2025 MLS Preseason- Top Five Goalkeepers in MLS

Rating goalkeepers is one of the trickiest things to do in soccer. Goalkeeping tends to be just as mental as it is a physical position. So many things regarding the position can be difficult to track. For example one goalkeeper seems to be an amazing athlete and is making incredible saves all the time. However, theres a chance that his positioning was bad, thus he needs to rely on his athleticism to make up for the mistake of being in the wrong place. Whereas, maybe a more experienced goalkeeper will make most of the saves look mundane because he was positioned properly. That is not something we can really gauge in statistics yet unfortunately.

Even with the more advanced statistics, it can be difficult as there tends to be fluctuations year to year. For example, most people would agree that Andre Blake is a top goalkeeper in the league, however last year Blake was a league average goalkeeper. Now again, this is a guy who has won Goalkeeper of the Year multiple times and injuries derailed his season. However, even though the numbers dont lie, it would be insane not to have him on this list right?

Before we start there are a few things that need to be understood. First is Post Shot Expected Goals (PSxG). This is a really cool stat, so it looks at how likely was the shot to score after the shot was taken. It takes into account the position of where the shot was taken, where it was placed, etc.

This number is a number between 0 and 1. 0 is a zero percent chance that the shot taken scores, 1 means the shot scores 100% of the time. For example, lets look at a 1v1 breakaway on the goalkeeper. If the shot is kicked at the same place each time and the first shot is placed right into the goalkeepers arms it may be rated a .1% chance to score. Whereas a ball placed in the upper 90 might get a .99. Meaning, a ball softly lobbed into the goalkeepers arms only scores if the goalkeeper messes up whereas a shot in the upper 90 would require the goalkeeper to have a crystal ball and have the athletic moment of his life to save it.

One thing to note, different statistic websites use different systems to determine xG and PSxG, so it's not perfect. I personally LOVE the guys at American Soccer Analysis and the work that they do, and I also use fbref. There are I'm sure statistics available to clubs that would change my opinion, but based on the available data, this is my take.

A few mentions, while looking at the data a few things jumped out to me. One of them was Zack Steffen. Zack was bad last year. I thought going into looking at the data that William Yarbrough would lead the way in the worst performace of the 2024 MLS season. Zack blew William out of the water. Zack let in 12.49 more goals than he was supposed to. While Wiliam let in 9.77 more. I hope Zack can get his shot stopping back on track because those are woeful numbers.

Three guys I'm watching out for this year are Alex Bono, Chris Brady, and Maarten Paes. Brady and Paes were very very good in 2023. Both took a step back last year, I'm intrigued to see what they do this season. I'm inclined to think Brady will improve with Chicago actually placing a competent defense in front of him, whereas FC Dallas are somehow getting worse defensively at the time of this writing.

Bono is an interesting one. Some of his stats are really eye popping, however some of those numbers indicate that it could have been a large amount of luck. Even his passing stats were incredible and he seemed to have a high impact on his team scoring goals. However, that could also be a byproduct of passing long to Christian Benteke, who is the greatest and most dominant aerial threat this league has ever seen. The fbref numbers favor Bono a lot more than American Soccer Analysis, so it will be interesting to see those play out this year.

One more note, I realize that the game has switched to much more of an emphasis of the goalkeeper being good with the ball at their feet, even at the expense of goals allowed. While that was taken into accout, I still place much more emphasis on a goalkeepers ability to keep the ball out of their net, rather than their passing ability.

Okay, now on to the list!

5) Steve Clark- Free Agent

You read that right folks, the number 5 guy on my list is currently a free agent after a stellar couple of years at the Houston Dynamo. This one really puzzles me as to how another MLS team hasn't gobbled him up. In the 2024 season for the Houston Dynamo, he saved 7 more goals than he was supposed to (according to fbref and ASA). To give you and idea, that takes the Dynamo from the 5 seed to either a wild card spot or out of the playoffs altogether.

Steve Clark is an elite shot stopper in MLS, however many of the stats point to him being quite poor at passing and he is well below average at coming out and claiming crosses. Still, the advanced stats point to him being an elite level shot stopper, and I look forward to seeing where the 37 year old lands.

4) Matt Freese- NYCFC

Having Matt Freese here in the 4th spot seemed really low to me, he had an incredible year in 2024 and it was recognized with an invitation to the USMNT January camp. Sadly, it did not end up with him getting an appearance as Schulte and bewilderingly Steffen got the starts.

Matt ended up saving about 7.5 goals more than he was supposed to last year, which means if you dropped in an average goalkeeper who only saves whats expected, then NYCFC falls into a wild card spot. Which sadly would have meant Atlanta, doesn't get in and we dont see the wonderful upset of Atlanta sending Miami to an early offseason exit.

Matt was not only a fantasic shot stopper, he was also well above average with the ball at this feet, averaging around 42 touches per game and was above average in stopping crosses as well. All in all, Matt Freese is kind of the perfect goalkeeper in the modern game, he's very well rounded and above average at everything with few holes in his game. So it's no surprise that european clubs are sniffing around.

3) Roman Burki- St Louis City SC

This might be the point where some people get upset, and that's okay. I have the 2023 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in the number 3 spot and it does feel like he has a shout for the number 2 spot, but more on that later.

Burki had a MONSTER of a 2023 season, absolutely legendary. So he had to come back to earth in 2024, and even coming back to earth he is still a top goalkeeper any day of the week. Similar to Freese, Burki saved about 7.5 goals more than he was supposed to. Which you can only imagine how much worse the 2024 season would have been without Burki in between the posts.

Not only is Burki an elite level shot stopper in the league, he is also incredibly good at smothering out attacks before they can full develop, stopping about 1.31 attacks per game. He is well above average at taking defensive actions outside of the box. Which is such a huge benefit for a team, because you can always stop a shot that is never taken. It also provides cover for the center backs allowing them to play further up field and take some of the pressure off of them.

He was considered the second best passer in the league according to ASA and his average pass length was about 40 yards, which shows he has some excellent accuracy on his passes. All of this points to a perfect modern day goalkeeper. Not afraid to come out of the box to help his defenders, an elite shotstopper, and a guy who is good with the ball at his feet. Burki's contract runs out at the end of the 2025 season, lets hope for the sake of all of us, that St Louis is able to resign him.

2) Brad Stuver- Austin FC

This might be the one that you could argue should be at number three. And while I would hear you out, I wouldn't agree with you. Brad Stuver has been serially underrated his entire career. His story is that of legend, bouncing around as a league emergency pool goalkeeper starting in 2014. It wasn't until 2021 when Austin FC trotted out onto the field for the first time that he got his first real chance at the age of 29, and boy did he grab it.

Looking at nearly every single category, shotstopping, claiming, fielding, passing, etc only one name is consistently in or near the top five, and that is Brad Stuver. He is tops in the league in claiming the ball on crosses as well as passing. He truly does command the box. Looking at the defenders Austin have put in front of him the last few seasons, it's amazing he's anywhere near the top. He lead the league in shots on target last season with 178 shots on target, and a league leading 77.5 save percentage.

He had a 6.6 PSxG, good for fourth in the league. He was also well above average at defensive actions outside of the box, smothering around 1.18 attacks per game. An invaluable asset in the arsenal of any goalkeeper.

I could wax poetically for ages about the greatness that is Brad Stuver. He is one of my favorite players in the league to watch (thats right, not just goalkeeper). He commands the box with an unmatched presence, his shot stopping and passing are elite. And more importantly, he is so incredibly consistent. Year after year he is top 5 in nearly every category. I wont lie, I had to be talked out of putting him in the number one spot. If I had to go in and win one game and I could chose any goalkeeper in the league, I'm taking Brad Stuver.

1) Kristijan Kahlina- Charlotte FC

Kristijan Kahlina was otherworldly in 2024. The Croatians efforts guarding the net rightfully earned him the 2024 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. His PSxG surpassed even the high bar that Roman Burki set in 2023. Burki in 2023 had a 9.1 PSxG, Kahlina blew that out of the water with a 10.5 PSxG. American Soccer Analysis has him saving 11.82 more goals this season than he should have.

Second place was Roman Burki at 7.46. That's over 4 goals more he saved than the second best goalkeeper in the league. He saved 3 times as many goals as the 3.69 goals that fifth place John McCarthey stopped. That folks, is utterly insane. His performance was without a doubt, enough to take Charlotte from a 5 seed in the playoffs to most likely on the outside looking in.

Not only was he by far the best shot stopper in the league by a wide margin, he also was elite at stopping attacks outside the box. He averaged 1.74 defensive actions per game throughout the 2024 season. He was also well above average at stopping crosses inside the box.

2024 was an all time season for Kristijan Kahlina. Odds are that he will come back down to earth for the 2025 season. But if this proves to be who Kahlina is, and with the additons that Charlotte have made to the rest of the squad, Charlotte could make a serious run at the MLS Cup.