Ranking the Copa America Goalkeepers

cover photo belongs to REUTERS/Jorge Adorno

The Copa America kicks off this weekend and you still don't know which goalkeepers are the best ones in the tournament. You're sweating bullets as your friend's watch party draws near. How will you answer the bombardment of goalkeeper-based questions? Who is Justo Villar and where is Keylor Navas? Save this page on your phone for a quick cheat sheet of which goalkeepers to keep an eye out for this tournament. The top eight feature a quick run through of the top talents while the bottom eight are relegated to a simple blurb here and there. Tune in next century for the second Copa America Centenario ranking list.

 

1. Chile

1. Claudio Bravo, 33
(Barcelona / Spain.1)
2. Cristopher Toselli, 27
(Universidad Católica / Chile.1)
3. Johnny Herrera, 35
(Universidad de Chile / Chile.1)

It's not really a surprise when the starter for Barcelona (a good club in Spain) is the best goalkeeper in a regional tournament. Notching 32 starts for his club, Bravo sets a high standard that no one else really comes that close to. I'd say ESPN undersold him a little bit by only putting him at 21st in their top players in the tournament list. (To be fair, they listed Bravo only behind Costa Rica's goalkeeper, Keylor Navas, who was not named in the final squad.) Bravo is good enough that he could win goalkeeper of the tournament despite not being on the winning side, although Chile are looking to retain their title they won last year.

 

2. Uruguay

Muslera prepares himself to punt the ball very far

Muslera prepares himself to punt the ball very far

1. Fernando Muslera, 29
(Galatasaray / Turkey.1)
2. Martin Campana, 33
(Vasco da Gama / Brazil.1)
3. Martin Silva, 27
(Independiente / Argentina.1)

Following Galatasaray's sixth place finish in league play, Muslera is looking for some redemption and Uruguay is the right team for the job. With arguably the easiest group in the tournament and starting for a nation that has a history of winning the tournament (oh just fifteen times, the most ever), Muslera is in a great position to find himself in the final. While the backups don't provide a ton of depth for Uruguay, the bigger issue will be getting the attack to fire on all cylinders, after scoring on two goals in four games in last year's tournament.

 

3. Argentina

Romero practices his levitating skills at halftime

Romero practices his levitating skills at halftime

1. Sergio Romero, 29
(Manchester United / England.1)
2. Nahuel Guzmán, 30
(UANL / Mexico.1)
3. Mariano Andújar, 32
(Estudiantes / Argentina.1)

Just two years ago Sergio Romero and Argentina were battling Germany in the World Cup final. Now they are facing the giants of Chile! Panama! Bolivia! Okay maybe not the same powerhouse match ups as the World Cup final but the ManU backup will at least get some warmup games before the knockout stage kicks in. With Argentina the odds on favorite to win, Romero could find some gold plated gloves to... well I don't know exactly what you do with gold plated gloves. Hang them up? He might want to figure that out, actually.

 

4. Brazil

photo belongs to Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images

photo belongs to Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images

1. Alisson, 24
(Roma / Italy.1)
2. Diego Alves, 30
(Valencia / Spain.1)
3. Marcelo Grohe, 29
(Grêmio / Brazil.1)

Brazil has historically struggled to match their flare up top with a goalkeeper of the same caliber and this year is no different. The three goalkeepers share a total of 16 caps between them and while Alisson has been given the number one spot, he still brings along the typical problems a twenty-three year old goalkeeper has: trying to do too much and lacking the calm composure you'd want from a veteran player. Still, he has the tools to succeed and, age aside, is in a somewhat similar position as Iker Casillas was in 2014: we know he can play but don't know how he will play. We could just as easily see a monster reflex save to seal the game or a soft goal to the blues of everyone.

 

5. Colombia

1. David Ospina, 27
(Arsenal, England.1)
2. Róbinson Zapata, 37
(Santa Fe / Colombia.1)
3. Cristian Bonilla, 23
(Atlético Nacional / Colombia.1)

Just because you're a backup doesn't mean you level of play has dipped. Yes, Ospina hasn't received a bulk of the starts at Arsenal, but you don't get to that high point in your career without maintaining yourself regardless of playing time. Ospina isn't going to be making the top ninety saves (although he does make a fantastic save at 0:35) but he will provide the calmness that Colombia will need if they're expecting to leave a tough group and face likely Brazil (oh no) or Ecuador (yes please) next round.

 

6. Mexico

Photo belongs to Mexsport. Only one shoe belongs to Corona. He lost the other one on the way to the game.

Photo belongs to Mexsport. Only one shoe belongs to Corona. He lost the other one on the way to the game.

1. José de Jesús Corona, 35
(Cruz Azul / Mexico.1)
2. Alfredo Talavera, 33
(Toluca / Mexico.1)
3. Guillermo Ochoa, 30
(Málaga / Spain.1)

CONCACAF finally gets on the board with a nation whose goalkeepers would almost combine to be the same age as the tournament itself. Despite not being the oldest starter (see Paraguay), Corona has actually returned to the scene just a little over a year ago. The agile elder sat the 2014 World Cup but is now in a position to turn some heads and hopefully lead Mexico to a better performance than year's Copa America run, which ended with them bottoming out in the group and a 11th place finish in the twelve team tournament.

 

7. USA

Brad Guzan and Oribe Peralta discuss fiscal policy during the 2015 CONCACAF Cup.

1. Brad Guzan, 31
(Aston Villa / England.1)
2. Tim Howard, 37
(Colorado Rapids / USA.1)
3. Ethan Horvath, 20
(Molde / Norway.1)

It's somewhat of a low point for the country that has enjoyed great goalkeeping for the past two decades. It's bad enough that Guzan is coming off a less than impressive year with relegated Aston Villa, where he was actually their player of the year just a few years earlier, but the Americans are probably going to need some extraordinary performances from Guzan to simply leave the group. Guzan has a great platform to have a praiseworthy tournament and the free agent could certainly use a boost to his player stock.

 

8. Paraguay

This is Justo Villar, the goalkeeper of the Paraguay National Team, and he has DirecTV

This is Justo Villar, the goalkeeper of the Paraguay National Team, and he has DirecTV

1. Justo Villar, 38
(Colo-Colo / Chile.1)
2. Antony Silva, 32
(Cerro Porteño / Paraguay.1)
3. Diego Barreto, 34
(Olimpia / Paraguay.1)

If you thought Mexico's goalkeepers were old then you will probably think this core is also old. Villar was on scene for the 2-2 draw against Brazil in March for a World Cup Qualifier earlier this year and they're looking to not lose yet again. Villar is incredibly mobile for his age but has a flair for the theatrics. Paraguay managed to sneak past Brazil last Copa America and then lose 6-1 to Argentina in the next match. It's hard to say what to expect from Paraguay or Villar but looking at the rest of the countries we haven't covered, they defaulted into eighth place. If Villar doesn't overplay his hand, there's a good chance they'll find themselves sneaking out of the stacked group.

 

Best of the Rest

9. Ecuador

1. Alexander Domínguez, 28
(LDU Quito / Ecuador.1)
2. Máximo Banguera, 30
(Barcelona / Ecuador.1)
3. Esteban Dreer, 34
(Emelec / Ecuador.1)

Domínguez started in the 2014 World Cup with Ecuador so facing Peru and Haiti should really throw him for a curveball.
 

10. Costa Rica

1. Patrick Pemberton, 34
(Alajuelense / Costa Rica.1)
2. Leonel Moreira, 26
(Herediano / Costa Rica.1)
3. Danny Carvajal, 27
(Saprissa / Costa Rica.1)

If Navas didn't drop out he'd push Costa Rica to the top five. I wouldn't say this ruins their chances of escaping the group but I wouldn't say it's extremely helpful either.
 

11. Jamaica

1. Andre Blake, 25
(Philadelphia Union / USA.1)
2. Duwayne Kerr, 29
(Sarpsborg / Norway.1)
3. Ryan Thompson, 31
(Saint Louis FC / USA.3)

Andre Blake is the only goalkeeper in the tournament to play a game in MLS this season, in case you were wondering the pedigree of the current MLS goalkeeper pool.
 

12. Venezuela

1. José Contreras, 21
(Deportivo Táchira / Venezuela.1)
2. Dani Hernández, 30
(Tenerife / Spain.2)
3. Wuilker Faríñez, 18
(Caracas / Venezuela.1)

It looks like Venezuela are running with the youngster (who received his first caps this year) and not Hernández (20 caps). Bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it plays off for them.
 

13. Peru

1. Pedro Gallese, 26
(Juan Aurich / Peru.1)
2. Diego Penny, 32
(Sporting Cristal / Peru.1)
3. Carlos Cáceda, 24
(Universitario / Peru.1)

Here's an article about how Gallese will be important in their match against Haiti if they're looking to leave the tournament with more than zero points.
 

14. Panama

1. Jaime Penedo, 34
(Saprissa / Costa Rica.1)
2. Álex Rodríguez, 25
(San Francisco / Panama.1)
3. José Calderón
(Platense / Honduras.1)

Fun fact: Penedo is one of four goalkeepers in this tournament that used to play in MLS and backup Rodríguez used to play for the New York Yankees before quitting to join Panama.
 

15. Haiti

1. Johnny Placide, 27
(Reims / France.2)
2. Steward Ceus
(Minnesota United / USA.2)
3. Luis Valendi Odelus
(Aigle Noir / Haiti.1)

Placide's claim to fame is being scored on by Ibrahimovic.
 

16. Bolivia

1. Carlos Lampe, 29
(Sport Boys / Bolivia.1)
2. Romel Quiñónez, 23
(Bolívar / Bolivia.1)
3. Guillermo Vizcarra, 23
(Oriente Petrolero / Bolivia.1)

Pass

Player Journal: Bobby Edwards, St. Joseph's University

cover photo belongs to Sideline Photos, LLC

Bobby Edwards is the starting goalkeeper at St. Joseph's University, where he recently completed his sophomore year in May. The 6'6" goalkeeper started fourteen games in both of his first two years at SJU and enters the summer with the New York Red Bulls U23s, alongside Eric Klenofsky (Monmouth) and Evan Louro (Michigan). Over the next two years, we'll track Edwards' progress with bi-monthly updates as he pursues his goal of becoming a professional goalkeeper.

As a 6’6” goalkeeper, there’s just as assumption that you’ll be great in the air and saves are rarely an issue because of your frame, unless the save is low. How much truth is there to this? How has being 6’6” affected your training?

Being tall has definitely given me certain advantages throughout my career. But there is an important distinction between being big and knowing how to use your size. If you tower over everyone and take up half the goal, but you have two left feet when it comes to movement and positioning, you won't be successful. Being big is a foot in the door, but it takes a lot of detailed training and experience to push that door open.
 
As far as high balls go, my height definitely is an advantage in being able to reach balls above attacking players. And yet it's my opinion that they are still one of the toughest situations for a goalkeeper to deal with. One second too late or one second too early can be the difference between a blunder or a great play. My size has saved me a lot of times by being able to make up for perhaps a misread ball or some sloppy footwork on high balls. I also have spent a good amount of time in the gym, trying to get stronger so I can go up in traffic and claim crosses. Having the extra power helps you win 50-50's in the air and makes it easier on yourself being that you aren't usually the one taking the beating in the battle. 
 
I have always heard that big keepers struggle to get down for low balls. My training has always put a lot of emphasis on working on responding to low balls, since in a certain sense there is a greater distance to cover for tall keepers. But with a longer wing span it is easier for big keepers to reach corners and pick the pockets, so I have learned how to compensate. 

As a taller keeper, I have always focused on, and still focus on, my movement, coordination and body control. The key for any keeper to get better is to put in a lot of work to strengthen their weaknesses. Having size means my strengths and weaknesses are different than other goalkeepers and vice versa, so in a sense yes, being big has affected my training.

St. Joseph’s finished 4-12-2 last year, following a 7-7-4 finish the year before. Where did y’all struggle this last year and what needs to happen moving forward into your junior year that will put St. Joseph’s on a more competitive platform?

Yeah, tough year to say the least. I experienced some of my lowest lows on the soccer field this past year, which was really tough mentally.

We lost three fourths of our starting back line, two of whom were captain center backs. As a freshman, I was fortunate to have an experienced back line that had already played together for three years. They had a cohesiveness that was built over time. Anyone who has played on a team over time knows that a solid back line isn't just about having the best players, it involves having a chemistry that enables the back line to work together as one unit. So losing that was tough. This isn't to say our rookies didn't do well this year, I think they did a great job being thrown into the fire their first year, but experience only comes from playing games. So naturally we didn't have the cohesiveness that we had had the year before. We made some mistakes out of a lack of experience, myself very much included.

photo belongs to Sideline Photos

photo belongs to Sideline Photos

Pressure was also put on our back line because we struggled to score goals. If we gave up a goal, it sometimes felt like we had fallen into a hole that would be hard to come back from. You could see our heads drop after we gave up a goal and our morale took a hit. If we can get more dangerous up top, we take pressure off our backline, which will help us a ton. I'm hopeful that with the experience we gained last year, we will have more cohesiveness and with some talented guys coming in to add to the mix, our overall play will be significantly stronger.

Our whole team was young. We had only two seniors. The majority of our guys who stepped on the field were either first year players or starting for the first time. Again, I think our guys did well, but for a battle between experienced college players looking to go pro vs. our inexperience, it isn't always a fair fight. Chemistry, experience, size, leadership - these are all things that get better with time.

You’re training with the New York Red Bulls U23s this summer. What about their program made you want to train with them?

The New York Red Bulls are a class organization. From the first team to the youth levels, they play great soccer and have a great program. A lot of factors went into deciding to play with them for the summer, and it took a while to come to that decision. First, the staff, facilities, and team are all amazing with the Red Bulls. They create a competitive environment that is second to none, always pushing you to be better. You don't have time to coast there or take your foot off the gas. This ties into another huge reason I wanted to come back: the people training around me are elite players. Evan Louro and Eric Klenofsky are two of the best goalkeepers I have been able to play with so far in my career. Training with them allows me to learn a lot and find out what is working for them and see if I can implement it into my own game. Lastly, I have the amazing luck that RBNY is pretty much in my backyard. To get to the facilities it takes five minutes, and if I really needed to, I could probably walk to practice. This means I can live at home, and still be able to have my life here in New Jersey. Back in February, I blew out my 5th metatarsal (the bone on the side of your foot) which needed surgery and three-to-four months of rehab. That meant that my return to play was just about two weeks before the PDL season kicked off. I knew that if I wanted to get back to where I needed to be fitness wise, living at home would allow me to spend more time training in the gym and rehab.

Adelaide Gay Interview: From UNC to Sweden's Top Flight

Adelaide Gay is a professional goalkeeper for Kvarnsvedens IK in Sweden's premier league. After spending time at Yale and North Carolina, Gay played with the Portland Thorns and Washington Spirit before traveling overseas to her current club. Adelaide has contributed to Our Magazine multiple times and offers a unique perspective on playing abroad, development in the US, and the expectations on playing at North Carolina.

Photo belongs to Jeffrey A. Camarati

Talk about your introduction into goalkeeping. How early on did you realize that becoming a pro was a real possibility?

My dad was a goalkeeper, so I always wanted to play goalkeeper. We’d rotate through when I was younger but I was always willing to volunteer and that’s kind of rare in youth soccer so I ended up being in goal more and more. I think my first real introduction to goalkeeping was at SoccerPlus goalkeeper camps when I was 11 or 12. I remember I went in to it holding the ball like a football when I was trying to protect it and came out with a notebook full of detail that I didn’t really even imagine was possible. It was a great foundation because they went through every kind of save and how to make it using the proper technique. 

I think after I transferred from Yale to UNC it was just a natural thought that I would continue to play after college. After my first professional season in Portland, I’d gotten an idea of what playing pro actually meant and I changed my approach to it a little. And as strange as it sounds that’s when I realized it was a real possibility. 

 

I read that you threw shot put in high school. How did you get into that and what was your record?

*laughs* I did. I went to a school where you had to play a sport for the school every semester. Since I had a lot of outside commitments with soccer I chose to run track because it met every afternoon at the same time and didn’t interfere with as badly with my soccer schedule. I was not a great track athlete so our coach put me in the 800m with all the other girls that I’m pretty sure he was trying to convince to quit. I ran the 800m for two years, which was exhausting and I never came close to being very good at it. Then one day I picked up one of the shot put balls because I was curious how heavy it was. I threw it and the coach was like, "Hey that was pretty far." I trained a bit and actually won some events. I don’t remember my record to be honest, but for a couple years I was a pretty big deal in the world of Mid-Atlantic prep school shot putters.   

 

There have been recent waves with the USSF starting a developmental academy for the girls’ side, which would be in direct competition with ECNL clubs. So far the main difference between the two organizations is that DA players will be restricted from playing for their high school. How important was playing for your high school and if your club had put that limitation on you, how would you have responded?

I probably wouldn’t have responded. I almost didn’t play for my high school my junior and senior year to train more at what I felt was a higher level. I ended up enjoying those two years immensely but from a developmental standpoint they weren’t necessarily a big deal for me. For some kids, I know high school soccer is a big deal and at some bigger schools the teams and coaches are good. To me, it seemed like more of a social right of passage. I enjoyed playing with my friends and there’s an element of drama that’s different from playing for your club. To be honest though, I was the girl that was annoyed when players on our [club] team missed things to play high school soccer.

 

From the outside looking in, it seems that girls have a different perception towards playing for their high school over the boys. I've heard multiple times that the ECNL has been successful because they allow players to play high school, while the boys’ side doesn’t seem to struggle the decision as near as much. Now, you’re a few years removed from playing in high school but how important is it for the average player to play for her high school? And do you foresee the DA limiting or elevating themselves in competing with the ECNL?

I’m not sure that I can give you the best insight here *laughs*. I never really understood the allure of high school soccer but I agree that some girls find it to be a big deal.

I will say that I think playing ODP, club, and getting training from a lot of different coaches was important to me so I don’t think it’s best for overall development to have kids only learning in one system. High school soccer is not the best example because a lot of the programs are stuck in the stone age but I think having multiple leagues or programs to play in is actually good for players. Not only do [the players] learn to adapt but if one program doesn’t like their playing style, they can find a team or club that does. I’m not a huge proponent of "Let’s integrate everything together [in order to] make sure no one falls through the cracks". I think it ends up doing the opposite. That’s just my two cents as a player who wasn’t particularly “identified” but really enjoyed playing and was able to find specific coaches who supported and pushed me to grow as a player.

 

You one of the few, if not only, soccer players to transfer from Yale to North Carolina, where you ended up getting the bulk of your time your junior and senior year. What prompted the transfer and did UNC meet your expectations coming into the program?

I’m not just saying this because it’s the “right" thing to say but I think why I wanted to leave Yale had a lot more to do with me and less to do with Yale. It’s easy to put your unhappiness on others but I think at the time I didn’t really know what I wanted. I spent the summer before my sophomore year out in LA and I loved training with the players there and their mentality was just so centered around soccer. I love soccer more than anything else in the world. I’ve always gotten good grades and there are other things that interest me, of course, but being surrounded by people that loved soccer as much as I did made me really happy. That’s not to say that the people at Yale didn’t like soccer and that they didn’t work hard or want to get better. It’s just a cultural difference that is hard to explain but that maybe you can imagine? A good small example: at UNC we’d played actual games that counted before Yale was even allowed to start preseason.  

“I don’t think people realize that every year and every team is different. People look at UNC and think that they get or have gotten all the best players and somehow the history of the program helped them to keep winning but to me, if anything, the burden of what came before you makes it harder.”

UNC exceeded my expectations. A lot of people tell you when deciding where to go to college to think of the school outside of soccer because you might get injured, etc. But I think if soccer is one of the things that makes you happiest, you can sort of miss the mark thinking that way. I was so much happier just being at training that it made me love so many other things about the school. Before I even got the chance to play in a game, I loved it. I loved the school, the girls, the coaches, the program. When I transferred it was a difficult and confusing time and I’m not sure I really knew what I was signing up for except that that was the training environment I wanted if I only had a few more years to play soccer. In the end, through all the little things I loved about the school and program made it better than I expected. Playing and winning a national championship was a bonus.

 

What do you feel was the main reason UNC allowed you to transfer in? I just find the move very unique and am curious on how it unfolded. I assume they needed depth at goalkeeper, but what about a goalkeeper from Yale made you a player they were interested in?

I’d trained with Chris Ducar, the goalkeeper coach at UNC, before at different summer camps so he knew me both as a player and a person. They obviously made no promises to me in terms of playing time but he knew me pretty well. And like I said, I’d trained the summer before with three or four UNC players. Not to mention that I didn’t need any help getting into the school so I don’t think there was much downside for them. Maybe Anson was curious too. *laughs*

 

Looking back on your senior year, the Tar Heels won the national championship, which is almost something of rhetoric now. However, this last year was the first time ever that UNC did not win a national championship in a three year span. What’s something that outsiders don’t understand about UNC’s history of churning out championships?

I don’t think people realize that every year and every team is different. People look at UNC and think that they get or have gotten all the best players and somehow the history of the program helped them to keep winning but to me, if anything, the burden of what came before you makes it harder. Especially because the other teams are really good. I’m sure they always were but especially nowadays. You can’t just walk into any top ten team’s stadium and expect to crush them. My junior year we lost to Notre Dame in the Sweet Sixteen by three or four goals and I remember there being an article in the paper about how that was the first time UNC had lost by more than a goal in 15 years or something ridiculous like that. Any time we did anything bad during my tenure there was a record that we’d broken in a negative way. You have to carry that weight in the right way to being successful. And that means that you can honor the tradition while still looking to find your own way and realizing that the past only has a hold on what you allow it to.

So I think it’s important that fans and the players going to UNC realize that each team is unique and winning a championship is never handed to you regardless of what you did last year or the year before or ten years ago. It always takes a special group. I know Anson could tell you what was special about each of those groups, just like I could tell you what was special about ours.

Interestingly, when I played for Portland I got the sense that our team, as well as the fans, felt that we should be crushing teams. So we would win a game 1-0 in the beginning of the season or tie and it was this enormous let down because we felt like we needed to win by more to fulfill our “potential.” But going into a game thinking you should win is like going in a goal down, or multiple goals down. And it’s ridiculous because you could have the best players and not win. No team is just owed wins based on pure talent or history. You have to have a little fight in you and a lot of that comes from realizing that there will be things to overcome even if you are the odds on favorite to win.

 

You’ve spent time with multiple American clubs, crossing over NWSL and the W-League. While the NWSL is getting more established, there is still a limit of roster spots for players coming out college. A number of players are looking at the same route that you took and trying their hand overseas. What does American soccer need to do to retain more players from going overseas? Or are their more positives for American players going to foreign leagues?

I would recommend going overseas, especially out of college, for a few reasons. First, like you were saying it’s hard to make a roster even if you got drafted. If you do make the roster, it’s unlikely that you’ll be on the field and there is no reserve league that you can play games with while being on the professional team’s roster. 

Second, professional soccer is so different from college soccer. It’s better, it’s harsher, it’s longer. Coming out of college you have a lot of life decisions that feel like they need to be made right away. And the net result is that it’s hard to perform your best your first year. Having a guaranteed contract with a team that really wants you where you will get minutes on the field even if it isn’t with the first team is huge. You learn a different style of play. You learn to be flexible because you are away from home and the social conventions are different. You grow as a player, you get better, you gain experience. And you gain credibility back in the US a lot of times. 

 

You joined the Swedish club Kvarnsvedens IK in 2015 and earned promotion to the first tier (the Damallsvenskan) after last season. How did the move to Sweden transpire? Was going overseas the original goal or would you ultimately prefer to play in the US?

When I first decided to come over here I just wanted to play. I wanted to continue to grow and develop. There was a part of me that would have preferred to stay at home but I just knew this was best for my career for all the reasons I just gave you and more. Now I look at it completely differently. I feel like I’ve improved a million times technically, physically and tactically. I am getting great game experience and I’m around really great supportive people. Mentally I feel more prepared to be successful on a daily basis.

I’m not sure what the future holds for me. I think playing in the US would be nice eventually just because it’s home, but it’s such a tough league with the kind of contracts and league rules you’re really just at so many people’s mercy. I just want to focus on what’s going to make me the best goalkeeper I can possibly be physically, technically and mentally and right now that’s right where I am.

 

Aside from the rise in competition, what’s been the biggest adjustment from last season to this year’s?

We’ll the rise in competition has hands down been the biggest difference. I think we’ve been handling it really well but it’s just more about recovering for each game and giving it our best shot than last year when we had a little bit more latitude. Sort of related, I’ve never gone into so many games before where our team is not expected to win. It’s strange and oddly freeing to be honest.

The other small detail is that last year I felt very much like we were in a bubble. No one really cared what we were doing, which was nice in a way because we were just a very close team from the middle of nowhere that was giving it everything we had and overachieving in a lot of ways. The feeling within the team is very much the same this year but there is a little bit less of a bubble. We’re doing more social media and things in the community. We’re trying to build a team and program that can be successful in the longterm. And there is more interest in us from the media and the league. So it’s less of us against the world and a little bit more open to the traditional influences of professional soccer. 

 

Obviously you’re focused on your club play more than anything, but with all 23 players on the US World Cup roster coming from the NWSL, do you get the sense that players not playing in the NWSL are at a disadvantage with receiving a call up?

Probably. But I really believe that if you focus on your own development and being the best player and person you can be, things usually work out in the end, as hard as that might be to stick to with outside forces. I would hate to see a player think that they have to move back from overseas to play in the NWSL because that’s the only way they can get on the national team. I’ve actually seen that go very wrong for a couple of players that I know personally. I think players doing what’s best for their development and mental well being usually works out best in the long run even if they might not be on a roster right now.

 

Five years from now, what’s the ideal plan? Stay in Sweden, return to the US, or be playing elsewhere?

I really don’t know. I feel as though I’m still improving and that I still have a ways to go to get to my full potential. So I just hope that I can make decisions that keep me on that path, wherever that may lead me geographically.

Soccer Photogrammetry Interview: American Soccer's Most Logical Fan

Every so often Everybody Soccer likes to live up to its name and search out unique contributors to American soccer. Last year I talked to Horse Guy about his interactions with the Revs and most recently I stumbled across Soccer Photogrammetry (@OffsideModeling). Soccer Photogrammetry uses a computer program to give a definite answer on offside, goal, or out of bounds situations. While the products are always interesting and informative, it's also a great example of how there is still plenty of room for the every day fan to contribute to the game. Scroll down to learn more about American soccer's most logical fan.

First question, who exactly runs the anonymous Soccer Photogrammetry account and what makes you qualified to run such an account?

My name is Greg Boege (@Sombraala) and I'm a software engineer. I don't necessarily need to be anonymous, but I don't mind it either. When I'm anonymous I can't be accused of being biased towards/against a team - which I like because I try very hard to not let my particular personal interests interfere with how I model things - but I should be able to justify my work in face of the accusations of bias. The other reason is that it isn't really about 'me'. I don't want people to see the account and think of a person as much as a service. In the future, maybe I open up the account to multiple people, especially as the account gets more and more requests.

As far as qualifications go, I wouldn't say I'm particularly qualified to run the account, it's just that I'm the only one that happens to do so. I do have interests and hobbies that are useful - like an interest in photography which helps with the understanding of how cameras and lenses work and, more importantly, can distort reality and result in an image that isn't a true representation of what it depicts. I had taken classes as a computer scientist about computer graphics and understanding the those concepts (viewport, raytracing, etc.) are useful in understanding what exactly I'm trying to accomplish when I'm doing the work. 

And, above all, I'm a scientist. Maybe not by profession, but I'm always looking to coax information out of whatever is available. Ultimately that resulted in me thinking "is it possible to know with some certainty whether so-and-so was offside or not?" and then actually going out to accomplish that.

How did you start Soccer Photogrammetry?

It all started back in 2013. I had been using SketchUp to make some 3D models of something (my house, I believe) and I came across the 'Match Photo' functionality. A contentious (non) offside call resulted in a goal against my team so I wanted to prove to everyone that I was right and he was offside and thought "maybe I could use that photo match thing to do it". The resulting model did agree with my assessment, but nobody much cared at the time. It also was pretty sloppy work. (I was just starting to figure out how to do it, after all.)

My first (not very good) offside model, August 2013, NYRB @ SKC:

My next opportunity came on a pretty big call in the 2013 MLS playoffs on an offside call given against Houston vs SKC. (In retrospect, that call may have allowed SKC to win the 2013 MLS Cup.) I had been practicing on my own and gotten much better so I responded to @MLS with a model agreeing with the call. It got Greg Lalas's attention and ultimately referenced on MLSSoccer.com. That was when I realized that people were possibly interested in the work I had been doing. Up until then I had done it for my own curiosity. 

Through 2014 and early 2015 I posted a handful of models on my personal Twitter account. Eventually I figured I had gotten good enough to create a separate Twitter account and pulled the trigger in August 2015. The feedback I got was fantastic, especially from the Columbus fans despite my model saying their goal should have been called back. It was especially encouraging when Simon Borg referenced my account in Instant Replay. I literally danced when I saw that. 

Another big call I enjoyed doing and have actually seen referenced across many media outlets was the 2015 MLS Cup missed out-of-bounds call. To be able to give fans some sort of concrete notion the distance the ball was out-of-bounds was really rewarding. 

What's the most infuriating mistake a commentator can make, regarding offside?

The worst that they could make is to get the rule wrong, but fortunately that doesn't really happen (anymore?). It can be frustrating if they don't seem to have a great handle on passive/active or when it gets reset, but those aspects have changed a bit recently so it can be somewhat understandable. Not appreciating that it's not the "last field player" but actually "2nd-to-last defender" is also frustrating, but those situations are often easy to forget about, especially when you're on-the-spot and expected to be making constant commentary. 

The one I would consider the actual most infuriating comment - which is to berate the officials for missing a call without having any empathy for the difficulty of making the call. Sure, there are big misses that have the capability to change the outcome of a game, but just like it's difficult for a commentator to get everything right on-the-spot, it's that much more difficult for an AR to get everything right. 

I suppose another one I could mention is just how badly they estimate distances - they'll say a player was a yard offside when really it was a foot. Not that I could do better without spending time to figure it out, but I still find it humorous just how far off they can be. 

What's the margin of error for a player being offside but being too close to tell? Should fans really be upset if a linesman misses a striker being off by an inch?

Any time an offside call is given where the player was not offside it's justifiable for a fan to be upset - because they are instructed to give the benefit of the doubt to the attacker. Likewise, if a player is offside and a call not given then fans should understand that same aspect of favoring the attacker. I think it depends on the situation as to just how far off a call must be to be 'badly missed', but I tend to consider 1 foot of being off but not called as a good threshold for feeling hard-done and within 6 inches fans should consider that it's probably as much, if not more, their defense's fault than a poor non-call.

Still, I strongly encourage empathy towards officials. It's not as if ARs won't make mistakes - everyone makes mistakes. Feel bad about the call, sure, but don't make it personal. 

Without completely ruining the mystery of how you do your work, how does it work? Is there a "best" camera angle?

Well, I don't mind ruining the mystery if you are interested in having it ruined. I actually put a video on YouTube showing how some of it works. The gist is that I'm somewhat 'reverse engineering' the reality of the moment the pass is made. I use the (standard) markings on the field to replicate the vanishing points - the 18 yard box is, unsurprisingly, 18 yards from the end-line. The arch is 10 yards from the penalty spot which is 12 yards from the end-line, etc. I have a pre-made model of these markings and line up that model with the photo using SketchUp's 'Match Photo' functionality. When my model lines up with the photo I know that I can proceed to model the other parts of the image and they should line up in my model in the same place they were in reality. 

This is easier when dealing with just players feet on the ground. Conceptually each point in an image is a ray from the position of the camera, eventually that ray hits a visible object and so we know that the object is somewhere along that ray/line. When we're dealing with feet on the ground I can use the plane of the ground to bound the ray and easily determine the position. 

Shoulders, heads, or balls which are in the air are more difficult because I can no longer rely on the plane of the ground and so the point could be one of many with a margin-of-error of many inches to even multiple feet. If I have two angles of the play, however, I can find the point at which the two rays intersect and use that as the position of that point in 3D. Even if I don't have a second angle I can often use cues from where a player's feet are (since I can model those with just one angle) and extrapolate from there. It won't be precise, but sometimes it doesn't need to be - if the entire range of possible values are all onside or offside then I may not know for sure exactly how far on or off they were, but I can still know whether they were or were not onside.

Sometimes I even go as far to use the video leading to the frame in question to model where the player stepped prior to the particular frame. Sometimes I have to just say I don't know and can't tell. 

The best angles are going to be the same that you would want to see as a fan - as straight-on as possible to the play. Having a second angle is wonderful, though, and that second angle doesn't have to be great. 

The worst angles are any which have no field markings on them at all. I rely on the known values to make the model accurate, but if the image is from the midfield and there are no field markings and no grass striping then I just can't do it. I also can't model it if they don't actually show the player at the time the ball was played. There are calls where taking the frame where contact is first made vs. when the ball leaves the foot make a difference, so waiting a couple of frames to see the player in question is not really going to prove much of anything.

My biggest problems stem from the type of lenses that they use, which tend to be wide-angle lenses in order to get as much field in the broadcast as possible. These have significant distortion problems and that can make something appear in a spot which is significantly far off from where it was in reality. I sometimes have to use software to try and account for this, and this is where my photography training really comes in to play.

Does it matter if a video is in 1080p or 240p? How long does it take to compute an offside call or not?

The better the resolution the more accurate I can model. If a pixel is the equivalent of an inch in real life then I'll be able to do much better than if that pixel represents a foot instead. I'll usually try to say when I don't feel like my model is very accurate due to limitations in the source data. 

I can now do a very straightforward call in probably 5 minutes or less if someone gives me the images to work off of and all I have to do is model them. Often times getting the right still to work off of is time consuming (especially for non MLS games where I need to search around for a video to pull one from). If the image needs distortion correction then that takes time too. I've spent hours on a single call before. When new Instant Replay host Brian Dunseth disagreed with my assessment of one in particular. I was not very happy to be told my hours of work was wrong. I still stand by my analysis.

Most, however, are about 10-15 minutes and only rare exceptions are > 30 minutes. 

How do you feel about using robots to supplement - if not overtake - human referees on offside decisions? Is Soccer Photogrammetry a hobby or a statement on how the game is officiated?

They never could take over altogether as the judgement call of whether a player gains an advantage (plays the ball) or if offside is reset by a deliberate action on the part of the defense. That said, my utopian future is one where some sort of Google Glass style augmented reality keeps track of who was in what position when the ball was played. Get the human refs out of the business of doing something that our brains are not very cut out to do (see the Flash Lag Effect). Technology should be used to supplement humans, make the human refs' jobs easier. 

Soccer Photogrammetry is absolutely a hobby. I absolutely have the utmost respect for the ARs out there. If it were a statement on anything it would be that the laws, as they are written, are impossible to enforce accurately on a consistent basis. They are simply too difficult to adjudicate.

Is there a place for advance linesman statistics and if so, what would they look like?

Not that I'm aware of, and that's an interesting notion. If anyone has it, PRO does. 

What's the end goal with Soccer Photogrammetry?

Just to give people the information that they want to know, be a service to the soccer public, and take away that frustrating feeling when it's not so easy to figure that out. Nothing all that great. I would also say that I am interested in writing some custom software to make the work easier to do - handle distortion, help line-up the view ports for the camera angles, etc. But that's just part of that greater goal in the long run.