In Conversation With: Max Anchor

Feb 28, 2023

On how the opportunity came about

2-3 weeks before Belgium arrived in Seattle, my Sounders goalkeeper coach, Tommy, spoke to me about the possibility of joining the team for trainings if need be. We didn’t know when, but it was in the back of our minds leading into the MLS World Cup break. We were given 2 weeks off, but before the end of the break, Belgium had reached out to Tommy asking for a goalkeeper in the next couple days I was in Vancouver at the time, so I quickly packed up and headed back down to Seattle to join the team.

On Adapting To The Level

Honestly, the adaptation period wasn’t too difficult. The biggest thing I noticed was the consistency in the simple actions and speed of play. Every pass, every touch, weighted perfectly to set up the next action for success. When everything is clean, it speeds the game up and forces you to recognize patterns quicker. Of course, there were times when guys would pull off jaw dropping moments, but it was the standard and the intelligence that set them apart.

On What He Learned

I was fortunate enough to be apart of one of the best goalkeeping groups in the World Cup. What really stood out to me was the humility and personality of the group. These guys are the best of the best, yet welcomed me like one of their own and showed up everyday with intent to get better. International training is less focused on technique and more on tactical information. Every set was as sharp as possible. From the working goalkeeper to the serving goalkeepers, they understood that to have success, everyone needs to be bought in.

On Courtois, Lammens & Penders

The 3 of them really prove that there’s no real recipe in goalkeeping. It’s about finding how you can be as effective as possible with your strengths. Thibaut has already proven he’s one of the greatest ever. They all have their own style, but are so effective in what they do. Senne has just broken onto the world stage and is going to prove why he’s one of the best. Mike is one of the biggest goalkeeping talents in the world. Thibaut and Mike are monsters, so they can rely more on their size to make saves, but Senne uses his incredible athleticism and reactions to make them. Not to mention, they are all great ball playing goalkeepers. I don’t think Thibaut is respected enough for that part of his game, Senne as well. Mike is basically the equivalent of having another player on the field.

On The Most Difficult Person to Save

This might be surprising, but the toughest shots I faced was from centre back, Arthur Theate. In typical defender fashion, it was head down and wack it as hard as he could. He didn’t have the finesse and finishing touch of Lukaku, KDB, Lukebakio, Fernandez-Pardo etc. But the sheer pace and unpredictability of his strikes would make it difficult for any goalkeeper. When it came to match  situations and actual “finishing” it was definitely Big Rom. Both feet, so consistent.

On The Training Environment

International football is a lot different than club football. The focus is more on tactical identity and game preparation, so the trainings had a lot more information rather than just straight footy. The intensity was always super high, but in shorter bouts. The environment was super enjoyable. The group was focused, but also really enjoyed their time together, so there was lots of jokes and good vibes. It’s a shame Belgium couldn’t have gone further because they had the quality to do it and definitely the team chemistry.