USMNT's biggest need? The next great goalkeeper
Christian Polanco and Alexis Guerreros of The Cooligans discuss some of the things the U.S. Men's National Team needs to improve the most before the 2030 World Cup. Check out the full conversation on the "The Cooligans" podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , YouTube , or wherever you listen .
Video Transcript
My next thing is, I kind of already mentioned the pay-to, sort of pay-to-play stuff in Norway, so I'll just move on.
But, next thing, the, we need a goalkeeper.
We need to find the next great American goalkeeper.
This is now no shade on any of the goalkeepers that we have, but the fact that we, we're not in a situation where we don't know, like, who the exact goalkeeper is.
Like, this, b- back then, so just a couple years ago, Kasey Keller, Brad Friedel, Tim Howard- A couple years ago, Kasey Keller has long hair.
Or hair.
He has hair in this photo.
But we were in a situation where, like, any of these guys, they were all fighting for a position.
It was completely cutthroat.
They were all, like- But it was Kasey Keller we just saw there, Brad Guzan, Brad Friedel, and Tim Howard.
You know what they all have in common?
Bald men.
Bald men.
We need, we need to bring back bald men.
We, these guys with hair, you can't, you're not doing it for me, guys.
Nah.
Chris Brady, you got a goatee and long hair, we can't have you, bro.
You need to cut, you just need to just cut your hair.
You need to be a non-bald bald guy to- Matt Turner, buzz that head off, dog You got beautiful hair.
Sorry, we're gonna miss it.
You're benched, so you can't be our goalkeeper.
But this is a, the, the, I think the, the last few years, and even in the, the, you know, the club situations for, for Matt Turner and, and he thought he was going to, Lyon, and, and, and that fell through, and not, it not really working out in the Premier League and all this other stuff.
This can't, how is, how are we in this situation?
What, what did these g- goalkeepers not do to pass down the information- Yeah to the next generation to be like, "Oh, why aren't these guys goalkeeper?"
I mean, Friedel was a coach.
Why aren't they building the next goalkeeper?
But this used to be our strength.
Yeah.
We used to not be able to get- Meo- Meola.
Yeah.
We, we've had legends that- We couldn't get players on the, on the, you know, on the pitch that weren't goalkeepers in Europe.
On the, exactly.
And now we can't get goalkeepers.
W- now we have the techiest midfielders- Yeah and attackers and everybody, they're playing in Champions League.
Goalkeepers, now that's, that, that, the fact that this has become a weakness for, for the US Men's National Team is kind of nuts.
I mean- Especially when all of our American sports use hand-eye coordination.
It's, it- So you would just assume, right?
Now, now, now- Is this too much Call of Duty?
What are we doing now?
Now we, now we gotta s- r- change the question from what if our best athletes played soccer to what if our best athletes were goalkeepers, right?
No, yeah, all these people like LeBron would be, he better, probably make a good goalkeeper actually.
Now that I think about it.
You know, he's looking for what, you know, a next NBA team to join.
You know what?
Scrap all that.
Nah, dog, you really wanna go to Boston, dog?
Nah.
How about this?
Go to, go to Brugge.
