Pat Onstad
THE CANADIAN PRESS – Canadian goalkeeper Pat Onstad quietly made MLS history this season, setting a league record with a goals-against average of 0.82.
The Houston Dynamo veteran also led the MLS in save percentage (78.0), goals conceded (22) and consecutive shutout minutes (547). His 11 shutouts in 27 games were second only to Chivas USA ‘keeper Brad Guzan’s 13.
Just two months short of his 40th birthday, Onstad may be a little greyer around the temples. But the Vancouver native’s reflexes and soccer smarts remain as sharp as ever.
"Pat has just continued to show, game in and game out, that he is a fantastic goalkeeper," said Dynamo defender and captain Wade Barrett. "He’s a good leader on the team, he organizes the back line quite well. But first and foremost is he makes big saves when he’s called to. And he’s done that for the entire time that I’ve known him."
On Saturday, Onstad can help the Dynamo reach the MLS Cup with a victory over the visiting Kansas City Wizards in the Western Conference final. The winner will meet the New England Revolution on Nov. 18 at Washington’s RFK Stadium.
The six-foot-four, 215-pound Onstad is not a flashy goalkeeper. But he is a model of consistency.
"He is very nuts and bolts and does all the things he is supposed to do very well," said Dynamo goalkeeping coach Mike Toshack, a fellow Canadian. "Very rarely will you see a mishap from Pat, such as a ball through the legs or one he should have had. Very rare.
"And he is capable of the spectacular but, because of his good positioning and reading the game, he’s always where he should be to make the save and makes it look quite easy.
"To coaches and people that know the position or are in the game, that’s the sign of a quality goalkeeper. And he definitely fits in that mould."
Adds Barrett: "Pat has tremendous respect among the players and really commands that goalkeeper box."
For a two-time MLS goalkeeper of the year (2003 and 2005, both with the San Jose Earthquakes), Onstad is a modest sort. He deflects praise not only to his back four – Barrett, Eddie Robinson, Ryan Cochrane and Craig Waibel – but to the entire Dynamo.
"We’re putting a lot of teams under pressure for long spells … they never really get an opportunity to get rolling," he said. "You don’t want to just say it’s the back four and the goalkeeper. I think a lot of it has to do the way we play, as an attacking team, as well."
The system works. Onstad needed to make just 85 saves in 27 regular season games, which ranked ninth in the league. Houston (15-8-7) yielded a league-best 23 goals in 30 games this season.
Onstad rates this campaign "either my best or second best I’ve had in this league. And maybe in my career. I was very pleased with the way things worked out."
Still, the goalie of the year award went to Guzan, with Onstad a finalist.
"I was very impressed with the year he had," Onstad said of Guzan, whose 13 shutouts were second only to Tony Meola’s 16 in 2000.
"They both had fantastic seasons," Houston coach Dominic Kinnear said diplomatically.
A latecomer to MLS, Onstad’s numbers are nevertheless impressive over his five seasons. He has 43 shutouts in 143 regular season games and a goals-against average of just 1.07. Perhaps most impressive is his record of 63-33-47.
Onstad has picked the ball out of his net just 153 times over those five seasons. Compare that to the 49 that Toronto FC yielded in its first campaign.
Onstad looks after himself and Toshack believes he has more to give.
"I think he has at least two good years left in him. I think it will be up to him."
Onstad, who has two more years left on his current deal although neither is guaranteed, isn’t ready to call it quits – either for Houston or Canada.
Onstad got a new lease in life on the national team front, when he was called up to the Gold Cup after Greg Sutton suffered a concussion. He ended up playing four games as a resurgent Canada made it to the semifinals before losing 2-1 to the U.S.
Onstad said he enjoyed every moment of the trip.
"For some reason I never felt under pressure. I just really had a good time."
He went on to play for Canada in Iceland in August and would welcome another call-up, although he says Canadian coach Dale Mitchell has opted not to pick he or teammate Dwayne De Rosario for the Nov. 20 friendly in South Africa because of the MLS playoffs.
Onstad had just turned 20 when he made his Canadian senior debut in February 1988 in a 0-0 tie in Bermuda.
Today Onstad has 51 caps for his country, just one behind Paul Dolan and five behind Craig Forrest – two goalies whose eras coincided with Onstad’s (Dolan played for the national team from 1984 to ’97 and Forrest 1988 to 2001).
The fact Onstad has all but caught up to them in terms of appearances speaks volumes to his talent, proving he belongs among Canada’s all-time elite goalkeepers.
And he’s not done yet.
Source: Onstad enjoying stellar MLS season
