Last year our goalkeeping dilemma was no secret to any of us or anyone around the league. We had a number 1 - Greg Sutton, the starting goalie for the Canadian national team. While playing at the Gold Cup, Sutton was injured and suffered from post-concussion syndrome for the rest of the season. After stumbling through a few young guys for a few weeks we managed to bring in Kenny Stamatopoulos, another Canadian international, on loan from Tromso in Norway.
So, now a winter has come and gone. Sutton is healthy again and Stamatopoulos is back in Norway. After never really being able to establish himself in MLS I must ask myself: Is Greg Sutton right man in goal for TFC? Here is my response:
Last season in 8 games he posted a 2-5-1 record, during which time he allowed 15 goals, while making 36 saves. This makes his save percentage roughly 70%. Compare that to Pat Onstad. In 27 games he was 13-8-6, allowing 22 goals and making 85 saves. This equals a save percentage of 79%. Last year, in the 30 games, we allowed a league-high 49 goals while Houston allowed a league-low 23.
Included in the 8 games Sutton played last year are a 3-0 loss in Kansas City and a 4-0 loss in New England - our second and third games in club history. If you take those two games out of Sutton's 8, his record is 2-3-1, allowing 8 goals and making 26 saves, while his save percentage improves to 77%.
I chose to take out these two losses from Sutton's record simply because our defense hung him out to dry on every goal. You guys all remember those dreadful first three away games. He didn't lose the games for us - we did, as a whole.
One last statistic: 2007 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, Brad Guzan, made 87 saves while allowing 25 goals. His save percentage for the season equals 78% on the team that won the Western Conference.
So, to draw a conclusion, Greg Sutton hasn't yet been able to make his mark on the league. However, in the brief time we have seen him play, he has posted numbers within reasonable range of the keepers on the best teams in the league. I believe Sutton is the right man for us in goal and the 2008 season will allow him to cement his place as one of Major League Soccer's elite.
So, now a winter has come and gone. Sutton is healthy again and Stamatopoulos is back in Norway. After never really being able to establish himself in MLS I must ask myself: Is Greg Sutton right man in goal for TFC? Here is my response:
Last season in 8 games he posted a 2-5-1 record, during which time he allowed 15 goals, while making 36 saves. This makes his save percentage roughly 70%. Compare that to Pat Onstad. In 27 games he was 13-8-6, allowing 22 goals and making 85 saves. This equals a save percentage of 79%. Last year, in the 30 games, we allowed a league-high 49 goals while Houston allowed a league-low 23.
Included in the 8 games Sutton played last year are a 3-0 loss in Kansas City and a 4-0 loss in New England - our second and third games in club history. If you take those two games out of Sutton's 8, his record is 2-3-1, allowing 8 goals and making 26 saves, while his save percentage improves to 77%.
I chose to take out these two losses from Sutton's record simply because our defense hung him out to dry on every goal. You guys all remember those dreadful first three away games. He didn't lose the games for us - we did, as a whole.
One last statistic: 2007 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, Brad Guzan, made 87 saves while allowing 25 goals. His save percentage for the season equals 78% on the team that won the Western Conference.
So, to draw a conclusion, Greg Sutton hasn't yet been able to make his mark on the league. However, in the brief time we have seen him play, he has posted numbers within reasonable range of the keepers on the best teams in the league. I believe Sutton is the right man for us in goal and the 2008 season will allow him to cement his place as one of Major League Soccer's elite.
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1 comments:
Ben, I totally agree with you. Greg looked solid to me last year and he will be even better this year will a solid defence all season.
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