In the 1990s, as American soccer was recovering from a half-century slumber, the United States still had trouble producing quality players. (In fact, one can say that's still a problem to this day. Let's not discuss that now.) However, they excelled in producing quality at one position: goalkeeper. The thought was that hand-centric American sports: football, baseball, basketball, led to such prowess. Who knows.

In any case, a number of excellent American goalies made their way to Europe and the onset of Major League Soccer. And then, the well dried up. One after one, the next supposedly great goalie would come up through the youth ranks (we won't bore you with the names), only to fail when they got the professional level.

One such goalie is Zac MacMath. Once a starter for US youth teams and high draft pick in MLS, he spent five floundering years in the pros. That he played for the always-putrid Philadelphia Union might have something to do with his lack of progress.

Now, MacMath (who, despite the Mac-moniker, is Jewish, bar mitzvahed and all), is getting a new chance, with the Colorado Rapids. At this point, it's safe to say that he will not become the next American goalkeeping king...

But at least he'll have a chance to get off the list of American soccer failures? (Seriously, we won't bore you with the names.)