With three weeks remaining in the MLS season the yearly awards talk will start, and Houston Dynamo should have a number of players in contention for a number of awards.
Pat Onstad will certainly be in contention for what would be a third Goalkeeper of the Year award following what has been a great season.
Onstad leads the league in goals against average at 0.84 along with save percentage at .789. He is also among the leaders in the MLS in shutouts with nine. But to him, goals against average is a team stat, and he gives a lot of credit to the guys in front of him.
"We tried to keep our goals against under one this year, and we still have (three) games to go," Onstad said. "I think we want to keep it as low as we can, and I know myself and the guys in the back take a lot of pride in that stat. I think that's definitely a team stat."
Onstad said a lot of what he does is make sure the guys in the backline are on the same page.
"I think that's one of my strengths. I do a pretty good job making sure I'm organized," Onstad said. "Not only on game days, but also during the week. I make sure we are all on the same page. The fact that the same group of guys has been together for a long time helps as well. A lot of guys in front of me have had great years. I think Wade Barrett, especially, has had a great year for us. Guys like him, Craig Waibel, Richard Mulrooney, Ryan Cochrane, Eddie Robinson made a big difference for me this year."
His teammates see the kind of work Onstad puts in and have great confidence in what he can do.
"The goalkeeper is the backbone of the defense, and Pat is a tremendous leader on the team," Barrett said. "He helps organize the backline. The most important thing Pat does is make good saves. I think every single player on the team is confident in Pat. I think he is, if not the best, one of the best goalkeepers in the league. We see that every day we come out to training. Pat is an unbelieveable goalkeeper."
With Onstad in goal, Houston has conceded the fewest goals in the league this season and has set a new MLS shutout streak. Onstad has also saved numerous games this season with great saves.
In the first game of the season, he stopped Los Angeles' Landon Donovan to keep the game tied in the first half. At Kansas City on June 24, Onstad made two saves late to help preserve the win, and on Sept. 1 against the Wizards, Onstad stopped Eddie Johnson in the third minute.
Onstad's play also led to a renaissance with the Canadian national team, as he was called into the team for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, then made another appearance in August for a friendly against Iceland.
"That was a lot of fun," Onstad said. "I didn't expect that, so that was really nice. It was kind of a reward for me with how the season has gone. It was fun for me, and it was nice to get a call-up and play in Iceland. That was really enjoyable."
Dynamo goalkeeper's coach Mike Toshack said it's Onstad's attention to detail and professionalism that makes him so good.
"With Pat, it's the work he puts in day-to-day, that attention to detail," Toshack said. "He never takes a day off. He's always 100 percent. He has the things he has to do during the week to get himself ready to play. It's attention to detail and a lot of hard work. He's a professional."
Onstad admitted he would love to win a third Goalkeeper of the Year award ahead of D.C. United's Troy Perkins and Chivas USA's Brad Guzan, but he would trade it in for something else.
"I would love to get Goalkeeper of the Year," Onstad said. "That would be a nice trophy to get, especially when you see other goalkeepers have fantastic years in Troy Perkins and Brad Guzan. I think they are both worthy of Goalkeeper of the Year awards. We'll see what happens. Bottom line is that if I can win an MLS Cup, I will trade any trophy for that one."
Jeremy Rakes is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
