Fortaleza, Brazil

Browse the headlines from the 2014 World Cup so far and it seems as though goalkeepers can do nothing wrong.

On Saturday, Tim Krul put the Netherlands into the semifinals with two huge penalty saves. Tim Howard of the U.S. became the first to make 16 saves in a World Cup match since 1996. And Costa Rica's Keylor Navas stopped almost 90% of the shots fired in his direction.

All this reverie is kind of heartwarming. Goalkeeping can be a thankless job. But if we're taking an honest look at the game film, it's time somebody popped this balloon. "They're bad," said former Mexico goalkeeper Jorge Campos, after watching goal highlights from 50 World Cup games. "They're scared to leave their line. Nobody is teaching them."

In soccer, the fastest way for goalkeepers to get noticed is to stop shots. But to experts, that's not the best measure of their value. How they stop shots—and how often they prevent shots from being taken in the first place—are better signs. A truly elite player (such as Germany's Manuel Neuer) acts as so-called "sweeper-keeper," mopping up stray balls behind the back line, controlling the airspace around the goal and doing other proactive things to reduce the number of shooting opportunities.