Ethan Horvath’s time with Sheffield Wednesday is coming to an end with the veteran goalkeeper leaning towards MLS for the next chapter of his career.
Horvath’s loan spell with the Owls will not be extended this winter, sources close to the player confirmed to SBI. The Colorado native is expected to be depart Sheffield Wednesday at the end of December’s league schedule.
MLS could be the next landing spot for Horvath, who could become the latest American to take his talents back stateside. Fellow American goalkeepers Zack Steffen and Matt Turner have rejoined the league in respective moves over the past year.
Multiple MLS clubs are seeking new starting goalkeepers this winter including the New York Red Bulls, LA Galaxy, Orlando City, and Minnesota United. Horvath has expressed interest in moving to MLS after playing majority of his professional career abroad in Europe, sources confirmed.
Horvath originally joined from Cardiff City on a short-team loan in August after No. 1 goalkeeper Pierce Charles suffered a lengthy shoulder.
Charles recently returned to action on Saturday in the Owls’ abandoned league match with Blackburn Rovers.
The 30-year-old Horvath made 16 appearances for the club in all competitions since joining, registering two clean sheets. Horvath earned Man of the Match honors in Sheffield Wednesday’s EFL Cup victory over EPL side Leeds United in August, making six saves including two penalty shootout stops.
Prior to moving to Hillsborough, Horvath played parts of the last two seasons with Cardiff City in the EFL Championship. He also helped Luton Town earn Premier League promotion in 2023 and previously featured for Nottingham Forest, Belgian side Club Brugge, and Norwegian club Molde.
Horvath debuted for the U.S. men’s national team in 2016 and has earned 10 senior caps for the program since.
Sheffield Wednesday sits bottom of the league table with a -10 point total. They received a combined 18-point deduction this season after entering administration and for failing to pay players and staff.
If you amble on over to Capology.com, you can see exactly why Sheffield Wednesday is unloading Horvath. They had to cut their payroll from £20M to £11M this year, and there Horvath, who is at best a rotational keeper, is sitting there making £780,000…which translates to just over a million US dollars. No bueno. They clearly have to slash salary and that’s just as clearly the first place to start.
It’ll be curious to see what his market value is in MLS. Somewhat less, one would assume, but he’s good enough to help somebody so I doubt he’ll go unemployed.