Michelle Schmidt
March 4, 2020
I know you have seen the headlines by now. Zack Steffen has been rumored to be Ederson’s backup should Claudio Bravo leave Manchester City this summer. First thing first, Bravo will leave this summer. I, and my fellow City supporters, have known this since Ederson arrived a few years ago. It would be a massive shock to all of us if Bravo were to extend his contract. Not to mention we would all be furious because say what you want about his EFL Cup performances, his Premier League performances over the years have left much to be desired. It is safe to say the fans want him gone and he wants to leave. So, with that out of the way, where does Zack fit into this?
I think we all know Zack Steffen is a smart man. We know he has big goals and dreams. We also know he knows when something is not going well and when he needs to step back. He knows what is best for his career and his development. So, no matter what we as fans think, it is important to remember that it is ultimately Zack and his agent and family that will make the decision on where he plays next year. Our job as fans is to support him regardless of where he ends up. My intention here is not to say what I think he should do, but rather the two sides I see as a passionate supporter of the United States Men’s National Team, Manchester City, and Zack Steffen (he’s my favorite-sorry Christian).
First, I am going to talk about Man City.
I can see a few reasons why Zack would be desirable for the club. The first is City already own him, no more money has to be spent. Zack’s value has gone up significantly since City purchased him as well, so basically, they are getting a good keeper for less money. It would cost more for the club to buy a backup at the same skill level as Zack than what they paid for him. In terms of business, it makes sense to use the cheaper option. Secondly, of the goalkeepers City own, Zack is having the best season. Muric’s loan in the Championship is not going very well at all. While Fortuna are currently in the relegation zone, Zack’s performances are not what is putting them there, and in fact sometimes it is his performance that gets them any points at all. Current third goalkeeper Carson, is on loan from Derby County and is aging. He is not a good solution to the backup problem for the long term. So, where does that leave the club? With Zack Steffen. He’s having a good year and has already been paid for, no new money has to be spent and with the planned over hall of the squad this summer, that could be key.
From the City fan’s perspective, Zack is good choice as well. He’s young, a good shot stopper, not too bad with his feet, and perhaps most importantly, he is not Bravo. For the fans, he checks most of the boxes of a good keeper. For the fans it is also nice that City already own Zack, as the changes to squad that are rumored to be occurring will likely come with massive amounts of money being spent. One less player to purchase is a good thing for the fans. It is also believed among the fans that Zack would not be likely to abandon ship if the UEFA ban does hold up, though reading into the situation it seems highly likely that at the very least the ban will be reduced to one year. With all of that said, the biggest reason the fans like the idea is because the belief is that anyone would be better than Bravo, including Zack. Realistically that is probably not true, but that is the general feeling. I’m telling you City fans really do not like Bravo.
Should Zack end up being Ederson’s backup next season, it would mean a couple of things for him. First, he would be training with City’s goalkeeping staff, Ederson, and Pep Guardiola. Not to mention going up against Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling, Kevin de Bruyne, and Bernardo Silva in training every day. Huge names with unbelievable talent and reputations working alongside him. I think it is safe to say he would learn a lot. The downfall to this, is that he would be the backup. There is no way he would take the starting job from Ederson. So, for Zack, he’d be watching most matches from the bench. That said, he would start for the EFL and FA Cups. That is how City works. Ederson very rarely plays those matches to prevent injury so he is available in the bigger league matches. In fact, he is frequently dropped from the match day squad to rest for these ties. The problem for Zack though, is that there are not a lot of these matches. The only other playing time Zack would see, is if Ederson were to get sent off (which does happen more often than I would like as a fan) or if he were to pick up an injury. Ederson does usually have at least one injury a season that has him out for a few matches so Zack could pick up some playing time there, but not substantial minutes. Really the only way he would play regularly would be because Ederson picked up a massive injury.
Now, for the USMNT, what does this mean?
The biggest thing is that it means going into World Cup Qualifying the number 1 goalkeeper is not playing consistently, and that is a problem. For goalkeepers especially it is important that they are playing regularly. It is so much harder to simulate match conditions in training for a goalkeeper than an outfield player. The question would be massive for Gregg Berhalter, because he would have to decide if he values playing time at a smaller club or limited time playing with some of the best. We all know Zack is the number 1 goalkeeper in the pool, and he would not suddenly become worse just because he is not starting over Ederson. Yet Gregg has used that as justification for not bringing in players before. At that point one of two things have to happen; Gregg has to admit he was wrong or stopping calling in Zack. My fear is that he would choose the latter. Should that be his choice, we are now going into World Cup Qualifying without our number 1 keeper. That scares me.
On the other side, having Zack at Manchester City is huge for the program and American footballers. We need our players at the biggest clubs, and like it or not, City is a big club. Even with limited playing time, having an American at the club would be a big deal. It would definitely raise publicity for the USMNT and would further prove that Americans can ball. It also reflects well on the MLS since that is where Zack made a name for himself. Having him there could be great for the growth of the game here, there is no doubt about that.
But, but, but he would not be playing much. And that is the big drawback. He is a goalkeeper. There are no 10-minute cameos in a blowout win for a goalkeeper. No last-minute subs to try to get a result at the death of a match. There is no way for him to get even small amounts of playing time since he is a goalkeeper. The only time Zack will see the pitch is for a cup tie or if Ederson is unavailable. And that might not be enough.
Honestly, it feels like this is happening at the worst possible time for him. If it were the 21-22 season, or this season, it would be much less significant. But it is not. It is the season the USMNT has to redeem themselves and qualify for the World Cup. It is the most important year for the program in a long time. We need everyone at their best and playing and thriving. It may turn out that just being in training at Manchester City is enough to keep Zack in great form and for him to thrive, but it also may hold him back. Unfortunately, there is no way to know until it is too late. That is why as fans, we have to trust that Zack knows what is best and what will help him grow the most as a player. There is nothing else we can do. For me, as a fan of the club, the national team, and Zack I want him in two places at one time. I want nothing more than to see him play for City, even if it is just cup ties and the occasional fill-in for an injured Ederson, but I also want him on loan to start for a top 5 league club in European competition, because I know he is capable of it. This is a hard decision to make for him, I am sure. All we can do is stand by whatever choice he makes.
For The CREST 