Fresh off another 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.
Save of the Week: Andre Blake vs Orlando City’s Adrian Winter
Mistake of the Week: Zac MacMath vs Real Salt Lake’s Joao Plata
1. David Bingham
The San Jose star once again showcased all his technique in confidence against FC Dallas. Even though he got completely faked out by Tesho Akindele on the penalty kick goal, the rest of his performance was sound. He again came up big with a 1v1 save, and shuffled his feet well to get to a low shot by Maynor Figueroa.
2. David Ousted
The Whitecaps lost by four, by surprisingly enough Ousted kept Vancouver in the game for as long as possible. He made at least three crucial saves, and even on the first goal that Fabian Espindola scored, he made a huge save by getting to the ground and his left extremely quickly.
3. Andre Blake
It seems like more often than not, Andre Blake will have receive the honor of having Save of the Week. To me, he’s the real secret weapon for Philadelphia. The game was a battle between Blake and Orlando City’s Adrian Winter, and although Winter scored, Blake ultimately came out on top. He made two other huge saves on Winter shots from inside the box, including the volley from about 12-yards that is our Save of the Week.
4. Bobby Shuttleworth
He did not do his best on Sebastian Giovinco’s goal, despite the deflection – I expect someone with his reflexes and experience to know that he cant go to ground so early. However, he remains a rock for New England in the back, and his athleticism and courage inspire the rest of the team.
5. Nick Rimando
Rimando keeps doing his thing by surprising attackers on 1v1 situations with how fast he gets out and cuts the angle.
6. Luis Robles
As long as the Red Bulls’ defense remains a sieve, Robles will keep dropping. While he wasn’t directly at fault for another loss, he isn’t coming up with the same big saves he had last year – and when you combine that with conceding, it means he’s dropping spots.
7. Tim Melia
Melia made up for a bad mistake against Real Salt Lake with a commanding performance against the Red Bulls. The cherry on top was a fantastic save on a Bradley Wright-Phillips penalty kick.
8. Chris Sietz
I held off keeping Sietz in the rankings because I thought it was just a matter of time until Jesse Gonzalez came back but Sietz is showing why Oscar Pareja chose to keep him in goal. Although he is a little unorthodox at times, his technique is sound and he comes out of his line without fear. He didn’t have to do much at San Jose, and no goalie is saving that kind of finish from Chris Wondolowski, so he gets a nod at 8th on his first ever appearance in the power rankings.
9. Stefan Frei
The poor Swiss goalie was completely lit up by a Houston attack led by an in-form Giles Barnes. He handled the pressure well however, and made a number of hard saves look comfortable.
10. Josh Saunders
Saunders had no issues dealing with an uninspired Chicago attack. He maintains his position from last week by keeping a clean sheet.
11. Adam Kwarasey
Continuing his drop down the rankings, a heavier-looking Kwarasey again showed his unimpressive jumping ability against FC Dallas. Yes, the entire Portland team looked switched off mentally, but part of any goalies job is to help get your team energized and ready to go. Because of his inability to jolt his team alive and move across his goal, he drops even further this week.
12. Brian Rowe
Surprisingly, Rowe is not going away. He keeps showing maturity beyond his years, and it took a fantastic effort from Fanendo Adi to beat him this week.
13. Evan Bush
In a matchup that could be a nightmare for Bush against a heavy-crossing offense in Columbus Crew SC, Bush had very little to do due to a subpar Columbus attack.
14. Steve Clark
After a brave save on a 1v1 with Johan Venegas, Clark showed one more time why he isn’t a top goalie in the league: Kyle Bekker’s header was weak and across the goal, and Clark was somehow flat-footed and off balance at the same time. He sees the ball, but reacts at the wrong angle and what should have been a routine save turned into a 2 x 0 victory by Montreal.
15. Joe Willis
Willis was doing a fantastic job holding a star-studded Seattle attack at bay until the final pay of the game. On Chad Marshall’s tap in, Willis commits to stopping the low cross but doesn’t get there – if a goalie commits like that, he needs to get the ball to go in a completely different direction.
16. Clint Irwin
Irwin had a fantastic and uncharacteristic save as he came out to stop a 1v1 against in Lee Nguyen, arguably the most crafty player in the league. That was a highlight in an otherwise shaky performance though, and it keeps him from rising in the rankings.
17. Joe Bendik
Boy, Bendik must be pretty upset with his defense. For the second week in a row, Bendik got beat by a near perfect free kick. He did have a good face save at point blank range but still looks like a liability on crosses.
18. Matt Lampson
Four words: Game of his life. Matt Lampson made the goal look tiny against one of the best strikers in the history of soccer in David Villa, who was visibly getting frustrated with Lampson’s stops. One of the best feelings as a goalie is when you notice the frustration in the opposing team. The question is: can he keep this going, silence critics (namely me), and keep climbing up the rankings? Time will tell. My money is still on “no”, though.
19. Travis Worra
The DC backup didn’t really have any issues with a Vancouver attack. His defense, led by Steve Birnbaum, kept the danger away.
20. Zac MacMath
MacMath finds himself back in the bottom spot of the rankings both due to his own doing and Lampson’s big game. In a game where Colorado had the best chances, MacMath made the mistake of the round as he tried to play sweeper keeper without effectively communicating it to his back line. Result: He got caught out outside the box and Joao Plata walked the ball in the net.
