
<p>United States men’s national team goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina has officially joined Belgium side KAS Eupen on loan from <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/chelsea-tv-schedule/">Chelsea</a>. The Blues previously purchased the youngster from Chicago Fire in 2022. However, he remained on loan with the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/mls-tv-schedule/">MLS</a> outfit until January, when he finally made the move to west London. Slonina featured in eight U21 Chelsea matches during the first half of 2023.</p>



<h5>New club thrilled with loan deal</h5>



<p>“It is a unique opportunity for KAS Eupen to sign a goalkeeper with the talent and class of Gabriel Slonina for one season,” <a href="https://www.as-eupen.be/en/chelsea-goalkeeper-gabriel-slonina-on-loan-to-kas-eupen-this-season/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">proclaimed</a> Eupen’s general director Christoph Henkel. </p>



<p>“After all, before his transfer to Chelsea, several top European clubs were also interested in signing him. We are looking forward to working with Gabriel Slonina and are confident that he will give our team support and help us to achieve the goals of this season. We cordially welcome Gabriel in the KAS Eupen team.”</p>



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<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ready to Begin. 🐼 <a href="https://t.co/QJakEC3zfc">pic.twitter.com/QJakEC3zfc</a></p>— GAGA (@GabrielSlonina) <a href="https://twitter.com/GabrielSlonina/status/1689615815530737665?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 10, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<h2>Eupen move enables Slonina to get more playing time</h2>



<p>Slonina is a highly rated teenage talent in his position. He previously picked up his first senior <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/nations/usmnt-tv-schedule/">USMNT</a> cap back in January during a friendly with Serbia. The Americans lost the match 2-1 on the night. Although he has split his time with the U21 national side, the goalkeeper was also named in the 2023 Gold Cup squad.</p>



<p>Chelsea makes the move to loan Slonina after they completed the purchase of Robert Sanchez from Brighton. The Spanish shot-stopper made the permanent switch to the Blues for around $25 million. Sanchez will now compete with Kepa Arrizabalaga for the top spot between the sticks.</p>



<p>Eupen finished 15th out of 18 teams in the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/belgian-pro-league-tv-schedule/">Belgian Pro League</a> last season. The Pandas are, however, currently unbeaten in the current campaign. They began their 2023/24 season with a 2-2 draw with Westerlo in July, before beating Genk last weekend. Slonina could make his debut with the club on Sunday, August 13th against Club Brugge.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / Belga</em></p>


United States men's national team goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina has temporarily moved to Belgian side KAS Eupen on loan from Chelsea.

USMNT keeper Slonina completes loan move to Eupen

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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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