This month I'm profiling Patrick Wall, senior goalkeeper at the University of Notre Dame. I expect Wall to sign a homegrown contract with Houston Dynamo following this year so don't be surprised if his name isn't called in the MLS Superdraft (which will likely occur in mid-January, fyi). I found a video of him during his high school and Dynamo Academy years and I've compiled a video myself. Hope you guys like bummer punk.
A little fun fact: Wall plays with Matt Beasler's younger brother, Nick Beasler a junior midfielder
My video is a little sticky, so apologies for that, but I was having trouble capturing the video. Also you may have noticed that my video is pretty boring and doesn't make Wall look all that great. A lot of "highlights" are either goals conceded or random clips during the recent Indiana match. Well there are multiple reasons for this, the main one being that collegiate soccer isn't made that accessible to people that like to watch the game but can't be there in attendance. I know what you're thinking, "But wouldn't the best advertisement for NCAA soccer be displaying the actual product?" You'd think, huh. I somehow managed to come across clips of the Indiana game but had trouble finding more than that. Secondly, seeing a string of goals conceded is a great gauge to see how consistent a goalkeeper is and what it takes to beat him. Anyone (and this includes you) can make a skate save, a double save, or a 1v1 save. You don't need good mechanics to get in the way.
The thing I like about Wall is his bounce. You'll notice not only the spring in his jump but his tiny bounces pre-shot to stay on his toes. He's ready before the shot and sacrifices his body to stop the shot. I'm not saying he's the next goalhero this country needs, but I am saying he's one of the top collegiate goalkeepers in the country (although I'm not crazy about his hair band).
Kinda speaking of, MLS came out with their annual 24 Under 24 list which featured Bill Hamid as the lone goalkeeper. Eh. I have mixed feelings on the list but here's Everybody Soccer's...
Top Ten College Goalkeepers
1. Patrick Wall - Notre Dame
2. Andre Blake - Connecticut
3. Omar Zeeni - UC Davis
4. Klay Davis - Charlotte
5. Nathan Dean - Elon
6. Tomas Gomez - Georgetown
7. Adam Grinwis - Michigan
8. John McCarthy - La Salle
9. Nick Shackelford - St. Louis
10. Andrew Wells - VCU
I dropped Richey, Cardona, and Jaye from the deca-list as they are all not starting for various reasons at the moment. However I think they all have MLS-potential, whatever that counts for. Blake and Dean are Jamaican and English respectively but the rest are American so don't you worry out there. Here's the Top 100 Goalkeepers for your delight.
Klinsmann and the U-alls have their last two World Cup Qualifiers this month. Honestly I expected to see Guzan start but after Klinsmann said that he will start the best available, I would lean 60-40 on Howard over Guzan. The third string goalkeeper will likely be Rimando again (sorry RSL fans).
Lastly, since we're in a society that is a dibs-based society, I'm going to bring your attention to Hunter Harrison of the Dallas Texans. Hunter is 18 years old and has yet to declare a college or so says the "Internet". SMU is in the area but he's just as likely to go to school elsewhere. The user who posted the video commented "Rumor is no college just yet... Denmark, maybe Belguim if they are smart. Flying coach of course!! ;-)"
I have no clue what that means. Enjoy.