The Art of the Keeper

Note: This is a soccer blog specifically targeted for casual fans and newcomers, and such I will try to keep it as layman friendly as possible. However, I may use some terminology in this article that’s soccer-specific. If you find yourself confused by some of the lingo used in this article, please refer to the running index of soccer terminology.

When 11 players take to the pitch for their side, all eyes will eventually fall on the odd one out in a brightly colored shirt sporting massive gloves. That one player lives with the fact that they are the last to garner praise and the first to shoulder the blame. Their life is a paradox as they are simultaneously the beating heart of the team and the eventual scapegoat. One of my favorite movies of all time is Old Boy, a film by Korean director Park Chan-wook. In it, the protagonist Dae-su Oh repeats a mantra, "Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone." Such is the life of a goalkeeper. 

“A keeper has to be unafraid to direct and instruct their teammates to play better or be mindful of how the attackers are exploiting the formation.”

The qualities that a keeper must possess are many, and sometimes it’s hard for a casual observer to see the intricacies in how a keeper develops physically and mentally. There are so many situations that a keeper has to keep track of while playing. For instance, when an attacking forward is charging through the seam between two defenders, a keeper has to decide when to charge at the attacker and then make themselves large as they attempt to block the shot. A keeper has to be incredibly strong in both their upper and lower extremities. They need to cover ground as quickly as possible when they lunge for shots along the ground or overhead. Reflexes are incredibly important, too. When that rocket from outside the box is fired, the keeper needs to quickly read the direction and trajectory of the shot and then leap at the chance to make the save. Anticipation plays a major factor, especially in corner kick situations when a keeper has to read how the attacking team lines up and anticipate how the ball will fly into the box. Does the keeper stay near the goal line, or do they have to charge out and punch the ball away before an attacker can land a header into the net.

Among of the physical and mental attributes that a goal keeper must possess, they must also be aware of their own team and how well they are maintaining shape in their formation or performance on defense. A keeper has to be unafraid to direct and instruct their teammates to play better or be mindful of how the attackers are exploiting the formation. They also have to be mindful of how they distribute the ball when they punt it away. Does the keeper play a short pass or do they boot the ball downfield in order to surprise the defending team with a quick burst of attacking play. These are the various things a keeper has to bear in mind throughout the game. So in case you were wondering, the keeper is doing so much more than standing in the net when the ball is on the other side of the field. Their heads are always in the game.

“ I was scared out of my mind, so the entire pre-shot routine of his felt like ten years, and his shot was so fast, so ferocious, so ridiculously outside of my wheelhouse of capability to defend that it froze me in fear.”

So here’s a personal account. I have experienced the life as a keeper only one time in my life, and that was when I was nine or ten years old playing little league soccer in my hometown in South Dakota. I was a pudgy kid with obnoxious Harry Potter glasses that were far too big for my face. I didn’t have the best reaction times nor the strength to lunge at balls and swat them away as they rocketed at me by at least dozens of miles per hour. Yet whether it was due to league rules or a horribly sadistic coach, I was saddled with the responsibility to sport an ugly, comically over-sized, gray sweater. To top off both my horribly prepubescent physical features and ridiculous outfit, I had to wear giant gloves that I don’t think my hands totally filled in. I was a human trash fire of awfulness. I don’t remember much of how I performed during the game. Maybe I made a couple of saves or maybe I was saved by errant shots that went wide of the net. What I do remember was the penalty kick that I had to face off against.

Let me say that when you’re an awkward kid with little athletic ability and even worse coordination, any other kid who even slightly looks like they know what they are doing makes them instantly look at least seven inches taller and nearly at the drinking age. So I remember standing like a weird sumo wrestler as the best striker on the other team lined up his shot. I was scared out of my mind, so the entire pre-shot routine of his felt like ten years, and his shot was so fast, so ferocious, so ridiculously outside of my wheelhouse of capability to defend that it froze me in fear. I stood there as the ball left his foot at a frightening trajectory, slicing through the air with ease, making a bee-line for my soft, bespectacled face. I remember a flash of light and then the ground. I was on all fours and staring at the grass and the dirt. I felt the awful sting in my face as it transitioned from a sharp pain to a throbbing pulse of a hammer inside my skull. I turned my gaze slightly upward and saw that the ball was resting lethargically in the side netting as if nothing had happened. I had scored an own-goal with my face. Humiliated, I picked up the ball and rolled it to the midfield line for the reset kickoff. I vowed that day that I would never play keeper again. Those people are made of stronger stuff than I.

Thibaut Courtois is Real Madrid’s reliable shot stopper who has enjoyed plenty of success on the wold stage representing Belgium.

Before I close out this article, I want to highlight some of the most talented names in goal keeping from home and abroad. These are some names you will hear often, so it’s good to have them in mind the next time you read or watch a soccer report.

Notable Keepers Today

Thibaut Courtois - A Belgian international who plays keeper for Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid. Notable for his shot stopping consistency.

David De Gea - A Spanish international who plays keeper for English Premier League club Manchester United. He commands a tremendous presence, and all he does is win trophies.

Jan Oblak - A Slovenian international who plays for Spanish La Liga club Atletico Madrid. Oblak is a young player who at age 26 has the ability and mental capacity of a seasoned veteran many years his age.

Marc-Andre Ter Stegen - A German International who plays for Spanish La Liga club Barcelona FC. Ter Stegen is notable for his nimble footwork and agility to stop tough shots.

The Home Favorites

Tim Howard - The legend of the US Men’s National Team’s World Cup run will be told for years thanks to his record breaking performance against Belgium when he stopped 15 shots in one game. He currently plays for MLS club Colorado Rapids.

Brad Guzan - The man who puts beautiful in the phrase “bald is beautiful.” Guzan has enjoyed success both at home and abroad. While he has played second to Tim Howard throughout his international career, Guzan helped lead the US Men’s National Team to championship victories in the 2007 and 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournaments.

Hope Solo - From 2000 through 2016, Solo was the mainstay keeper for the US Women’s National Team and has lifted nearly every trophy one could get their hands on in their career. She was an incredible shot stopper, and currently holds the record for most career clean sheets of any human who has played the game internationally representing the United States. Her career stats are wild.

Briana Scurry - Briana Scurry will forever be known as the woman who solidified the US Women’s National Team’s dominance on the world stage. Her performance in the 1999 World Cup is etched in history when she made crucial stops against a strong Chinese side. She’s an incredible role model for young girls who play any sport, and she will be remembered for years in American soccer culture.

It's tough to stand out when you live inside a box, but somehow the keepers like it that way. They communicate with their team through a wild display of shouts and hand-waving. They are typically the weird ones who wear their hearts on their sleeves. If you need proof of it, just have a look at Manchester City 2013-era Joe Hart and tell me that you're still not convinced about the conviction these players have. They possess a steely resolve, the thickest of hides to match the gloves, and a love for the game that's hard to top. Their songs are hardly sung except by the ultras who match the passion of the keeper. Their hearts pump the blood, and that's the way they like it. Thank you for reading. Live well and watch more soccer.