At each of his last two stops, Preston Burpo inherited a goalkeeper group with a clear pecking order. He helped Bill Hamid win MLS Goalkeeper of the Year with D.C. United in 2014 and arrived at the New York Red Bulls right after Luis Robles won the same award the following year.
Things look a little different this time around for the new goalkeeper coach of Austin FC.
“All three of these guys can start for this club,” Burpo said, referring to the trio of Andrew Tarbell, Brad Stuver and Brady Scott. “No doubt about it. We have our ideas coming in, but in terms of who it will be come April 17, we’re not sure.”
Burpo is overseeing one of several intriguing position battles taking place during the Austin FC preseason.
“I think a lot of the guys that have come here all see the opportunity that there’s no real set lineup yet,” Stuver said. “It’s a new start for everybody. It’s a brand-new team. It’s a brand-new coaching staff. A lot of guys who either haven’t gotten a chance to be a starter yet or got into a bad place with their former team and wanted a new start. We have 11 starting spots and I think they’re all up for grabs at this point. Everyone is new, everyone has to show the coaching staff what they’re capable of, and we have to learn the system.”
Courtesy of Austin FC
Preston Burpo, right, works with Austin FC goalkeepers Brady Scott, left, and Brad Stuver.
Like many of the players, Burpo was intrigued by the project unfolding in Austin long before he arrived. He said news of the expansion club’s intense fan support and early player signings, along with his relationship with Josh Wolff, had his attention. That interest only intensified toward the end of the 2020 season, after his former boss Chris Armas was fired and it became clear that Burpo’s five-year run with the Red Bulls was nearing an end.
“The best way to put it is it was probably time for both of us to go our separate ways,” he said. “There was an interest on Austin’s part, and it wasn’t really much of whether I should go or not. If they were serious about me, it was a pretty immediate interest on my end.”
He and Wolff overlapped at D.C. in 2013 and for a brief stint when Burpo was invited to coach for the U.S. men’s national team. He was attracted to the coach’s possession-oriented, attacking philosophy, even though it represented a stark contrast from the pressing system he’d become accustomed to in New York.
Protecting the net is only half of the goalkeeper’s job, and Burpo will need to make sure his keepers are equipped to start attacks nearly as well as they snuff them out.
“Obviously they’re all fantastic shot stoppers,” he said. “Now you have to tie them into the way Josh wants to play football. They have to be part of the buildup and be a field player when we have the ball. They’re going to have to be courageous and play out of some pressure.”
Based on 2020 performance, 27-year-old Tarbell would appear to have the inside track to the starting job. He played a major role in the Columbus Crew hoisting MLS Cup, stepping in for a pair of playoff shutouts with regular starter Eloy Room out due to COVID-19 protocols.
“I think you could have made a very strong argument that he should have played in the final,” Burpo said. “He got them there when Room was unavailable. You watch him play, and his body language showed so much confidence. He just seemed to be a very competent keeper this past year in Columbus. Their coaching staff did an amazing job with him.
“Did they play as much out of the back, and was he looked at as the beginning of an attacking transition play? Probably not. But he’ll catch up to speed with that because he has it in him.”
Stuver, 29, is the elder of the group and has the most reps in a system like Austin’s, having spent four seasons in Columbus — where Gregg Berhalter was in charge and Wolff was an assistant — and the past three at New York City FC.
“If you look at the styles of those two teams there will be similarities here,” Burpo said. “He’ll have a really easy time in terms of what we’re trying to do with the ball. You see his qualities as a shot stopper. He’s been in this league for a long time because he has those qualities.”
Courtesy of Austin FC
Brady Scott was selected in the expansion draft from Nashville SC.
Scott, 21, has yet to make an MLS appearance, but Burpo said he tracked the former U.S. youth national team standout’s progress while he was at FC Köln in Germany.
“All these guys are here to compete,” Burpo said. “They all will be looking to be a starter. They all have something to prove. The other guys have been around the league a little bit, but Brady has been in a pretty high environment the last couple years over in Germany.”
In addition to the three signed goalkeepers, Austin FC also has Will Pulisic in camp as a trialist. The 22-year-old is the cousin of Chelsea and U.S. men’s national team star Christian Pulisic. Draft pick Noah Lawrence could join Austin FC after completing his spring season with Ohio State.
Burpo said it’s still undetermined whether one or more goalkeepers could be loaned to another club. Scott, who was selected in the expansion draft from Nashville SC, spent the end of last season on loan with the Sacramento Republic of the USL Championship.
“If we have a couple young keepers on the roster then I don’t know,” Burpo said. “Would it be nice to get some kids games? Of course. Now how do we get them these games right now? Still in the works.”
