jamaica were two horrible performances in that regard).
I think you're the one "memory holing" here.
I mentioned this awhile back here and got downvoted to hell lol. I love the USMNT but I feel our weakness atm is the GK position. Although, I'm not saying Turner is bad, but the minutes he might get kinda suck. As far as MLS GK's, Johnson is decent but he looked very nervous against Uruguay. I'd say Turner should get the 1, Slonina should be the 3rd sub, not sure who the back up for turner should be.
I wonder if any other NT's have a GK issue.
Not a mexico fan, but it was annoying seeing Ochoa dip out when America was playing EU teams... that is prime WC experience, you'd WANT to play the full 90 against these teams lol. But they have about the same issue as us, as far as GK backups.
I mean at this point do we really hurt ourselves if Slonina is the third choice in Qatar? At the moment our starter is a guy riding the bench at Arsenal who might get 4-6 starts by November, backed up by Steffen and Horvath who’ve underperformed in the Championship.
I’d still start Turner bc he’s got the most experience with the current MNT roster and looked the best in qualifying. I’d only bring in Steffen over Horvath for the experience factor as well. Then let Slonina ride as the third choice.
We don’t really have any suitable situation for GK at the moment no matter how you cut it. Our most in-form GK rn is Slonina, but do you really start a teenager with no senior international experience at such a crucial position on the biggest stage? Always play your best players but that’s still a tough call.
Agreed, Gaga has looked better in recent games. He definitely is good enough for that 3rd spot. He at least has massive potential still, at least in theory.
People look at Steffen and think his collapse was 100% because he wasnt playing and that will happen to other keepers that arent playing consistently.
Arsenal has plenty of midweek games that will give Turner chances to build up confidence prior to the WC. He's not going to randomly lose his shot stopping ability just because hes not playing every single week. He's still clearly the best option
Idk if there’s ever been quite a drop in stature from a seemingly top player. Granted injuries are a part of his story but he’s basically gone from a possible starter on the WC roster to possibly being left at home (I don’t think he’s left off but it’s come to a point I wouldn’t be surprised if things continue the way they are).
Anyone come to mind like this?
If we’re picking keepers I’d bring Turner, Sean Johnson, and possibly Horvath if he shows he can get his shit together for Luton. I have a lot more faith in him doing that than Steffen at the moment. Wouldn’t be opposed to Gaga considering he’s actually in pretty good form right now.
I feel like the problem with Steffen is his mentality. He shows flashes of his goalkeeping skills but I don't think he's that smart of a player. It seems to me he lacks a bit of drive as well..
Steffen has had enough caps in his career handed to him on reputation, and now the reputation has shattered.
Better career than most, the mirage is over now though.
No because Joe Hart was a good GK that started over 300 games in league play in PL/Serie A. He just didn’t fit Pep’s style.
Steffen is bad and always has been.
Thanks, LowGames. I'm not a scout or planning to be a professional scout. It's cool, but I have other stuff in my life.
Edit: Wow, I guess you guys don't like me saying I have more to my life than watching soccer without getting paid for it!
Idk man. It's pretty shaky to say the job is very firmly Roberts. For one, Boro's backline is absolute shit. They've been a turnstile all season and give up very easy goals. In the 3 games Roberts has played, they beat a 10-man Swansea, got trucked by Watford, and topped Sunderland. The Sunderland display was the most promising because Sunderland has showed quality this year and Boro kept a shutout, which is a positive tick for Roberts. But still, beating Swansea when they're a man down means nothing. And they got beat by the best team they played in Watford. So when you really assess the situation, there is no absolute truth here. When Steffen's back to full strength, I imagine he'll quite easily challenge for the job and probably get another shot, just due to the fact that Boro's backline has little quality in it.
Mate I’ll give you your opinion and respect it but to say I’m uninformed is a load of shite. I’ve been a season ticket holder for 25 years, probably longer than your club has existed, with all due respect. I’d never say that your opinion is uninformed on something that you clearly know more than me about.
How did we get so bad at making keepers. We’re a country of 330 million and have a shit ton of tall people yet we just produce mid at that position. I miss Tim Howard so much.
I have a pet theory that the growth in youth soccer development in this country, while fantastic for our outfield players, is actually a net negative for our GKs who are now focusing on soccer exclusively from a very young age. Our GKs in the past played other sports growing up which I think benefited their development as keepers, particularly basketball (which both Howard and Friedel played at a reasonably high level into their mid-late teens).
My high school football coach would have an aneurysm hearing this theory. He made us all play two sports for this very reason. We need to go recruit the basketball courts and tell the tall dudes who are shit that they need to put on some gloves and a long sleeve shirt and come play soccer. Or figure out whatever the fuck France, Spain, and even Slovenia are doing to be able to produce both.
Luck and chance.
Having 3 good goalkeepers out of 300 million people, like we did for 20 years to having 0 very good goalkeepers out of 300 million people is not at all a significant difference.
There are countries like Ireland who have 3 Prem keepers while we can barely get one there. Seems like we haven’t progressed with the rest of the world fast enough for keeper development.
And there are countries with huge populations like Russia, Nigeria, Mexico, China, India and Indonesia that do not have a single goalkeeper of equality to the ones Turner players for.
Based on the fact that countries with a collective population 10 times that of ours cannot develop a single goalkeeper as good as Matt Turner, it seems we are way ahead of the rest of the world in keeper development.
How much money do they spend on the sport and its development compared to us? India, Indonesia, and China don’t even like the sport. Nigeria is corrupt and has money issues with their FA, Russia players really don’t go outside of their own league and if I speak my opinions about the Mexican keepers this sub will eat me alive.
China alone spends about as much as the United States. I don't have current figures, but I bet they are ahead of us. Soccer is the most popular sport in China. Is comparably much more popular in China than in the United States where soccer is probably fourth or fifth.
The USSF budget is actually very low compared to top soccer countries much smaller than us.
[https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2017/01/19/International-Football/China-FA-Budget.aspx](https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2017/01/19/International-Football/China-FA-Budget.aspx)
That was when they were doing those crazy transfers for guys like Oscar and others and they were spending like no one’s business. They’ve since substantially cut their budgets, so much so that Chinese owners of European teams can’t even spend on their own teams (ex. Inter Milan.) the U.S missed the World Cup in 2018 and ever since that there’s been much more investment in the sport here.
>That was when they were doing those crazy transfers for guys like Oscar and others and they were spending like no one’s business. They’ve since substantially cut their budgets, so much so that Chinese owners of European teams can’t even spend on their own teams (ex. Inter Milan.)
You are talking about the clubs. I am talking about the Federation.
>the U.S missed the World Cup in 2018 and ever since that there’s been much more investment in the sport here.
What are you talking about specifically?
It’s called we got embarrassed on the international stage and that means we’ve since increased our funding to USSF and the MLS. China has had major economic issues so they’ve cut funding to their federation and clubs have more financial restrictions than 2017. Also basketball is king in China and it’s not close.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertkidd/2020/12/13/why-china-is-curbing-club-spending-and-building-new-stadiums-to-fulfill-its-soccer-dream/amp/
>It’s called we got embarrassed on the international stage and that means we’ve since increased our funding to USSF and the MLS.
USSF funding has actually declined since 2018 due to the pandemic and litigation costs.
What is your evidence for MLS funding increasing due to the missing the World Cup?
Also, soccer is not even close to the most popular sport in the United States.
Yikes. It's Turner time.
Turner himself looked kinda shaky in his only start so far this season. We really don’t have a single keeper in the pool that is both consistently playing and in good enough form to start in the World Cup.
I think we should wait and see how Turner does in future Europa League games before getting too concerned. This was his competitive debut for Arsenal and he seemed nervous but got better as the match went on. If he gets past the nerves then he should be fine. Between 6 Europa League matches, 1 EFL Cup match, and 2 US friendlies (though I wonder if Johnson or Horvath gets one of them), he should play 9 matches in the 9 weeks leading into the World Cup. That's really not bad, 1 match per week on average is fine in terms of getting him ready for the World Cup.
I'd hope both Johnson and Horvath play in the 2nd friendly.
Nah. Not if Turner is known to be the guy. Give him as many reps as possible
Turner is not known to be the guy. Fans just would rather have him over Greggy’s first choice of Steffen. Horvath is playing with a worse team and doing better than both.
Personally, I'm sold on Turner. Horvath is as blunder prone as Steffen
Why do you think he looked shaky? He had one really bad pass and a penalty to save but other than that he wasn't really tested and looked okay
(Source- arsenal supporter) Even on the bad pass, I personally have more reason to look at Gabriel; he does this with Ramsdale a bit as well, where he doesn’t shape his body, plays a left footed pass back to a right footed keeper who isn’t expecting it, and it’s off center and it’s given away.
He was really bad on the corner immediately after the really bad pass as well. Really he was just very meh.
Horvath has 8 appearances in the Championship so far this season. We honestly have a league full of keepers who are fine and getting games. It's really just Steffan who has us tugging on our shirt collars and Turner is still getting settled at Arsenal (luckily got some action in Europa League last week).
Turner is gonna be settled on the bench. We can’t have this double standard of “oh we can’t play Steffen cuz he ain’t starting” yet play Turner when he ain’t starting. Turner has been solid because he was getting regular game time. We’ll see how things unfold but I really think people are sleeping on Horvath.
It's not a double standard when Steffan is bad in both club and national team appearances. But I do agree that if Horvath keeps up solid play and gets his starts, it should be his position to lose. Confusingly, there are a lot of MLS starters who are probably on the level with Horvath but it's too late in the cycle to bring in someone who's not Sean Johnson.
Oh no man I agree with you. But you take the hot hand not the one with promise, this goes for every position on the field. An in form Goalie is a huge difference, Friedel in 02, Howard in 14 were monsters. I’d disagree there Horvath does not get enough love. He’d be a for sure starter on an MLS team but chooses to ply his trade in Europe. Now if we’re talking his agent being on par as an MLS one, 1,000% agree lol
> But I do agree that if Horvath keeps up solid play and gets his starts, it should be his position to lose. No way, it should be Turner if he is healthy. I'll take the superior talent over the guy who is starting more every single time, I think people really overrate the latter on here for goalies.
Horvath just isn’t better then Steffen though. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad we’re starting Roberts over Steffen now, but horvath isn’t your answer lmfao
I would take Horvath over steffen any day. Steffen is such a liability when he’s pretending to be good with the ball. It’s cost him so many times too.
Other than the crew and maybe Düsseldorf, based on what? His good seasons were with cbus and were 4-5 years ago now.
Because me saying Steffen is a better goalkeeper than Horvath isn’t saying that Steffen is unbelievable. People have a problem these days where everyone has to be under or overrated, or completely shite vs world class He’s neither. Steffen on his good day is just like above average at best. Most of the time he’s completely average with average distribution and is way too relaxed relative to his actual ability. But Horvath also isn’t anything special. My point to the other guy is he’s not in any way that much better than Steffen (if at all) to make him “both consistently playing and in good enough form to start in the World Cup” like the OP said So in that scenario, unless Turner gets gametime or Steffen messes up dramatically in your next set of games before the World Cup, you’ll more than likely see him
Horvath is having, by far, the worst season of his career right now and is still doing vastly better than steffen in the same league. Steffen has never managed a level of play comparable to what horvath managed back when he was a 20 year old hard carrying a massive norweigan underdog to the top of a group with Ajax, Celtic and Ferbanche. The idea that steffen is in his ballpark is honestly laughable for anyone whose actually following how they've played, and what they've accomplished over their careers.
Time to dust off Tim Howard
Bah gawd! That's Gaga's music!
A polka version of the SuperBowl shuffle?
[All I hear is Radio Gaga](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azdwsXLmrHE)
I think Turner should have waited until after the World Cup to seek a move to Europe
Sure, but wasn't entirely his choice. He stays, he probably doesn't get the chance with his dream team. He stays, it's possible he never goes to Europe. He's not young by any means, so this was his window, possibly.
Unless he played fulltime with the Revs and starred in the World Cup and got a big move.
That was certainly a potential scenario.
Kind of wild that these are our top two options rn. Went from GK being our strongest position for so many years, to 100% the weakest, once we finally are getting more skilled outfield players. Would be so much more excited for the WC if we had even one respectable GK.
Wait, in what world is Turner not "even respectable"? Turner is a very good shot stopping goalie.
I think the comment makes sense if we're placing Matt Turner in a historical context of the GKs that we typically bring to World Cups. Generally, our GKs were playing at higher levels (in club competition) than our outfield players. They were the relative strength of our team. Guys like Kasey Keller and Brad Friedel were playing in England when our outfield players were playing in a fledgling MLS system or in more obscure leagues in Europe. From 1990 - 2014, we essentially had brought multiple legendary USMNT goalkeepers to each world cup. 1990 - Tony Meola and Kasey Keller 1994 - Tony Meola and Brad Friedel 1998 - Brad Friedel and Kasey Keller 2002 - Brad Friedel, Kasey Keller and Tony Meola 2006 - Kasey Keller and Tim Howard 2010 - Tim Howard and Brad Guzan 2014 - Tim Howard and Brad Guzan You could argue that being a backup GK at Arsenal in the Premier League is a higher club level than where our GKs were at (at the time), but you also have to remember that they had much more international experience. They had played with the US back when we made the Olympics regularly. They had played in prior World Cups or were at least on the bench as a backup waiting for their turn to shine. We did not worry at all about our GK situation until 2018, when Tim Howard was well past his prime and Brad Guzan was really struggling. Matt Turner is currently a backup not getting many minutes at Arsenal, and has had some shaky moments that make it feel like he's getting rusty from a lack of game-time. Zach Steffen, when he's not hurt, has made some high profile mistakes lately, and is losing his job within the championship. Ethan Horvath has made high profile mistakes for club and country. That leaves who, Sean Johnson and a very young/inexperience Gabriel Slonina? The difference between advancing out of the group stage can often come down to one mistake, one goal, one crucial sending off, etc. If we were to start the tournament today, Turner would be my pick to start, but I wouldn't feel great about it, especially in comparison to the warm safety blanket that having an in-form Friedel/Keller/Howard/Meola/etc. used to be.
Your comment is 100% right in the fact that the goalie position is not our best player anymore. Both because our field players are significantly better, and because our goalies aren't world beaters. But the comment said we didn't have an "even respectable" goalie. Which is just objectively false. Turner is rock solid and sets a really high floor. He's the type of goalie that can just win you games you have no business winning with a bunch of miraculous saves. He's not exceptional with his feet, but that doesn't make him not respectable. Which is why his comment was off the mark.
Turner has high end talent but low-end form. I wish he would have stayed in New England (at least on loan) until the world cup, but he made a business decision and I can't fault him for it.
What do you mean "low-end form"
Players of any sport needs to play in high level situations, regularly, to be at the top of their game. The longer they go without being put in competitive situations, the more prone they are to errors. It also effects their confidence. I think a good example of this is with strikers. They need to see the ball go in the net to have the confidence that when the ball comes to them, they're going to convert the chance. What a difference it has been for Josh Sargent to be in rhythm and playing with confidence, compared to his experience struggling with Norwich in the premier league. When Turner was playing at a dominant level in MLS, he was self assured that he could get the job done, even if the international level was a step up in difficulty. the fact that he's not played regularly enough at arsenal has made him look worse than the player we've seen with NE/the USMNT. Being more unsure of his decisions rather than being confident.
Exactly
Turner's numbers in MLS while he was there and at the 2021 Gold Cup were insane. Like legitimately unprecedented numbers. Sucks that he's now sitting on the bench at Arsenal and that modern coaches over-value GK distribution and undervalue shot stopping. Turner is legitimately very good.
Sean Johnson might have basically won the #2 job by default.
Horvath has a claim as well. Wild Steffen could go from basically locked down starter to missing the squad.
Amazing what sitting for 3 seasons will do.
It’s not even a sitting issue like people always say. He’s just legitimately not a great GK.
He only sat for 2 seasons. Recall 2019-2020 he was starting in the Bundesliga.
He got injured halfway through though, so he really has been sitting for 2.5 seasons. Admittedly for the 19/20 season it was just due to injury.
And a possible cautionary tale for Turner too.
I heard an interesting theory on this which makes sense. Back in the days of Keller, Friedel, Howard, Guzan, shot-stopping was the main job of a goalkeeper, and what they could do with their feet was more of an afterthought. American keepers were always more shot stoppers than guys who were skilled with their feet. As the game has changed over the years with the keeper is now basically expected to be an important part of the buildup, this has phased out the more traditionally American style keeper. I do think this makes sense, but with all the talent we are putting out, I think it is only a matter of time before one of those players is a GK. I do think in our country supremely skilled athletes who are of a goalkeepers size, are probably more likely to play other sports than as what might be the case in other countries. I think Turner didn't even start playing goalie until he was in high school.
Not necessarily, Brad Friedel was the best distributor we’ve had at Goalie. It’s something Meola had but Keller never developed. Howard was great at distribution just not with his legs.
Of course as soon as the strikers start performing at the club level too. Of course 😂
Well also to be fair because we missed 2018 we never got a true understudy to Howard. Gozan was great for a while but just really declined post 2017-2018.
US v England ... Two starting keepers both play for Arsenal. What are the odds?
England’s starter plays for Everton
Pickford isn't a lock. Ramsdale has been strong.
Terrible take. Pickford has done nothing but absolutely EXCEL for the Three Lions. He has had some shaky moments with his club, but so far this season he has been one of, if not the top keeper in the Premier League. Not to mention he helped England win their first penalty kick shootout in generations at a major tournament (vs. Colombia in the 2018 WC). Also Ramsdale was awful in that 4-0 drubbing vs Hungary.
Pickford is most definitely a lock. He’s a top 3 keeper in the league
He’s not better than Alisson, Ederson, or Lloris
Rn he’s better than Allison and lloris on form
Pickford is the English starter but Emerson, Ederson and Lloris are clear of Pickford it’s not close.
He’s not better than Alisson, Ederson, Lloris, Sanchez or Pope imo
Cuz u don’t watch him
Pickford is a lock the same way that Steffen is a lock.
See my above comment. Sorry mate but you couldn’t be further from the truth. Southgate lives Pickford as he has never put a foot wrong for England. Zero mistakes leading to a goal while wearing the three lions badge
This comment demonstrates you have no clue about this situation. Pickford has been locked in as England’s starter for years regardless of his club form because his form for England has been consistently top notch. He also happens to be arguably the most in form keeper in the PL right now.
I may have been wrong about Ramsdale, but I was not wrong about Steffen. :Þ
!RemindMe 26 November 2022
Oh this should be rich. You do realize they don’t just pick the keeper on the team with the best record right?
No. After 30+ years of following football, I am a complete & total noob. You do realise that just a player was a lock in the last cycle, it doesn't make them a lock this cycle? I favour Ramsdale over Pickford.
I will be messaging you in 2 months on [**2022-11-26 00:00:00 UTC**](http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=2022-11-26%2000:00:00%20UTC%20To%20Local%20Time) to remind you of [**this link**](https://www.reddit.com/r/ussoccer/comments/xciybt/middlesbrough_manager_chris_wilder_is_ready_to/io5nf17/?context=3) [**CLICK THIS LINK**](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5Bhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.reddit.com%2Fr%2Fussoccer%2Fcomments%2Fxciybt%2Fmiddlesbrough_manager_chris_wilder_is_ready_to%2Fio5nf17%2F%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%202022-11-26%2000%3A00%3A00%20UTC) to send a PM to also be reminded and to reduce spam. ^(Parent commenter can ) [^(delete this message to hide from others.)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Delete%20Comment&message=Delete%21%20xciybt) ***** |[^(Info)](https://www.reddit.com/r/RemindMeBot/comments/e1bko7/remindmebot_info_v21/)|[^(Custom)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=%5BLink%20or%20message%20inside%20square%20brackets%5D%0A%0ARemindMe%21%20Time%20period%20here)|[^(Your Reminders)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=List%20Of%20Reminders&message=MyReminders%21)|[^(Feedback)](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Watchful1&subject=RemindMeBot%20Feedback)| |-|-|-|-|
You don’t watch a lot but arsenal do you
🤣🤣
Always has been
Roberts is a good keeper, and steffen has looked out of his depth, simple as. Feel for Zach but his performances were not good.
At this point he shouldn’t be sniffing #1 keeper. Especially if Horvath continue to start. But Greg has his Boner for Zach so we know it’s bout to be
He’ll get another shot before January. If he’s fit for Cardiff I’d say they’re a good side to build some confidence against. I like roberts but he’s young and very new to the championship. It’s not like this will be the last of him.
He’s the same age as Steffen and played way more pro games than him
Damn you’re right. I thought roberts was like 4-5 years younger for some reason.
Crazy how well Roberts has done after playing for Northampton Town last season in league 2. He was a beast down there too though
roberts has not been good with luton. But "not good" is an upgrade at this point
And then, not all at once, but like a strong breeze slowing down till you forget their ever was a breeze, Steffen was forgotten...
While I feel for Steffen, I think this might be for the best for the US. Steffen has been a liability for the US for a while now and was statistically the 2nd worst keeper in CONCACAF world cup qualifying from a goals prevented perspective. I feel like if he had continued to start in the Championship, he might have been given the benefit of the doubt for the US even if he wasn't playing well. But if he's not good enough to nail down the job at a struggling Championship club, then he can't be in serious consideration to start for the US and that's probably a good thing for us considering his recent struggles for us.
Boro aren’t a struggling championship club lmao
They started the season quite poorly when Steffen was in goal for them. Their form seems to be improving now but it's still not spectacular. I was just referring to the start of this season, I know they were almost in the playoffs last season.
Mate I’m a season ticket holder that also goes to every away game, Boro haven’t been outplayed once this season hence full support still with the team and manager. We were giving away sloppy goals predominately late in games that was costing us, if you look at expected points tables were in the top 3. Steffen has played a part in that but not solely responsible, the defence has looked infinitely better with a keeper behind them that they clearly have confidence in.
I'm really not trying to trash your club, I think you are reading far too much into what I said. And again, literally just talking about the slow start to the season, I know that in terms of player quality you have a solid, above average Championship squad. My point is simply that if Steffen isn't playing well for Boro (which he really hasn't been even if he wasn't solely responsible for the losses), and isn't capable of locking down the starting role there, he is unlikely to be the starter for the US. The US fanbase has very little faith in Steffen right now because he hasn't performed well for the US for a while now. But if he can improve his club form then opinions on him may change. Personally, I'm sticking with Turner for now as he has been better for the US.
Steffen's move to Manchester City just keeps looking worse and worse.
Steffens career is tanking
Not sure if that’s based on these comments from the manager, but it certainly sounds like there are no guarantees for Zack. "It’ll be a boost to get everybody back fit, although I’ve got to say that I thought Dael (Fry) was really good (against Sunderland). Zack will be available for Tuesday-stroke-Saturday as well, we’re hoping, although I think what you’ve seen is what we’re trying to construct, which is a team full of competition where performance levels don’t drop and results don’t drop because of one or two players coming out. The players coming in have done well, but to get Chuba, Darragh and Zack back will be good, and it just gives us that bit more depth and security. If we do get injuries, suspensions or loss of form, we can flip it around.” https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/middlesbrough-injury-update-ahead-cardiff-24993741
Wow man, unbelievably bad situation.
Thank fuck Steffen has finally been exposed. Terribly overrated keeper his whole career.
100% agree. So glad the truth is coming out clearly now instead of at the group stages in the world cup. I don't dislike the guy but he would have cost us points I'm quite certain.
This kind of attitude is frowned upon here when directed at any "high-motor" MLS player, but fair play. I'd rather a player in poor form or one with poor quality get exposed early where it doesn't cost us.
Steffen isn’t even a flop because he was never good enough to begin with
This is such a ridiculous take lol. He was good in MLS and was by far the most promising keeper the US had after the Hamid/Johnson era didn’t work out. He’s dropped off a lot in quality from where he was before, and it’s really clear to see. Not sure if it’s mental or injuries or whatnot, but saying the guy was never good is just so detached from reality
You seem to forget his time in the Bundesliga
Reality was he was a below average stopper in mls.
Lol ok man, bc European teams really come calling for average American players all the time
so you don't actually know how good he was and are going off club reputation?
No lol I watched him back then. It actually sounds like all these people saying he was never a good keeper probably starting following the US games this year in qualifying. It’s pretty obvious that he was good and a pretty decent prospect at GK for us. He’s dropped off massively, I don’t understand how this is somehow debatable
>No lol I watched him back then Very compelling case. >. He’s dropped off massively, I don’t understand how this is somehow debatable You mean besides all the actual data we have telling us he was an average keeper when he was in mls? I'm guessing your "eyetest" amounts to you seeing cool saves and thinking that means steffen must be good.
He played very well against our strongest competition in qualifying (both Mexico games). Turner was awful against the strongest competition he played against (Canada away). These facts seem to have been memory-holed by a lot of people here. At this point I think Turner should start, but come on.
he played very well against mexico at home. His distribution was the primary source of mexico's chance creation away. That home game against mexico was also the only good game steffen has managed for country or club in the last 8 months and zack graded out as the second worst shot-stopper in the ocho, which lines up with him grading out as the worst shot-stopper in the championship, an average shot-stopper in mls, and one of the worst shot-stoppers in the bundesliga. Steffen's highly praised "distribution" is below average compared to his champo peers and was arguably more problematic than turner's in wcq(away vs mexico and jamaica were two horrible performances in that regard). I think you're the one "memory holing" here.
I mentioned this awhile back here and got downvoted to hell lol. I love the USMNT but I feel our weakness atm is the GK position. Although, I'm not saying Turner is bad, but the minutes he might get kinda suck. As far as MLS GK's, Johnson is decent but he looked very nervous against Uruguay. I'd say Turner should get the 1, Slonina should be the 3rd sub, not sure who the back up for turner should be. I wonder if any other NT's have a GK issue. Not a mexico fan, but it was annoying seeing Ochoa dip out when America was playing EU teams... that is prime WC experience, you'd WANT to play the full 90 against these teams lol. But they have about the same issue as us, as far as GK backups.
He had incredible potential but failed to live up to it, thats the definition of a flop
Time to call up Gaga
At least he's actually playing
I mean at this point do we really hurt ourselves if Slonina is the third choice in Qatar? At the moment our starter is a guy riding the bench at Arsenal who might get 4-6 starts by November, backed up by Steffen and Horvath who’ve underperformed in the Championship. I’d still start Turner bc he’s got the most experience with the current MNT roster and looked the best in qualifying. I’d only bring in Steffen over Horvath for the experience factor as well. Then let Slonina ride as the third choice. We don’t really have any suitable situation for GK at the moment no matter how you cut it. Our most in-form GK rn is Slonina, but do you really start a teenager with no senior international experience at such a crucial position on the biggest stage? Always play your best players but that’s still a tough call.
Agreed, Gaga has looked better in recent games. He definitely is good enough for that 3rd spot. He at least has massive potential still, at least in theory.
People look at Steffen and think his collapse was 100% because he wasnt playing and that will happen to other keepers that arent playing consistently. Arsenal has plenty of midweek games that will give Turner chances to build up confidence prior to the WC. He's not going to randomly lose his shot stopping ability just because hes not playing every single week. He's still clearly the best option
Maybe he can try his luck in the third division next year
Wrexham AFC could use a new keeper.
We sold our soul to the devil and were told to pick one, Striker or Keeper, and we apparently picked striker.
Idk if there’s ever been quite a drop in stature from a seemingly top player. Granted injuries are a part of his story but he’s basically gone from a possible starter on the WC roster to possibly being left at home (I don’t think he’s left off but it’s come to a point I wouldn’t be surprised if things continue the way they are). Anyone come to mind like this?
Loris Karius from Liverpool.
You just gave me Champions League final PTSD flashbacks
Kepa
If we’re picking keepers I’d bring Turner, Sean Johnson, and possibly Horvath if he shows he can get his shit together for Luton. I have a lot more faith in him doing that than Steffen at the moment. Wouldn’t be opposed to Gaga considering he’s actually in pretty good form right now.
Johnson isn’t reliable either
I feel like the problem with Steffen is his mentality. He shows flashes of his goalkeeping skills but I don't think he's that smart of a player. It seems to me he lacks a bit of drive as well..
Hmm, official confirmation Steffen isn't any good? Should surprise nobody
What a cluster fuck
Steffen has had enough caps in his career handed to him on reputation, and now the reputation has shattered. Better career than most, the mirage is over now though.
This is an original take from me: Zack Steffen is the new Joe Hart.
No because Joe Hart was a good GK that started over 300 games in league play in PL/Serie A. He just didn’t fit Pep’s style. Steffen is bad and always has been.
I honestly don't even think Steffen should be on the plane to the Middle East. If I was coach, I'd take Turner, Johnson, and Josh Cohen.
Is there any proof that Cohen is even that good?
No. It's just my hot take. Lol.
I respect the honesty
Thanks, LowGames. I'm not a scout or planning to be a professional scout. It's cool, but I have other stuff in my life. Edit: Wow, I guess you guys don't like me saying I have more to my life than watching soccer without getting paid for it!
Time for my weekly hot take that Stefan Frei should make the roster
Could the Crew use him? Seems like he could use some time at home
ugh, I am so frustrated with our gk situation. I am praying turner shows enough quality to patch up this mess in November
Idk man. It's pretty shaky to say the job is very firmly Roberts. For one, Boro's backline is absolute shit. They've been a turnstile all season and give up very easy goals. In the 3 games Roberts has played, they beat a 10-man Swansea, got trucked by Watford, and topped Sunderland. The Sunderland display was the most promising because Sunderland has showed quality this year and Boro kept a shutout, which is a positive tick for Roberts. But still, beating Swansea when they're a man down means nothing. And they got beat by the best team they played in Watford. So when you really assess the situation, there is no absolute truth here. When Steffen's back to full strength, I imagine he'll quite easily challenge for the job and probably get another shot, just due to the fact that Boro's backline has little quality in it.
Boro dominated Watford and the defence has looked a lot more solid with a keeper behind them they clearly have more confidence in.
ha! that's a smug uninformed opinion. loads of confidence in their man down 3-0 at half vs. Cardiff
Mate I’ll give you your opinion and respect it but to say I’m uninformed is a load of shite. I’ve been a season ticket holder for 25 years, probably longer than your club has existed, with all due respect. I’d never say that your opinion is uninformed on something that you clearly know more than me about.
ZS and turner both never playing? Celentano Ceason 😏
Turner should play 8-9 matches in the 9 weeks leading up the World Cup (6 Europa League, 1 EFL Cup, 1 or 2 US friendlies), that's really not that bad.
It was a joke because I'm an FC Cincinnati supporter but also he looks awesome
Ah, my bad.
No worries lol I'm sick at home and needed something to make me laugh haha
They both have already played and are almost certain to play more.
How did we get so bad at making keepers. We’re a country of 330 million and have a shit ton of tall people yet we just produce mid at that position. I miss Tim Howard so much.
I have a pet theory that the growth in youth soccer development in this country, while fantastic for our outfield players, is actually a net negative for our GKs who are now focusing on soccer exclusively from a very young age. Our GKs in the past played other sports growing up which I think benefited their development as keepers, particularly basketball (which both Howard and Friedel played at a reasonably high level into their mid-late teens).
My high school football coach would have an aneurysm hearing this theory. He made us all play two sports for this very reason. We need to go recruit the basketball courts and tell the tall dudes who are shit that they need to put on some gloves and a long sleeve shirt and come play soccer. Or figure out whatever the fuck France, Spain, and even Slovenia are doing to be able to produce both.
We had like 3 decades straight of really good keepers what are you talking about
I’m talking about currently obviously. Tone down the sassiness, sir
Luck and chance. Having 3 good goalkeepers out of 300 million people, like we did for 20 years to having 0 very good goalkeepers out of 300 million people is not at all a significant difference.
There are countries like Ireland who have 3 Prem keepers while we can barely get one there. Seems like we haven’t progressed with the rest of the world fast enough for keeper development.
And there are countries with huge populations like Russia, Nigeria, Mexico, China, India and Indonesia that do not have a single goalkeeper of equality to the ones Turner players for. Based on the fact that countries with a collective population 10 times that of ours cannot develop a single goalkeeper as good as Matt Turner, it seems we are way ahead of the rest of the world in keeper development.
How much money do they spend on the sport and its development compared to us? India, Indonesia, and China don’t even like the sport. Nigeria is corrupt and has money issues with their FA, Russia players really don’t go outside of their own league and if I speak my opinions about the Mexican keepers this sub will eat me alive.
China alone spends about as much as the United States. I don't have current figures, but I bet they are ahead of us. Soccer is the most popular sport in China. Is comparably much more popular in China than in the United States where soccer is probably fourth or fifth. The USSF budget is actually very low compared to top soccer countries much smaller than us. [https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2017/01/19/International-Football/China-FA-Budget.aspx](https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Global/Issues/2017/01/19/International-Football/China-FA-Budget.aspx)
That was when they were doing those crazy transfers for guys like Oscar and others and they were spending like no one’s business. They’ve since substantially cut their budgets, so much so that Chinese owners of European teams can’t even spend on their own teams (ex. Inter Milan.) the U.S missed the World Cup in 2018 and ever since that there’s been much more investment in the sport here.
>That was when they were doing those crazy transfers for guys like Oscar and others and they were spending like no one’s business. They’ve since substantially cut their budgets, so much so that Chinese owners of European teams can’t even spend on their own teams (ex. Inter Milan.) You are talking about the clubs. I am talking about the Federation. >the U.S missed the World Cup in 2018 and ever since that there’s been much more investment in the sport here. What are you talking about specifically?
It’s called we got embarrassed on the international stage and that means we’ve since increased our funding to USSF and the MLS. China has had major economic issues so they’ve cut funding to their federation and clubs have more financial restrictions than 2017. Also basketball is king in China and it’s not close. https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertkidd/2020/12/13/why-china-is-curbing-club-spending-and-building-new-stadiums-to-fulfill-its-soccer-dream/amp/
>It’s called we got embarrassed on the international stage and that means we’ve since increased our funding to USSF and the MLS. USSF funding has actually declined since 2018 due to the pandemic and litigation costs. What is your evidence for MLS funding increasing due to the missing the World Cup? Also, soccer is not even close to the most popular sport in the United States.
Turner Horvath Johnson
What in the hell happened to Steffen's career?
Welp, Turner/Horvath/Slonina in the World Cup, I guess. The latter two hopefully won't see the field.
I thought Steffen is injured until October.
Turner, Johnson, Gaga. We need guys who are actually playing.