‘Exceptional’ Zack looks like he is the right Steff for Boro
WHEN thinking of Zack Steffen, the first thing which might come to mind is that nightmare day at Wembley a few months back.
The goalkeeper, who has joined Middlesbrough on loan from Manchester City, produced a howler he will want to forget in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
Not successfully knocking the ball out of his feet far enough with his initial touch, he overcompensated with his next - allowing Liverpool striker Sadio Mane to steal in and block the attempted pass out, diverting the ball into the back of the net.
It Put Jurgen Klopp’s side 2-0 up and en route to the final.
USA international Steffen was berated by BBC pundits Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker afterwards but his Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was far more supportive of his player.
He said after the game in April: “I have not spoken to Zack.
“It was an accident but we need him to try because that’s how we play our football.
“It was an accident, it happens. Ederson was close to making a similar mistake in the last game as well.
“We need that to create our football, we use our goalkeeper to move our opponents into different situations. I’m pretty sure Zack didn’t want to do it.
“Sometimes the strikers miss in front of the goalkeeper, other times the goalkeeper makes a mistake.
“It was a decision to play him from days ago.
“It is unfair when you play in cups and you don’t play them in the later stages.
“Zack deserves to play and after that he had a good game.
“He made good saves and is an exceptional goalkeeper.”
Guardiola’s show of faith must have been a huge pick-me-up for the 27-year-old. The Spaniard’s comments on style of play also go a long way to explaining why Steffen now finds himself at Boro this summer.
The American was desperate to go out and play regularly in the upcoming season, having made just 21 appearances for City in the last two seasons.
It is a World Cup year and while considered USA’s first-choice currently that place is not cemented with head coach Gregg Berhalter saying recently his number one had to be playing regularly ahead of Qatar.
With City prepared to loan him out, the move had to be right for them in terms of still aiding Steffen’s development.
With Guardiola and Wilder mutually respectful of one-another’s styles, there was a trust and bond there for the two to do a deal which sees Steffen move to Teesside, where he will be tasked with playing a similar style to the one he is at City.
For any Boro fans concerned about that Wembley error, perhaps it is reassuring to know how much support he has from Guardiola and how intrinsic their scouting of him was. First Guardiola, speaking of the goalkeeper after he kept a Premier League clean sheet against Burnley last season.
The management great said: “He is growing incredibly fast and well as a goalkeeper.
“He is working alongside our other goalkeepers and our coaches and it is a guarantee he is a much better goalkeeper than when he arrived because he works with, in my opinion, maybe the best trainer in the world.
“We have an incredible amount of confidence in Zack because in the moments he has to save the ball, he saves it.
“We are very happy and delighted with him.”
So what of the scouting which resulted in his move to City from MLS side Columbus Crew in the first place.
The City Group’s NYCFC and Scandinavia scout Lead Khaled ElAhmad explained the process.
He said: “We have a very particular way of playing and, of course, we scout with that in mind. Zack Steffen is a very good example.
“We know Manchester City play out from the back and we identified Zack as a player who is very good with his feet.
“So he then becomes very interesting to us versus goalkeepers who are also very talented but did not
necessarily have that particular quality.
“We put him on a list of players to watch more closely, scouted him for months and also found out about his character and such and essentially created a dossier on him.
“From there I pass on that information to our specialist goalkeeper scouts and from there it’s ultimately out of my hands.
“I just have to hope they look and also like the recommendation and thankfully in the case of Zack they did and it progressed to then moving to sign him.
“Zack is a very talented player and one who I think can still get better.”
Manchester City are understood to have paid around £6 million for the shot-stopper, who actually started his professional career in Germany with SC Freiburg.
After being signed by City he was loaned back to Germany for a season with Fortuna Dusseldorf and throughout the first half of the season earned rave reviews for his performances, including a winning debut where he made eight saves.
Sadly, injury and then the start of the pandemic would cut short his time on the continent but Steffen has since been back in England for the past 24 months working hard at City and improving his skills while making odd appearances, mainly in
Zack is a very talented
player and one who I think can still get better.
Manchester City scout
Khaled El-Ahmad
cups but twice in the Premier League.
The USA has a rich history of producing good goalkeepers.
Steffen names Tim Howard as his personal hero, while on Teesside Brad Guzan had a spell at the club – but had many better years elsewhere during his time in England.
Think Brad Friedel and Kasey Keller too, they have produced more good goalkeepers over the years than arguably any other position.
The Boro new boy is well aware of the rich history of American shotstoppers and, having tried his hand at baseball, basketball and American football when younger, puts his own abilities down to the hand-eye coordination and athleticism that playing those sports developed.
His goal now is like the aforementioned American international goalkpeepers of the past – to establish himself as the first-choice heading into the World Cup.
Shaka Hislop works as a pundit for American broadcaster ESPN on the English game and gave his opinion after that Liverpool game in April that Steffen had to leave the Etihad Stadium.
Hislop, who had a long Premier League career, said: “He’s 27 years old now. Back in my day they used to say goalkeepers did not hit their peak until their 30s but now you areclooking at some goalkeepers playing their best football at 22 and 23.
“Who takes a chance on him? Right now, I think he is in real danger of losing his number one spot.
“In the recent game against Costa Rica I thought he could have done better with those goals and through the lensI see the signs of a goalkeeper who has not been playing regularly enough.
“In terms of pure talent he is the most talented of the bunch but the fact he has not been playing has allowed the other goalkeepers to not just close the gap but surpass him in many people’s eyes.”
That can certainly work in Boro’s favour though, with Steffen arriving at the Riverside this summer hungry to succeed and impress.
A fine shot-stopper, with incredible agility, Liverpool error aside, this should be viewed as somewhat of a coup for Boro.
Ordinarily, that might be a worthy conclusion to the piece.
Yet any background piece on Boro’s new number one would be incomplete without also mentioning his incredible charitable work off the pitch.
Back in 2020, to the backdrop of the death of George Floyd in America and the subsequent Black Lives Matter protests, Steffen watched on from Manchester and felt the need to use his platform for good.
He co-founded the charitable foundation VOYCENOW in an effort to unite athletes from across the world to speak out against and fight for equality for the black community.
Speaking last year as part of Black History Month, Steffen said: “It’s all about just using your voice and speaking up against racism, and giving back to the black communities who need support and opportunities.
“It’s about giving kids whatever they need, whether that’s books, wifi, food etc.
“We have around 150 athletes within our community now who have supported us.
“Growing up my mam was very big on treating others like you want to be treated and being kind and having a big heart.
“She ingrained that in me and now I have that platform I want to give back and help people who are not as fortunate as me.”
Middlesbrough fans will naturally be most interested in the impact Steffen can have on the pitch during his 12 months on Teesside - but last season the connection between club and supporters was built around good people like Matt Crooks and Duncan Watmore.
Players who give their all on and off the pitch to represent Boro in the right way. You can add Zack Steffen to that list now too.