<p>American goalkeeper Ethan Horvath has struggled in the early going of the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/championship-tv-schedule/">2024/25 EFL Championship</a> with Welsh side Cardiff City. After three games, Cardiff is bottom of the league with two losses and a draw. In those three games, Cardiff has conceded eight goals. That is the worst in the Championship to go along with the side’s league-worst goal difference of negative seven. Now, analysts and pundits have started to point the finger at Horvath. </p>



<p>On Sunday, BBC Sports analyst Jason Perry admitted that Cardiff City has a goalkeeper problem in the form of Horvath. The former Cardiff City and Wales defender said Horvath does not have the confidence of a goalkeeper that clubs often need in the difficult EFL Championship.</p>



<p>“I understand why [Cardiff manager Erol Bulut] stuck by him [Sunday] because if you dropped him after Burnley, then you lose him. But today, he was very, very nervy,” Perry said. “If you want to play possession football from the back, a goalkeeper becomes an outfield player because sometimes it’s the goalkeeper who will step in between and make that pass.”</p>



<p>It is not just a matter of failed distribution plaguing Horvath either. Shot-stopping, previously Horvath’s calling card among goalkeepers, has haunted him. Perry did attribute the goal <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNeGuIcOB2A" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cardiff conceded against Swansea</a> to Horvath. That may be harsh, as the American made a sensational save before Swansea tucked the ball home on the rebound. Still, Horvath looked shaky.</p>



<p>“He didn’t look comfortable from crosses, the shot for the [Swansea] goal or balls [played] back to him. He doesn’t look comfortable in possession. So, it’s hard to play that way through the thirds starting from that backline.”</p>



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<h2>Ethan Horvath at Cardiff is the latest nervous American goalkeeper in Europe</h2>



<p>Ethan Horvath’s struggles have <a href="https://x.com/worldsoccertalk/status/1824824645079773250" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dipped into the embarrassing</a>. Perry mentioned keeping Horvath in the fold after the Burnley game. He is mentioning the 5-0 drubbing Cardiff experienced at the hands of the club recently relegated from the Premier League. However, the opening goal, arguably the emotion setter for the contest, was a massive blunder from the American. A pass back, something Perry criticized about Horvath, slid off the American’s foot and crept into the net. Horvath and Cardiff never recovered from that moment.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="675" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20240826_WST_524719_Horvath-Burnley-blunder-1200x675_4455840a.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=675" alt="" class="wp-image-524724" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/08/Horvath-Burnley-blunder-1200x675.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/08/Horvath-Burnley-blunder-300x169.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/08/Horvath-Burnley-blunder-768x432.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/08/Horvath-Burnley-blunder-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/08/Horvath-Burnley-blunder.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



<p>For American fans, Horvath is a name that has not featured in recent tournaments. Although he was a part of the squad for both the World Cup and Copa America, he played second fiddle to Matt Turner. However, both goalkeepers have been the subject of criticism. Turner is <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/forest-signs-goalkeeper-as-turners-time-as-clubs-starter-to-end-20240201-WST-486784.html">no longer in the conversation</a> as a goalkeeper at Nottingham Forest, a position he helped take from Ethan Horvath, after Turner struggled mightily in the 2023/24 campaign.</p>



<p>Horvath faces major questions from Cardiff manager Erol Bulut. The Bluebirds return home after two games away from Cardiff City Stadium in a fixture against Middlesbrough. Bulut must decide if he should stick with the out-of-form Horvath or an option like Jak Alnwick. The Cardiff backup started the League Cup game against Bristol Rovers, which was a 2-0 win for Cardiff in the First Round of that tournament.</p>



<p><em>PHOTOS: IMAGO</em>.</p>

Ethan Horvath under pressure; criticized by Cardiff analyst

American goalkeeper Ethan Horvath has struggled in the early going of the 2024/25 EFL Championship with Welsh side Cardiff City.

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<p>There are a handful of USMNT goalkeepers that now feature for major clubs, particularly in England.</p>
<p>For example, Ethan Horvath helped Nottingham Forest clinch promotion to the Premier League this past season. Then, Matt Turner now plays for Arsenal in a side filled with young talent. Zack Steffen featured in cup finals for Manchester City in what is perhaps the best overall side in Europe.</p>
<p>Plus, Chicago Fire goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina looks set to join a Premier League ‘big six’ side at Chelsea, should a deal go through.</p>
<p>The one issue is that none of these goalkeepers start, or will start, at their clubs in the upcoming season. Worse off, this is a <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/category/world-cup-2022/">World Cup</a> year, and there are instances of goalkeepers lacking playing time struggling on the grandest stage.</p>
<p>So, here is the situation. The <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/nations/usmnt-tv-schedule/">United States</a> has its most talented squad in history. With players making a push to break through at some of the biggest clubs in the world, there are drawbacks internationally. Each goalkeeper will be in the same boat in regards to conditioning and form, in the sense that it will be slim to no in-game experience, which is crucial to goalkeepers.</p>
<p>Here is how that shapes up for the United States now five months out from the World Cup in Qatar.</p>
<h5>The importance of playing time</h5>
<p>In the months leading up to the 2014 World Cup, Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas sat behind Diego Lopez at Real Madrid. The Spanish international helped Real win the UEFA Champions League in 2014, but consistent play time eluded him.</p>
<p>When Spain played the Netherlands in the 2014 opener for both sides, Iker Casillas was dreadful. A handful of mistakes leading directly to goals punished Spain to an eventual defeat, 5-1. In the next game, Iker Casillas failed to properly deal with an Alexis Sánchez free kick, and Charles Aránguiz scored Chile’s second. The back-to-back defeats eliminated Spain just four years after Casillas was the hero in the World Cup Final.</p>
<p>Four years prior, Casillas dominated the play between the sticks at the Santiago Bernabeu. He was the undisputed starter, and thus consistently faced top opposition. He played a major role in Spain giving up just two goals in the entire tournament. Casillas held a shutout in each of Spain’s four knockout phase games.</p>
<p>It would be hard to compare those Spain teams to the current batch of the United States. That Spain team won back-to-back European Championships with a World Cup in between. The USMNT celebrates one of its best years in history with just a Gold Cup and CONCACAF Nations League.</p>
<p>However, the sentiment holds true. Play time is key for a goalie. Particularly with Turner and Steffen’s tendency to handle the ball, touch goes away</p>
<h3>USMNT Goalkeepers in a dilemma</h3>
<p>First off, note that the situation for each of these goalies over the coming months of the club season are remarkably similar. Zack Steffen is currently the backup to Ederson at Manchester City. He plays in cup ties, including the semifinal of the FA Cup where he made mistakes that led to goals. That, in itself, signals the importance of play time.</p>
<p>Ethan Horvath appeared in Nottingham Forest’s Championship Playoff. Yet, that was as a substitute replacing starting goalkeeper. In his slim 10 starts in all competitions from this past season, Horvath actually performed well. Three clean sheets highlight an overall record of five wins, three losses and a pair of draws. Moreover, two of those losses came against Premier League opposition, including a narrow 1-0 loss against Liverpool where Horvath stopped six shots on target.</p>
<h5>Transfers</h5>
<p>Matt Turner and Gabriel Slonina will back up Aaron Ramsdale and Edouard Mendy, respectively. Turner is entering his prime at the age of 27. Yet, he likely takes a backseat to Aaron Ramsdale, who performed well in his first year at the Emirates. Slonina, on the other hand, is still just 18. Playing time is important for development, but he has the opportunity to learn from someone like Edouard Mendy and potentially become Chelsea’s main man in a few years time.</p>
<p>Finally, Sean Johnson is a name that hovered around over the last decade. Now 33 years old, Johnson is the oldest of Gregg Berhalter’s options. Simultaneously, he played second fiddle to the likes of Tim Howard, Brad Guzan or even Nick Rimando the last time the United States qualified for the World Cup. However, in the June 2022 camp, <a href="https:\/\/www.ussoccer.com/stories/2022/05/sean-johnson-added-to-us-mens-national-team-roster-for-june-training-camp">Johnson replaced Steffen</a> when Steffen left for personal reasons. He pitched a shutout in a friendly against Uruguay. He also earned MVP honors as NYCFC lifted its first MLS Cup a season ago.</p>
<p>Vote in the poll below, knowing the current outlook on the USMNT goalkeeper situation, for who should be the shot-stopper in Qatar.</p>
<p>[poll id=”6″]</p>
<p><em>PHOTO: John Dorton/ISI Photos/Getty Images&nbsp;</em></p>


There are a number of USMNT goalkeepers at top European sides. However, none will be the first choice during a World Cup year.

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