NYCFC's Matt Freese and the rest of the USMNT goalkeepers are highly criticized

There is no question that New York City FC’s Matt Freese is not having the best season compared to previous years. He has struggled between the sticks, with part of the problem being the backline in front of him. The goalkeeper needs help, but that help involves both the defense being better and a possible new signing or two, which would not occur until the summer.

Still, the struggles are not what Freese wants, especially with the World Cup starting in just over a month. He wants to make the United States men’s national team, and likely still will based on his recurring call-ups. It was also thought that he was a guaranteed starter, but even that is now a question with Matt Turner’s resurgence with the New England Revolution.

Nevertheless, the two goalkeepers and all of the other keepers of the USMNT who might make the World Cup roster have been highly criticized over the years. This continued in the latest article of ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle, where he talks and interviews others about the goalkeeper problem for the USMNT.

Matt Freese of NYCFC and the USMNT faces criticism

To summarize, the basic consensus is that the current goalkeepers are not as good as those of the past. Part of the issue is that possible starters like Freese and Turner play in Major League Soccer, and not one of the top leagues in Europe. There was also blame for focusing on non-goalkeeper skills. Former USMNT goalkeeper Brad Friedel said it best.

He told Carlisle, “We focused more on playing out of the back and positional sense with the back four. With all due respect, if you're not an athlete and you're not brave, you can't be a top-level goalkeeper. If you are an athlete and you are brave, you can get taught all the other skills. But you can't teach someone to want to throw their body in front of a ball or a foot. It just doesn't happen. So I think we lost a lot of time in what was important in goalkeeping, and we focused a lot on developing a better outfield player."

This is better than the argument of playing in MLS. Carlisle seems to frame that playing in MLS is detrimental, and in the past, he would be absolutely right. But goalkeepers should only go to a top-five league in Europe if they are going to play. Otherwise, MLS is considered to be a top-ten league, give or take, on some lists, in the world. It has grown significantly, and there should be no shame for goalkeepers to stay stateside, especially since there have been multiple failures over the last decade of USMNT keepers going to Europe and not getting playing time.

In the article, Carlisle also spoke to former USMNT goalkeeper Kasey Keller. He was extremely critical of NYCFC’s Freese. He said, “I guarantee you, nobody's looking at Matt Freese in Europe, going, 'Oh, that's my guy.'" This statement alone makes it easy to wonder whether he has paid attention to MLS over the last few years.

Yes, Freese is not having the year he should be having. NYCFC’s current winless streak has led the keeper to allow 18 goals, have a save percentage of just over 68% in MLS, and have only three clean sheets. Again, the defense has been detrimental to what he can do based on the types of goals allowed. Turner is arguably having a better season, but New England has been better defensively as a whole, helping him in MLS. At the same time, Freese is still one of the better keepers; he is just not playing to his expected level.

However, it was just in the last offseason that rumors surrounded Freese. The NYCFC keeper had interest from overseas, but there was an argument that he should stay in MLS based on the history of others struggling, like Turner. So to say that nobody is looking at Freese is kind of silly. But thankfully, the Pigeon recognized staying in New York City was the right move.

Can Matt Freese still be the USMNT starter?

In the meantime, looking at the battle between Freese and Turner, Carlisle appears to favor the NYCFC player as the starting goalkeeper since he has been the main starter for the USMNT. But the overall consensus is that this current group of keepers is not as talented as those of the past. They have less experience, especially against the best of the best.

Again, that argument makes sense from the viewpoint of those who play in the top leagues like La Liga and the Premier League. But MLS has turned into a good league, and some people need to stop treating it like it was 20 years ago. Of course, many of the European-based players can be considered better than those stateside. But goalkeepers are different. Only one is a starter in the field of many, so it is easier for a center-back to take the leap overseas and play regularly compared to a keeper.

NYCFC fans can only wait to see whether Freese is named to the roster for the World Cup and whether he will be the starter. At this rate, he should. But the criticism toward him and the rest of the USMNT goalkeepers is certainly loud as the USMNT heads into the biggest tournament in the world of football.

Add us as a preferred source on Google