This article is part of our Sorare series.
RotoWire's annual Sorare MLS goalkeeper rankings are back for the third year running. We ranked each club's No. 1 goalkeeper based on their expected Sorare value for the remainder of the campaign and beyond. Some have played their way up the list while others have slipped worryingly, and of course, there are plenty of new faces who have emerged and taken over since our 2022 and 2021 rankings were posted.
KEY DATES
- CONCACAF Gold Cup: June 24 - July 16
- MLS All-Star game: July 19
- Leagues Cup: July 21 - Aug. 19
- International Window: Sept. 4-12
- MLS Decision Day: Oct. 21
- MLS Cup final: Dec. 9
SORARE GOALKEEPER RANKINGS
Rank | Name | Age | Analysis | *Sorare Limited Floor Price ($) | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Philadelphia | 32 | Blake remains the gold standard of the position in MLS, having won the Goalkeeper of the Year award a record three times (2016, 2020, 2022). A combination of exceptional goalkeeping and superb teammates in front of him ensures Blake remains one of the most valuable goalkeepers on Sorare, as the clean sheets and wins continue to pile up. | 84 | Joe Bendik |
2 | New England | 23 | Petrovic was an immediate hit in New England upon his arrival last summer despite having big shoes to fill. He led the league in goals prevented in 2022 and at 23 years old, the Serbian likely has a long career of top-class goalkeeping ahead of him. That also makes a move to Europe more likely than others in MLS. | 102 | Earl Edwards Jr. |
3 | FC Cincinnati | 22 | Celentano's ascent with FC Cincinnati has been rapid and he's still just 22 years old, having already been called up to the U.S. national team multiple times. He isn't quite the prospect that Chicago's Gabriel Slonina was, but that means he's less likely to depart for Europe and more likely to remain in the states, where he seems destined to succeed behind an organized and sturdy Cincinnati team. | 119 | Alec Kann |
4 | St. Louis City | 32 | Burki has a real shout for the MLS Newcomer of the Year award at the end of the season, as he's been arguably the most vital cog in St. Louis City's historic start to life in MLS. His salary is almost twice as much as the second highest-paid goalkeeper in the league, but he's been worth every penny for the expansion side. | 61 | Ben Lundt |
5 | FC Dallas | 25 | Paes has quietly been a vital difference maker in goal since joining Dallas ahead of the 2022 campaign. His job is fairly safe with a contract that runs through 2025, with his main detractor being a mostly inconsistent side in front of him. He doesn't cost an overwhelming amount like some of the younger goalkeepers in the league, yet his place seems certain at Dallas for years to come. | 38 | Jimmy Maurer |
6 | Minnesota | 26 | St. Clair prevented 6.9 goals last season, a mark bettered only by Petrovic and Blake in MLS. However, he's fallen a bit more than most in the past year, largely due to Minnesota's inconsistencies. Still, with a chance to become the No. 1 for Canada's national team in future years, he's a worthy prospect at a bit of a summer 2023 discount. | 38 | Clint Irwin |
7 | New York | 26 | The Red Bulls started 2023 in horrible form, winning just one of their first 11 games, but the underlying numbers hinted at future success and that's kind of what happened. Despite some team struggles, the back line has been mostly successful and that starts with Coronel, who should remain with the team until 2025, at minimum. | 42 | |
8 | Chicago Fire FC | 19 | The Slonina departure was a blow to Chicago, but it turns out they already had another young phenom in Brady waiting in the wings. Still just 19 years old, he's a bit more likely to stick around in Chicago and it's hard to see his stock falling at any point in the next few years, as it would require either a new signing or someone else in the team taking his spot, which seems unlikely. | 53 | Spencer Richey |
9 | Inter Miami CF | 25 | Despite Miami's awful start to the campaign, Callender remains one of the best shot-stopping goalkeepers in MLS and he's under contract in Miami until 2025 with an option for another year. The 25-year-old has cemented his spot since displacing Nick Marsman last spring and his price only figures to rise once Miami improve as a team, something Lionel Messi and company should help. | 35 | Nick Marsman |
10 | D.C. United | 30 | Miller endured a rough 2022, as he was usurped by Dayne St. Clair at Minnesota United, but he's been reborn in D.C. as arguably MLS's premier ball-playing goalkeeper. Manager Wayne Rooney has said in interviews that he encourages Miller taking risks in the sweeper-keeper role and while some of the numbers aren't great, it sounds like he has a hold on the team's No. 1 spot. | 42 | Alex Bono |
11 | CF Montreal | 21 | Sirois didn't start this campaign as the No. 1 goalkeeper, but a dislocated shoulder for Pantemis him the starting job and the 21-year-old hasn't looked back. There's always the chance Pantemis reclaims the top spot, but Sirois is young and has a bright future ahead of him if he doesn't slip up. | 72 | James Pantemis |
12 | Nashville SC | 34 | Since joining the league as an expansion club in 2020, Nashville has finished the regular season with the third, first and fourth fewest goals conceded in successive years, and that isn't expected to change in 2023. At 34 years old, Willis won't be seeing any drastic improvements to his game, but he doesn't have much competition and it'd be a surprise if Nashville didn't continue with him for another year or two. | 41 | Elliot Panicco |
13 | Los Angeles FC | 29 | Crepeau was an above average keeper on the best team in the league in 2022, keeping 10 clean sheets as LAFC won both the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup. Unfortunately, he broke his leg in the playoff final and his return in 2023 was unknown as of writing in late June. Crepeau is expected to take back the starting spot once he eventually returns from injury and that's the main reason he's still worth considering over McCarthy. | 37 | John McCarthy |
14 | Toronto FC | 34 | Johnson is still getting called up to the U.S. men's national team, but that'll likely end in coming years, if not months, at 34 years old. The bigger downer for him is that Toronto isn't great defensively, so Johnson's overall numbers are a bit worse, which has led to less value at Sorare. | 31 | Tomas Romero |
15 | Orlando City SC | 33 | Gallese continues plugging away with Orlando, capable of masterclass performances at any moment (often for Peru) but incapable of dragging a club in transition above mid-table mediocrity. It is fitting then that he lands at just about the midpoint of this list, exactly where he was in 2022. | 39 | Mason Stajduhar |
16 | Vancouver | 27 | Vancouver's goalkeeper depth chart was one of the more chaotic and unpredictable in the league last year, something that's no longer the case. Takaoka arrived from Japanese champions Yokohama F. Marinos in February and he has settled any debate on the team's goalkeeper situation, reflected in the Whitecaps' improved performances across all facets in 2023. | 44 | Thomas Hasal |
17 | San Jose | 29 | The main limitation for Daniel is that he's battling against arguably the best backup in the league in Marcinkowski, who started 11 games in the spring while Daniel dealt with a knee injury. If he can overcome that competition, which seems favorable, he could climb these rankings even more, as he's signed with the club until after the 2024 season. | 44 | JT Marcinkowski |
18 | Austin FC | 32 | Stuver and Austin had a massive 2022, which is why the goalkeeper was sought after in Sorare circles after the season. However, after a couple up-and-down months, his price hasn't gone up much. Still, with multiple years left on his contract, he shouldn't lose much value in the next couple years with minimal competition behind him. | 45 | Matt Bersano |
19 | Seattle Sounders | 37 | The Sounders missed the MLS playoffs for the first time in their existence as a club last season, something that led to some Stefan Cleveland as starting goalkeeper talk, at least for a second. Yet, at the heart of everything remains 37-year-old Frei, who will celebrate a decade with the team at the end of this campaign. Age is definitely a concern, but he seems like someone who could play another few years, as long as Seattle keeps its core and competing for titles. | 34 | Stefan Cleveland |
20 | Portland Timbers | 29 | Ivacic has had a mostly up-and-down tenure at Portland and he's been benched a few times for David Bingham after a bit of a falling out with manager Giovanni Savarese in March. Ivacic remains the preferred choice over Bingham when he's available, but the uncertainty clouds his outlook while on an already inconsistent Timbers side. | 29 | David Bingham |
21 | Columbus Crew | 34 | Room is one of the biggest fallers from last year's rankings, but most of that is due to injury. He missed the first few months of the season and minimal updates resulted in a falling price, as Schulte was fine in his place. Considering he's signed with Columbus through 2024, Room is probably safer than most think, assuming he can stay healthy. Then again, Schulte is 22 years old and could hold onto the position. | 15 | Patrick Schulte |
22 | Houston Dynamo | 37 | Clark has been around the block a few times in MLS and age is his main detractor at this point in terms of Sorare value. Like with Frei and Guzan above him, the 37-year-old Clark isn't getting any younger, but his current level is still good enough to be a decisive factor in games and to possibly earn another one-year contract at the end of 2023. | 21 | Andrew Tarbell |
23 | Charlotte FC | 30 | Kahlina had a solid first season with Charlotte, but both he and the club have regressed a bit in 2023. The Croatian keeper missed the first few months of the campaign after undergoing back surgery in the offseason, but he took back the job in May when Marks suffered an injury of his own. Considering Marks is younger and cheaper, there's a chance Kahlina loses the job at some point in the next year. | 31 | |
24 | Atlanta United | 38 | The oldest goalkeeper on this list, Guzan, was the center of an amazing comeback story after missing almost all of 2022 with a torn Achilles. He's been solid in 2023 outside of an injury to his knee that kept him out a month. Injuries are clearly an issue for him at 38 years old and since his contract isn't guaranteed past 2023, there are some questions about his future if Atlanta look elsewhere in the offseason. | 20 | |
25 | Real Salt Lake | 31 | MacMath earned the trust of manager Pablo Mastroeni last season, as he took over from David Ochoa to become the starting goalkeeper. But this year, MacMath resembles more like what he's been for most of his senior career, a backup goalkeeper in MLS. His overall numbers aren't good and there's a chance he eventually loses the position to Beavers. | 19 | Gavin Beavers |
26 | Sporting KC | 37 | There isn't a great answer to the SKC goalkeeper situation, as Melia can't seem to stay healthy and is set to turn 38 before the 2024 season. Pulskamp was thought to be the next guy up, but he struggled when given opportunities and McIntosh finds himself as the guy (as of June). McIntosh could lose the starting job at any point with expected replacement Pulskamp finally getting another chance. | 20 | |
27 | New York | 26 | Barraza was probably the least touted starting goalkeeper in MLS to begin 2023, as he was replacing the departing Sean Johnson at NYCFC with only five top-flight games to his name. He hasn't exactly been a game changer and his team has largely underwhelmed this season with backup Freese hoping to take the spot away. Barraza opened the season as starter, but if he doesn't do anything impressive, Freese could close as the starter. | 22 | Matt Freese |
28 | LA Galaxy | 30 | There haven't been a ton of positives for the Galaxy in the first half of 2023 and the same goes for Bond and his lack of clean sheets. While Klinsmann won't take the job this year, there's a decent chance the team will look for other options to usurp Bond in net if things don't get better for him and the defense. | 31 | |
29 | Colorado Rapids | 34 | One could argue Yarbrough no longer belongs on this list as his unimpressive play has seen him benched in favor of newcomer Ilic. The Serbian is on loan from Belgian side KV Kortrijk through the end of the season but Colorado has an option to buy. Neither goalkeeper has shown a ton of promise and there's a chance the Rapids once again look elsewhere ahead of next season. | 16 | Marko Ilic |
* Prices as of 6/26/23 from SorareData