cover photo from tottenhamhotspur.com

All around the world there are goalkeepers with American ties playing in professional leagues. Some of them are at the end of their careers while others are passing on the college route to sign with a team. It's easy to have higher expectations for players who are getting an early start on their professional career but realistically a large majority of them aren't going to make it. In any case, the allure of being in a great environment - whether it's receiving USYNT call ups, playing for well known clubs, or simply signing professionally before their peers do - raises a lot of questions about a player.

There are three reasons why we may have question marks for a goalkeeper: we might not know how good they are currently due to low exposure, we might not know how they'll develop, or another country might be vying for a dual-citizen as well. There are no expectations on these goalkeepers, seeing as there's no guarantee from playing in any environment, but we are very interested in their future. Here are fifteen goalkeepers we don't know enough about yet.

1. Kaeli Anne Schmidt, 21 - Barcelona

It's not often you see a goalkeeper playing abroad at such a early age on the women's side. Schmidt has not only left St. Mary's to do so, but she went to Barcelona of all places. She signed an amateur contract for last year and was listed on Barcelona's UEFA Champions League roster. It's not clear if Schmidt is still at Barcelona this season or if she's moved on elsewhere.

Since she was on an amateur contract, Barcelona wouldn't permit an interview but Kai Edwards, who coached her at St. Mary's, commended Schmidt's style. "Kaeli has incredible feet. Not just for a goal keeper but for a field player. Kaeli allows a team to play from the back with skill and advance tactics. She is an imposing goalkeeper at about 6'0 and she understands the game well."

2. Brandon Austin, 17 - Tottenham

With his father being born in the US Virgin Islands, there are two main questions for Austin at the moment. First, how soon is he exactly to represent the US? It could take time for him to be eligible or it might be right away. Second, and perhaps more importantly, is he more interest in playing for England instead?

3. Alejandro Iturbe Encabo, 13 - Atletico Madrid

He's thirteen and is rumored to have ties to the midwest. Possibly the loosest claim to American citizenship but it's Atletico Madrid so needless to say he's worth the early interest if the rumors are true, although we have many years to wait to see anything from him.