Fresh off the first week of MLS action, ISN columnist Philippe Chauveau continues his rating of MLS goalkeepers. Chauveau, a former collegiate keeper himself, will be completing this weekly column so ISN readers gain a better understanding of the goalkeeping profession.
Biggest Mover – UP: Matt Lampson – 19th to 16th
Biggest Mover – DOWN: Adam Kwarasey – 3rd to 8th
Best Save: Bobby Shuttleworth vs Philadelphia Union’s Sebastien Le Toux
Worst Mistake: Zac MacMath vs DC United’s Taylor Kemp
1. David Bingham – No change
Bingham’s Earthquakes were shut down by the red card shown early to Simon Dawkins, so keeping a clean sheet with a man down against a powerful Los Angeles Galaxy attack was a near impossibility. While it may have looked like Bingham was poorly positioned in the second goal, he was in position to get to the ball until a panicky clearance by his defender found Gyasi Zardes for his second tap in of the match.
2. Andre Blake – Up from 4th
Continuing his surge up the Power Rankings, Blake now cracks the Top 3 with another stellar performance against another Eastern Conference foe. Once again, he never looks like he will be beaten from distance, with his reach and athleticism combined the perfect combination against long range efforts. He did have quite a bit of luck when Lee Nguyen’s free kick hit both posts, but all goalies need luck – and he reacted quickly to the loose ball so that’s a bonus.
3. Luis Robles – Down from 3rd
The Red Bulls’ defense is still a mess, and it was evident more than ever against the Dynamo. However, this time Robles looked like he was part of the problem and not the solution. He often looked flat footed, and didn’t come up with one of his Robles cat-like saves this game. He only loses one position, but if his play doesn’t pick up expect to see him fall further.
4. David Ousted – Up from 5th
He didn’t have a particularly stellar performance in goal this week, but he still looms commanding between the posts and keeps any funny business from happening inside the Whitecaps 18-yard box.
5. Jesse Gonzalez – Up from 6th
Recovering from the thrashing he suffered last week, Gonzalez once again used his size and positioning to keep Montreal at bay. He is awfully quick for a goalie his size, and while his hands still need a little work he can recover from bad rebounds with speed and courage.
6. Bobby Shuttleworth – Up from 8th
The man had two penalty saves. TWO. The first one he did well to guess right, but Ilsinho’s poor placement made it easy. However, Sebastien Le Toux tried to outfox Shuttleworth, who did extremely well to drag his legs and save the shot low in the middle of the goal.
7. Tim Melia – Up from 9th
Melia looked like one of the top goalies in the MLS in this match – every single shot on frame was held by the SKC shot stopper. A fantastic save on a 1 one 1 with Tsubasa Endoh capped off an All-Star caliber appearance by Melia.
8. Adam Kwarasey – Down from 3rd
This week’s rankings are harsh on Kwarasey. He did not do a good job on either goal or inspiring his team with confidence, but he mostly drops five spots because Melia and Shuttleworth had fantastic outings, respectively. Kwarasey took too many steps to try and cheat on the free kick, and Joao Plata made him pay by firing a hard shot where he should have been standing – I have no problem with a goalie cheating on a free kick but moving three steps before the free kick is taken is just an invitation to get caught on your post. In the second goal, Kwarasey somehow managed not to cut the angle even though he has a large frame and Yura Movsisiyan started running at his goal just after half. He had plenty of time to come out and cover the goal, but he rushed out in panic and had the ball slipped through his legs.
9. Nick Rimando – Down from 7th
Rimando also suffered due to Melia’s and Shuttleworth’s surge, but once again Rimando showed that he does not have the same athleticism from a few years back, as he looked completely helpless after Dairon Asprilla’s slow effort hit the crossbar. Five years ago, Nick would have gotten a hand on that ball and sent it over the bar – instead he barely reacted as it hit the crossbar and fell nicely to Fanendo Adi for a cool finish.
10. Evan Bush – Up from 11th
Mostly a consequence of Saunder’s mistake on Cyle Larin’s goal, Bush still looks useless on crosses. The amount of balls that land inside the box without Bush coming out is astounding. He makes up for some of those with good reflexes but Montreal will concede many set pieces if Bush doesn’t change this aspect of his game.
11. Josh Saunders – Down from 12th
While Saunders still made a few good saves for NYCFC, his mistake in the Larin’s goal is inexcusable. Besides being flat footed on what was clearly a crossing situation, he was facing the crosser at a right angle – which is poor technique. It is imperative that a goalie remains with his hips open to the field of play, so that it is easier to backtrack or explode into the box if the ball gets played over his head. It’s easy to get sucked into the play but Saunders should know better than that, with years of MLS experience under his belt.
12. Steve Clark – Up from 13th
Not much work for Clark against an uninspired Chicago attack, but he did keep the shutout – despite a mistake trying to pass out of the back reminiscent of MLS Cup.
13. Stefan Frei – Down from 12th
All the action Stefan Frei saw all night was two PKs, and both were extremely well taken. But, he did not inspire much confidence into his defense, which was all over the place and led to committing both penalty kicks.
14. Brian Rowe – Up from 15th
Conceded a goal to a shorthanded San Jose, but was able to keep a defense which has been leaky organized might be the boost that Rowe needed to gain the trust from his defenders.
15. Clint Irwin – Down from 14th
Some may argue that Irwin couldn’t do anything on Brad Davis’ curling effort from just outside the six-yard box, but he was completely in the wrong spot. He made a similar mistake to Saunders when it comes to keeping his feet set in the right direction, and also did not cover the angle to prevent that curler. Brad Davis is a lefty, and Irwin needs to know that and take away the easiest shot for a lefty in that situation.
16. Matt Lampson – Up from 19th
Finally a respectful showing for Matt Lampson in goal for the Fire. Keeping the Columbus attack scoreless is no easy task, and although the Crew SC attackers seemed to hit every part of the stadium except the frame, Lampson kept his cool and had a very nice diving save on USMNTer Ethan Finlay’s shot from 25-yards out.
17. Joe Willis – No change
Willis doesn’t drop any positions, but I am convinced that he could have done better on Felipe’s game winning free kick. Going back to Kwarasey’s mistake, creeping to much to his left post, Willis didn’t cheat at all – and from that distance, a goalie needs to cheat in order to get to a ball that clears the wall.
18. Joe Bendik – No Change
Still looks completely hopeless in crosses and balls played into the box, but came up with a HUGE save on a 1-on-1 with Mix Diskerud after a sharp combination with David Villa. That save earned Orlando City an away victory, and if Bendik keeps that up, he could be looking at a rise in the rankings.
19. Zac MacMath – Down from 16th
The former Philly product drops in the rankings due to the worst mistake of the round. After looking aggressive yet shaky all game, MacMath attempted to come gather a lofted cross into the six-yard box but completely mistimed it. The ball went through his hands, and as a direct result DC United pulled level as Colorado looked in control of the match.
20. Travis Worra – New
Worra got the start over Andrew Dykstra and the injured Bill Hamid again, and showed why he is the third goalie on that DC United squad. Worra looked lost, and on two separate occasions had a cross bounce inside the six-yard box. The Colorado Rapids goal was a header by the Dillon Powers, also inside the six-yard box. See the trend here? Worra needs to come out and prevent those situations.
