LISBON - Go through each U.S. World Cup team over the last 25-plus years, and there is steady progression of goalkeeping legends. You start with Tony Meola, move on to Kasey Keller, then to Brad Friedel, back to Keller before settling on Tim Howard. Sure, some handoffs were more seamless than others. The Keller/Friedel competition was more like a wrestling match, but there always seemed to be a fairly clear line of succession.
Of course, the U.S. string of either hosting or qualifying for seven straight World Cups has now been broken, and with it the succession line for keepers is looking less clear-cut as well.