Who has been Major League Soccer’s best goalkeeper in 2017?
Plain, objective numbers suggest — no, more like scream — that the answer is Tim Melia.
At the forefront, Sporting Kansas City’s goalkeeper leads MLS with nine shutouts. His 0.70 goals against average ranks second, trailing only Chicago’s Matt Lampson — who has played 11 games compared to Melia’s 20.
The obvious argument against these metrics is that Melia faces a low volume of shots thanks to the stingy group of field players in front of him. And while that may be true — Sporting KC concedes less than 10 shots per match — we would be remiss to ignore further statistics that paint an even clearer picture.
Among keepers with at least two games played, Melia sits at No. 1 in save percentage at 81.1. His 60 total saves rank fifth, while his 37 saves from shots inside the box rank fourth. He also leads the league with three penalty kick saves, denying 60 percent of the penalties he has faced this season.
<strong>Category</strong> |
<b>Total</b> |
<strong>MLS Rank</strong> |
Shutouts |
9 |
1st |
Save Percentage |
81.1 |
1st |
Goals Against Avg. |
0.70 |
2nd |
Saves |
60 |
5th |
Saves Inside Box |
37 |
4th |
PK Saves |
3 |
1st |
The numbers don’t lie.
But for those who value expert opinions over statistics when assessing a goalkeeper’s All-Star credentials, just ask any of the seven folks at MLSsoccer.com who selected their mid-season Goalkeeper of the Year. They came to unanimous agreement on one player. That player — surprise, surprise — was Tim Melia.
