As cornerstones for Columbus Crew SC,Zack Steffen andWil Trapp are continuing to make strides as central figures for a rising United States Men's National Team, and for Steffen, it is approaching a record-setting pace.
The 23-year-old Columbus Crew SC goalkeeper and MLS All-Star is on the verge of breaking the Men’s National Team record for caps earned by a goalkeeper during his debut year with the National Team as the Stars & Stripes get set to take on Colombia (Oct. 11) and Peru (Oct. 16) in international friendlies.
With five appearances, four of which were starts, Steffen is one appearance shy of tying Kasey Keller (1990) and Troy Perkins (2009), who each recorded six caps during their respective first years with the MNT.
Notably, Keller would go on to earn 102 caps and a team-record 47 shutouts during his international career. At the time of his international retirement in 2007, the four-time World Cup veteran held the U.S. Soccer records for appearances and wins (53).
Trapp, 25, has totaled eight caps, including six in 2018. In a 0-0 draw against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Jan. 28, 2018, Trapp earned his first start and captain's band.
The Crew SC Homegrown midfielder has started and captained each of the U.S.'s last six matches overall and played his way into Man of the Match honors following a 1-0 victory over Paraguay on March 27.
In 2018, Steffen has posted a 2-1-2 record with the MNT, including a 1-1 draw against eventual World Cup champion France back on June 9. In that match, Steffen posted seven saves, including back-to-back stops on Nabil Fekir and Ousmane Dembélé in the dying seconds of second-half stoppage time to secure the tie and, as a result, Man of the Match honors.
Most recently, Steffen recorded three saves and tallied his second career shutout with a 1-0 victory over Mexico on Sept. 11, marking the first MNT shutout over El Tri since 2015.
Steffen, Trapp, and the rest of the National Team kickoff a two-match slate of international friendlies tonight, Oct. 11, against Colombia at 7:30 p.m. ET from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Fla.
Crew SC returns to action on Sunday, Oct. 21, with a chance to secure a playoff spot in the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs on the road against Orlando City SC.
