Over his 15 years in Major League Soccer, Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando has had few seasons better than his 2014 campaign. Yet this may be his best opportunity to win Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year honors.
It’s been a season filled with signature moments for the 35-year-old Rimando. It started in the season-opener when he clinched a 1-0 victory over the LA Galaxy when he saved a Robbie Keane penalty in stoppage time and continued throughout the year with several other stops that earned MLS Save of the Year consideration.
Five times, he won the league’s Save of the Week campaign, more than any other goalkeeper in the league. With his seven shutouts he also climbed to the top of the mountain on the league’s all-time shutout list, surpassing Kevin Hartman then extending the record to 115 career clean sheets.
In the end, his 1.04 goals against average in 24 matches was enough to be the best mark in the league. He finished the season with a 13-4-7 record to go with his seven clean sheets. With it came his fourth All-Star nod in the last five seasons, starting for the MLS All-Stars against Bayern Munich.
In addition, Rimando also was named to the U.S. National Team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, but did not make an appearance in Brazil. He did appear in four friendlies for the U.S. in 2014, highlighted by a 2-0 shutout against South Korea in February.
When Rimando was out on international duty, Jeff Attinella filled in well. In his second year with RSL, Attinella had three shutouts in his 10 appearances, posting a 2-4-4 record and a 1.40 goals against average. He started six consecutive matches from May 17-June 28 and kept Real among the leaders in the Western Conference.
