Nick Rimando won his second Major League Soccer Player of the Week honor on Monday, but passing on him in favor of Will Bruin in week one, ProSoccerTalk had yet to acknowledge the U.S. international. That all changes after Saturday’s performance against visiting Portland. Though his total save numbers (four) didn’t stand out, the quality and timing of his stops did, making Rimando both the best and most important player in MLS’s seventh week of the season.
For some, it’s a performance that fell short of the nine saves he made in Carson, Calif., in week one, but there was slightly more competition around the league that week. Besides, Rimando nearly gave away a goal in the first half with a very poor clearance. On Saturday, however, the veteran keeper gave us no such loopholes to leap through. Though we are part of the vast conspiracy to keep RSL out of the limelight (oh, wait - no we are not), we couldn’t pass on Rimando this week.
Blame his early stop on Darlington Nagbe, though that only foreshadowed what was to come. Late, after Ned Grabavoy had given the home side the lead, Rimando came up with a kick save on Alvas Powell after the Portland right back when in alone from the left of goal. Minutes later, a Gastón Fernández shot from just outside the area seemed destined for the upper-right hand corner before Rimando’s intervention. With two clutch saves, Rimando preserved his team’s 1-0 win, proving the difference between three points and none.
This was more than a typical performance from a man who defines MLS’s goalkeeping elite. There were no major flaws on Saturday, and this wasn’t a quantity over quality situation. Portland would have had goals against other keepers. They would have broken through.
Instead, they came up against the league’s best. Thanks to three huge saves, Rimando kept the Timbers winless, his own team undefeated, and claimed his first PST Player of the Week honor of the season.
| PST Award | MLS Award | |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Will Bruin, Houston Dynamo 2g, 1a vs. New England | Nick Rimando, Real Salt Lake 8 saves, PK save at LA |
| Week 2 | Víctor Bernárdez, San Jose Earthquakes 2g, 1a vs. Real Salt Lake | Jermain Defoe, Toronto FC 2 goals at Seattle |
| Week 3 | Fabian Castillo, FC Dallas 1 goal vs. Chivas USA | Bernardo Añor, Columbus 2 goals vs. Philadelphia |
| Week 4 | Álvaro Saborío, Real Salt Lake 2 goals vs. Toronto FC | Graham Zusi, Sporting Kansas City 1 goal, 2 assists at Colorado |
| March Player of the Month | Michael Bradley, Toronto FC 3 games, 0 goals, 0 assists | Mauro Díáz, FC Dallas 4 games, 2 goals, 0 assists |
| Week 5 | Diego Chara, Portland Timbers 2 goals vs. Seattle | Clint Dempsey, Seattle Sounders 3 goals at Portland |
| Week 6 | Clint Dempsey, Seattle Sounders 2 goals at Dallas | Clint Dempsey, Seattle Sounders 2 goals at Dallas |
| Week 7 | Nick Rimando, Real Salt Lake 4 saves vs. Portland | Nick Rimando, Real Salt Lake 4 saves vs. Portland |