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<ul><li>Hislop says there's downward trend in USMNT goalkeeper quality</li><li>Turner, Steffen career trajectories hampered by moves</li><li>Gomez says Pochettino has opened the door</li></ul><script type="application/json" data-placement="fcplayer-semantic">{"type":"fcplayer-semantic","data":{"embedCode":"//cdn.fcp.codes/embed-code-template/embed-code-template.js#SEMANTIC_5704afb8-c10b-4ba5-9cb4-d7fb6098ef90"}}</script>

'Worst-ever generation of American goalkeepers?' - Herculez Gomez, Shaka Hislop question depth of position pool for USMNT coach Maurico Pochettino

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USMNT's coach Mauricio Pochettino has struggled to find consistency at goalkeeper, with incumbent Matt Turner leading the way and the likes of Chris Brady, Patrick Schulte, Zack Steffen and Matt Freese all in the chase. Former USMNT striker Herculez Gomez questioned the depth of the position pool for the USMNT. In a segment on ESPN FC, former Premier League goalkeeper Shaka Hislop said both Turner and Steffen - once considered promising international-caliber talents - allowed their careers to stall by following ambitious, but premature, moves to top European clubs.“You’ve seen the best of the best," Gomez said to Hislop on Futbol Americas. "Is this the worst-ever generation of American goalkeepers you’ve ever seen?” “Yes, yes," said Hislop, who played for both Newcastle and West Ham. "I felt the same thing about Zack Steffen as I did about Matt Turner - incredibly talented goalkeeper but made the wrong move at the wrong time, in going from MLS to big European clubs and not playing. Instead, you go to a smaller club, learn your position, learn the ups and downs, establish yourself, play through those confidence draining games and that’s when you become your best self."Hislop referenced the career trajectories of former U.S. goalkeepers, such as Kasey Keller, as the proper path.“Keller started at Millwall, I started at Reading," he said. "But between the two of them, going to the likes City and Arsenal when they did, I just think it was too big of a step for them. And as a result, two incredibly talented goalkeepers have just found themselves - and confidence is everything - in a downward spiral in terms of their confidence, and not being able to regain their form. I think they showed promise when they were playing in the U.S.”

WHAT HAPPENED

Gomez said the window is open for a younger goalkeeper to challenge Turner for the starting role as the USMNT prepare for the Gold Cup. Last week Pochettino called-up Brady to replace the injured Schulte.“We can all agree Matt Turner is struggling," Gomez said. "This is a crucial time for him to prove his worth to a coach that has left the door open to everybody. Those players behind - one of them behind him was the goalkeeper at the Olympic Games for US, which was Patrick Schulte, who plays for a very good team in the MLS in the Columbus Crew that plays a very attractive brand of football, that’s very progressive even at the goalkeeper position."Gomez said the injury to Schulte could be costly as he tries to unseat Turner in the No. 1 role.“That is an alarm for Patrick Schulte because he’s letting an opportunity go away," he said. "You look at the other side of that, Zack Steffen is 30 years old. Steffen was given his first cap after the World Cup failure to get to Russia... he was supposed to be the goalkeeper of this generation. He was the chosen one from Greg Berhalter. He played the majority of the qualifying games when he was available.“When he didn’t, it was either injury-related or coronavirus-related. He played all the important games, the big games, those were Zack Steffen’s. And yet he doesn’t make the World Cup roster as one of the three, this was his chance. We’ve not seen Zack Steffen in a meaningful game for almost three years.”<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="362" src="https://youtube.com/embed/JoQDp-OLpmg" title="YouTube video player" width="644"></iframe>

WHAT HERCULEZ GOMEZ SAID

The United States has a rich history of producing exceptional goalkeepers, including Keller, Brad Friedel, Tim Howard and Brad Guzan. Those players were regular starters for Premier League clubs and maintained high performance levels for the national team.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

The Gold Cup will serve as a crucial evaluation period for USMNT goalkeepers under Pochettino's leadership. With Turner's limited playing time at Crystal Palace and Steffen working to rebuild his career in MLS, opportunities exist for other contenders.

WHAT’S NEXT?

'Worst-ever generation of American goalkeepers?' - Herculez Gomez, Shaka Hislop question depth of position pool for USMNT coach Maurico Pochettino | Goal.com

The two former internationals expressed concern about a significant decline in shot-stopper talent for the U.S.

&apos;Worst-ever generation of American goalkeepers?&apos; - Herculez Gomez, Shaka Hislop question depth of position pool for USMNT coach Maurico Pochettino

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