Zack Steffen is developing into the next great U.S. goalkeeper

Zack Steffen of the Columbus Crew has set a franchise record for longest shutout streak and looks like he could be the next great US goalkeeper.

The United States has a lot of strong history in net, with Tim Howard leading the way for the last decade. Before Howard was Kasey Keller, who was dominant at times. Brad Friedel was one of the best goalkeepers to ever play for the United States and represented well while playing overseas. Finally, there was Tony Meola, who carried the team in the 1990 and 1994 World Cups. But at the moment, here is no clear successor to the throne.

The old wave of American soccer stars is aging out. Clint Dempsey is playing an inconsistent role with the Seattle Sounders, Landon Donovan came out of retirement to play in Mexico for part of the season, and Howard is the oldest player in MLS and showing it. Fortunately, the next wave is here, as Christian Pulisic, Matt Miazga and Weston McKennie are all rising stars. But it is Zach Steffen who will carry the torch from Howard.

He made his MLS debut last year for the Columbus Crew and played 34 games, recording nine shutouts. Now in his second season, he has seven shutouts in just 13 games while setting the Columbus Crew franchise record for longest shutout streak. Steffen and the Columbus Crew hold the lowest number of goals against on the 2018 season so far, and his incredible stretch of play has gotten the Crew up to a tie for first place in the MLS Eastern Conference.

Steffen went on to add a shutout in tonight’s game as well a 0-0 draw against Sporting Kansas City. It is the team’s fifth straight clean sheet. The game included Steffen making three saves to keep the tie after Columbus had a player sent off with a red card.

Steffen has seen limited action with the US Men’s National team. His only appearance came playing 45 minutes in a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina. With the United States not facing true competitive action until 2019, Steffen may not see a major role.

There are a few other options the United States can consider at goalkeeper. Nick Rimando and Bill Hamid are the current veterans of the group. They will likely be aged out by 2022. That leaves Ethan Horvath andSteffen as the next two options. It will be a constant competition for the next four years, but by the time the 2022 World Cup comes around, it will not be surprising to imagine Steffen is in net.

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Although he was not named to the team that will face Bolivia in an upcoming friendly on May 28, he will get likely get the call in June. The U.S. team will be facing off against Ireland and France. This will be a great test for Steffen and the U.S. squad as France is a World Cup favorite.