Slowly but surely we've made it to the top 100! A year ago we only had 50 names on the list. It's been a work in progress trying to find enough names to put out a confident list. Looking down the names, you'll notice a number of free agents and a fair amount of college goalkeepers. Unfortunately there aren't as near as many professional opportunities for graduating seniors compared to the men's game. We have thirty free agents on the list and most of them won't be signed. While there are still a few NWSL teams looking for a third string goalkeeper, their best shot is the WPSL or UWS, both starting up in May. If they aren't with a team by summer we'll nix them from the top 100 but until then we'll leave the recent graduates on the list. Five seniors have already been placed with NWSL teams from the college draft and a few more have caught on overseas.
A quick roundup of some notable names:
- Boston gambled on sending Alyssa Naeher (ranked 2nd) to Chicago in exchange for bringing in Libby Stout (1st) from overseas. In the long run, a team should be happy with either goalkeeper and hopefully both teams can utilize the new draft picks they swapped.
- Hope Solo (4th) had a fantastic save against France in the SheBelieves Cup. She returns with Seattle after missing most of the year with the National Team. Backup Haley Kopmeyer (14th) did fantastic in net and if they need to turn to her again, Seattle will be more than happy to.
- Katie Fraine (5th) switches clubs within the Damallsvenskan, Sweden's premier league. She will be joined within the league by Adelaide Gay (11th, whose club was just promoted after last season's performance), Brett Maron (12th, starting her fourth year in the league), and Alyssa Whitehead (17th).
- Orlando City starts their inaugural season with Ashlyn Harris (3rd) and Aubrey Bledsoe (22nd). Similar to Seattle's situation, Bledsoe will likely get a number of games with the Harris going to the Olympics.
- The biggest battle for the number one spot is in Portland. After German legendary goalkeeper Nadine Angerer retired, it's now left to Michelle Betos (6th) and Adrianna Franch (10th) to win the starting spot out west. Franch was called into a USWNT camp late last year and if Portland is going to bring in a goalkeeper to compete, it makes sense that she has the inside track to start.
- Jeannette Williams (16th) is another American goalkeeper playing in a foreign premier league. Read more about her journey there in her interview from February.
- A few recent graduates are trying their hand overseas. Bryane Heaberlin (59th) is heading to Germany with Turbine Potsdam. Alyssa Giannetti (61st) and Madalyn Schiffel (72nd) are moving out to Norway to play for Arna-Bjørnar and Avaldsnes IL, respectively. University of Washington's Megan Kufeld (56th) will be in Sweden with Sundsvalls DFF.
- The NWSL draft had five goalkeepers selected. Britt Eckerstrom (51st), Abby Smith (70th), Caroline Casey (63rd), Lindsey Luke (45th) and Madalyn Schiffel (who opted for Norway instead). It'll be interesting coming back in 2-3 years to see which group of goalkeepers worked out better: overseas or NWSL draftees?
1. Libby Stout (Boston Breakers / USA.1) - 25.8
2. Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars / USA.1) - 27.9
3. Ashlyn Harris (Orlando Pride / USA.1) - 30.4
4. Hope Solo (Seattle Reign / USA.1) - 34.7
5. Katie Fraine (Vittsjö GIK / Sweden.1) - 28.3
6. Michelle Betos (Portland Thorns FC / USA.1) - 28.1
7. Michele Dalton (Chicago Red Stars / USA.1) - 27.8
8. Brittany Cameron (Sky Blue FC / USA.1) - 29.3
9. Ashley Thompson (Sandviken / Norway.1) - 30.2
10. Adrianna Franch (Portland Thorns FC / USA.1) - 25.3
11. Adelaide Gay (Kvarnsveden / Sweden.1) - 26.3
12. Brett Maron (Kristianstad / Sweden.1) - 29.8
13. Nicole Barnhart (FC Kansas City / USA.1) - 34.4
14. Haley Kopmeyer (Seattle Reign / USA.1) - 25.8
15. Allysa Clark (Masinac Nis / Serbia.1) - 29.5
16. Jeannette Williams (Fimleikafélag Hafnarfjarðar / Iceland.1) - 27.2
17. Alyssa Whitehead (Mallbacken / Sweden.1) - 26.3
18. Alexa Gaul (SC Sand / Germany.1) - 24.8
19. Kelsey Wys (Washington Spirit / USA.1) - 25.1
20. Arianna Criscione (Saint-Étienne / France.1) - 31.1
21. Kelli Cornell (Beach Futbol Club / USA.2P) - 25.5
22. Aubrey Bledsoe (Orlando Pride / USA.1) - 24.3
23. Shelby Tomasello (Höttur / Iceland.2) - 25.4
24. Jillian Mastroianni (New York Athletic Club / USA.2P) - 25.5
25. Katherine Linn (Issy / France.1) - 24.2
25. Dijana Haracic (Krokom/Dvarsatts IF / Sweden.2) - 24.2
27. Che Brown (Free Agent / None) - 23.8
28. Rebecca Ritchie (Real Salt Lake Women / USA.2W) - 28.2
29. Jami Kranich (Boston Breakers / USA.1) - 23.8
30. Emily Kruger (Portland Thorns FC / USA.1) - 24.2
31. Lindsey Maricic (LA Premier FC / USA.2P) - 23.9
32. Megan Kinneman (Arna-Bjørnar / Norway.1) - 23.8
33. Robyn Horner (Free Agent / None) - 31.2
34. Kaycee Gunion (San Diego Sea Lions / USA.2P) - 26.2
35. Victoria Christ (Västerås BK30 / Sweden.2) - 24.2
36. Paige Burnett (Free Agent / None) - 23.4
37. Audrey Baldwin (Fortuna Hjørring / Denmark.1) - 24
38. Caroline Stanley (Sky Blue FC / USA.1) - 23
39. McKenzie Sauerwein (Thróttur Reykjavík / Iceland.1) - 23.8
40. Valerie Henderson (Ankarsrum / Sweden.5) - 29.9
41. Kelsey Quinn (Heidelberg / Australia.1) - 25.2
42. Brianna Alvarado (Cincinnati Lady Saints / USA.2P) - 25.6
43. Monica Gonyo (Free Agent / None) - 23.4
44. Katherine Courter (Free Agent / None) - 24.2
45. Lindsey Luke (Seattle Reign / USA.1) - 23.4
46. Katelyn Rowland (FC Kansas City / USA.1) - 22
47. Lyndse Hokanson (Free Agent / None) - 23.9
48. Morgan Glick (IA Akranes / Iceland.1) - 22.8
49. Alex Kubrick (Free Agent / None) - 23.8
50. Megan Tock (Free Agent / None) - 23.8
51. Britt Eckerstrom (Western New York Flash / USA.1) - 22.8
52. Holly Van Noord (Liberty / USA.N) - 21.6
53. Jane Campbell (Stanford / USA.N) - 21.1
54. Emma Crenshaw (FC Pride / USA.2P) - 23.4
55. Lauren Watson (Texas Tech / USA.N) - 22.3
56. Megan Kufeld (Sundsvalls DFF / Sweden.2) - 23
57. Rachel Boaz (BYU / USA.N) - 24.2
58. Jordan Day (Houston Dash / USA.1) - 22.9
59. Bryane Heaberlin (Turbine Potsdam / Germany.1) - 22.3
60. Laura Saussol (Pittsburgh Steel City / USA.2P) - 23.2
61. Alyssa Giannetti (Arna-Bjørnar / Norway.1) - 21.4
62. Julie Eckel (Free Agent / None) - 23.3
63. Caroline Casey (Sky Blue FC / USA.1) - 21.8
64. Kathryn Scheele (Free Agent / None) - 21.6
65. Patty Walrath (Houston Aces / USA.2P) - 23.7
66. Tarah Hobbs (Minnesota / USA.N) - 20.8
67. Chandler Morris (Free Agent / None) - 23.2
68. Shauni Kerkhoff (Temple / USA.N) - 22.2
68. Brittany Brown (Free Agent / None) - 22.2
70. Abby Smith (Boston Breakers / USA.1) - 22.4
71. Taylor Francis (Pittsburgh / USA.N) - 21
72. Madalyn Schiffel (Avaldsnes IL / Norway.1) - 21.5
73. Brianna Smallidge (Free Agent / None) - 22.3
74. Sammy Jo Prudhomme (USC / USA.N) - 22.1
75. Natalie Smith (Cincinnati / USA.N) - 22.3
76. Jennifer Pelley (Free Agent / None) - 22.2
77. Emma Newins (Free Agent / None) - 23.2
77. Sierra Bonham (Free Agent / None) - 23.2
79. Andi Tostanoski (Free Agent / None) - 21.6
80. Kelsey Brouwer (Free Agent / None) - 21.8
81. Emily Rusk (Free Agent / None) - 22.1
82. Hannah Seabert (Pepperdine / USA.N) - 21.2
83. Katie Nickles (Rhode Island / USA.N) - 21.1
84. Ashton McKeown (Long Beach State / USA.N) - 21.3
85. Kaeli Anne Schmidt (Barcelona / Spain.1) - 20.8
86. Hannah Steadman (Free Agent / None) - 23.4
87. Sam Pavlika (Free Agent / None) - 22.2
88. Emma Kruse (Free Agent / None) - 22.8
89. Ellen Conway (Free Agent / None) - 21.9
90. Alexis Connors (Free Agent / None) - 22.2
90. Stephanie Senn (Free Agent / None) - 22.2
90. Amanda Engel (Free Agent / None) - 22.2
90. Claire Feiertag (Free Agent / None) - 22.2
90. Sam Tiongson (Free Agent / None) - 22.2
90. Rachel Ames (Free Agent / None) - 22.2
90. Sydney Drinkwater (Florida Atlantic / USA.N) - 22.2
90. Kalijah Terilli (Penn / USA.N) - 22.2
90. Gabrielle Garuder (Michigan State / USA.N) - 22.2
99. Mimi Borkan (New Hampshire / USA.N) - 21.4
100. Hannah Clark (Free Agent / None) - 22.4
Click here for the history of the USWNT Goalkeeper Pool