Zac MacMath: The Goalkeeper Rorschach Test

Zac MacMath’s 2011 has been an unusual combination of present and future, with ramifications for both the Philadelphia Union and the U.S. Men’s National Team.

The fifth overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft was expected to serve as apprentice to the accomplished Faryd Mondragon for the Union this season. Instead, Mondragon’s broken finger on Sept. 3 pressed MacMath, 20, into a critical match away at Real Salt Lake, then into a starting role for seven key matches down the stretch.

And that those seven matches down the stretch were key for Philadelphia is perhaps as unexpected, with the second-year franchise cruising into the playoffs, despite a 1-0 loss to New York on Thursday night. MacMath’s 3-0-4 record as a starter reflects the success enjoyed by both the Union and MacMath.

For this USMNT fan, whose fever dreams usually involve a Tim Howard Allstate ad gone horribly wrong, the stakes were significant as well.

MacMath appears to be a manifestation of Philadelphia’s good fortune in many ways- supremely confident, despite his relatively brief time in the spotlight. When speaking to MacMath, he comes across as unflappable- an attribute that will serve him well in his position.

“It was obviously unexpected for Mondi to go down,” MacMath said in the Philadelphia locker room following Thursday night’s match. “I had a decent game, and it built confidence to put up a shutout half. Obviously, the next one was a bit of a rough one, I had four goals on me in the first half- ever since then, it’s been about building confidence in the games, in practice.”

MacMath talked about that nightmare first half against New England in passing, but it is worth lingering on for a moment. Consider that the rookie keeper was starting his first match. While anyone watching would tell you the avalanche of goals had far more to do with Philadelphia’s defense than MacMath, it is easy to imagine even a veteran goalkeeper getting rattled by trailing 4-1 at the break. MacMath, however, not only kept his team in the game with a scoreless second half, allowing Philadelphia to fight back to a 4-4 draw and earn a vital point, he was magnificent in the matches that followed.

His showing over this key stretch went a long way toward earning the trust of the fans, who have reason to expect that once the Faryd Mondragon era ends, Philadelphia will be in good hands in goal. It was an opportunity that even MacMath didn’t have reason to expect in his rookie season. But consider what it must feel like to get the chance to compete at the highest level for more than a month- only to return to the bench. Not that MacMath doesn’t understand why, of course- but for any fierce competitor, getting the engine running, only to idle it again, is perhaps a more difficult transition than being thrust into the competition.

“I honestly didn’t really know how much playing time I was going to get,” MacMath said. “Obviously, Mondi was the No. 1 all year. Preparation was a little bit different, though I tried to prepare the same way no matter who is starting. But knowing you’re going to be the starter for a good six, seven games helped me, my routine, getting used to things being the way I hope they will be for the rest of my career.”

From my perspective, the puzzle remains why MacMath has yet to receive even a call from Jurgen Klinsmann about national team duty. MacMath’s success in both MLS, and his track record with the U-20 USA side (the starting keeper for the 2010 Milk Cup champions) would seem to recommend him. Are there other keepers with more success in MLS to date? Sure there are. But few have the upside of MacMath- and as Klinsmann himself has made clear with his selections so far, MLS track record doesn’t mean much to him.

Yet while Klinsmann has encouraged varied lineups and providing opportunities throughout his rosters so far, only DC United’s Bill Hamid (same age as MacMath, by the way) and the veteran Nick Rimando have gotten the chance to back up the incredible Howard.

It would seem that now, when Klinsmann is evaluating exactly what he has, would be a perfect time to give MacMath and Hamid opportunities to start, before World Cup qualifiers begin in earnest next year. After all, Howard is the known quantity. MacMath certainly has a spot with Klinsmann as a long-term goal.

“It’s always been my dream to play for the national team,” MacMath said. “I think the Olympics next summer are a more realistic goal for me right now, and that’s something I look forward to. But right now, there’s nothing of it.”

There are those who would have said MacMath playing a key role in Philadelphia’s 2011 playoff push was equally unrealistic, of course. So to hear MacMath discuss how he sees his career developing in five years, it is worth remembering that to date, everything has happened ahead of schedule.

“Five years ahead, I hope that I’m an established goalkeeper, number one, and carrying my team to the playoffs every year. Hopefully, if I don’t have a championship by then, I’m hoping for a championship in five years.”

In the meantime, it sure would be nice to get a glimpse of what 2016 could look like at the national team level, too.