It was a big week for Sporting KC goalkeeper Jon Kempin, who was voted MVP of the Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game on Monday and then made his MLS debut in Sunday's 2-0 loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps.
The Leawood, Kansas native played the final 45 minutes of Sporting KC's match Sunday night, coming on at halftime to replace an injured Andy Gruenebaum. As if a 2-0 deficit wasn't enough of a challenge, Kempin was called upon in a big way, when Aurelien Collin was whistled for a foul in the penalty box in the 84th minute.
Jamaican striker Darren Mattocks stepped up to the spot and laced a shot toward the left-hand corner of the net. Kempin guessed correctly, deflecting Mattocks' strike off the crossbar to prevent the Whitecaps from extending their lead.
Kempin said following that the match that he had scouted Mattocks' penalty kick tendencies, but was caught off guard by a quick whistle from referee David Gantar.
"I think the ref blew the whistle a little early, before I was quite ready," the 21-year-old goalkeeper said. "I had to make a quick decision, and that’s the way I went.”
Kempin's save is one of five nominees for MLS Save of the Week. Voting runs until Friday morning at 1:59 a.m. CT at MLSsoccer.com.
