Last week, your United States football team was back in action in San Diego as a group of MLS All-Stars played a scoreless draw with Serbia's B team. The IMOTGP didn't watch and we hope you didn't since we know our best players are in Europe, even though yes - at least four regular starters took part in that borefest.
Europe was once the home of our best goalkeepers. In every United States World Cup match since the 1998 tournament in France, the American starter at that position has been someone who plied his trade over there. That season, Leicester City's Kasey Keller started twice and Liverpool's Brad Friedel once. In 2002, Friedel was with Blackburn Rovers when he became the only U.S. keeper in history to start five World Cup matches in a single tournament, also saving two penalties in that event.
The unbroken line continued in 2006 when Keller was with Gladbach as the United States crashed out in the group stage. The last two World Cups have seen Tim Howard start all eight games while he was an Everton man.
In fact, the last domestic-based goalkeeper to start a World Cup match was the infamous 1994 squad when Tony Meola served as captain. Meola wasn't even on a professional club at the time; at least now all of our players are.
Which brings us to the upcoming 2018 World Cup that is 18 months away since this streak of 19 straight matches with a European-based goalkeeper will end. That is almost a certainty with last week's news that Boro's Brad Guzan is on his way to Atlanta FC, the latest useless MLS expansion club. Guzan had fallen on hard times since he was part of a fiasco of a season at Aston Villa and then was beaten out for the starting job at Boro by former Barcelona man Victor Valdes.
The 37-year-old Howard will likely start in Russia and he's already back in MLS since reaching the minimum age requirement. Sadly, Nick Rimando wore the gloves last week to start Bruce Arena's second stint and he's also 37.
There is no hot young goalkeeping prospect in sight. William Yarbrough plays in Mexico but that's not in Europe and he won't be the starter in Russia next year while 23-year-old Cody Cropper already flamed out in England and turned tail to the MLS. The 21-year-old Zack Steffen admitted he was homesick and left Germany for MLS.
The best hope is 21-year-old Ethan Horvath, who recently moved to Club Brugge, while Pulisic's teenage brother will be overseas. Another U.S. goalkeeper to play in Europe could eventually be Jurgen Klinsmann's son, and he's no good.
When Keller, Friedel, Howard and Marcus Hahnemann were all in their heyday, there was a growing sentiment that the United States could produce an endless supply of top goalkeeping talent. After all, Howard had a basketball background and most of our popular sports involve touching balls with hands; what could be a better fit?
Instead two factors have contributed to the dearth of goalkeeping talent. Number one, nobody has stepped up and shown the talent and ability to play at a top level. And number two, the position has evolved to the sweeper-keeper - something that Howard struggled with throughout, particularly in his latter stages. Goalkeepers in top leagues are also required to play with their feet more from the back; we all know control of the ball is our biggest problem anyway.
The stark reality is that it's the end of an era of U.S. goalkeepers.
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