I keep seeing Marcus Hahnemann making saves that are not merely quality stuff, but stops that are nudging into the “game-changing” category.
I saw it two weeks ago when Seattle began the Desert Diamond Cup in a contest against New England. And I saw it again Saturday night in the tournament final, as Hahnemann did his part in the Sounders’ 1-0 win to claim the tourney final in Tucson.
Seattle’s goalkeeper brilliantly turned away Alvaro Saborio’s header within the game’s first 20 minutes and later manufactured a swell double save, just before the break. He was quick off his line on a couple of occasions, too. (A couple of rebounds left in bad places do, on the other hand, need a little tidying up.)
At age 40 there seems to be little question that Hahnemann, who made two U.S. World Cup rosters as the country’s third ‘keeper, can do the job in MLS. You have to say, with Michael Gspurning as the starter (and among the league’s standard bearers in the nets, according to our PST goalkeeper rankings), Seattle has one of the best overall situations in goal in MLS. Very possibly the best.
To know how important a little goalkeeping “insurance” can be – having a strong backup, that is – look only to Seattle’s 2012 campaign.
Gspurning missed 14 league starts last year, and his team struggled without him. With the Austrian vet between the pipes the Sounders were a healthy 12-4-5 and well under a goal a game scoring allowed. Without him, just 3-4-6 and well over a goal a game.
That’s a mighty difference.
Here are the highlights from Seattle’s 1-0 win Saturday in the desert, a contest shown live on NBC Sports Network:
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