The 2022 Major League Soccer season has hit the one-third mark as teams played either 11 or 12 of their 34 regular-season games. At this point we have a good idea of which players will rise to the top of their positions and which will not. Here we are going to list the top five goalies this season in MLS.
The criteria will vary slightly from goalie to goalie, but the ranking here is to identify the best of the best right here and now, a third of the way through this ongoing season. So, without further ado, these are the top five MLS goalkeepers for 2022.
Award
Of all the positional groups in major league football, the goaltender might be the strongest from top to bottom. The league features several players who could be on the net during the 2022 World Cup and some who might not, but probably should.
Not on that list will you find the New England Revolutions and suspected USMNT World Cup goaltender Matt Turner. He joins Arsenal this summer and is no longer an MLS keeper. Likewise, goalkeeper Maarten Paes from FC Dallas is on loan from Utrecht from the Eredivisie (Netherlands).
As for true honorable mentions, there are four that are worth citing. Toronto FC’s Alex Bono leads the league with 51 saves, and Orlando City’s Pedro Gallese leads the MLS with six goals against, despite only making 26 saves.
Finally, 17-year-old The Chicago Fire’s Gaga Slonina is incredible for his age and will likely top this list one day. He’s just not there yet.
5. Los Angeles Galaxy—Jonathan Bond
Jonathan Bond has an excellent .91 goals-against average and keeps the net clear of balls for the No. 4 team in MLS’s Western Conference. The LA Galaxy goalie won the MLS Player of the Week award in Week 7 after a 1-0 clean sheet against the San Jose Earthquake.
The 6-foot-5 Englishman never found a perfect fit in his home country of mid-tier clubs such as Watford, Reading and West Bromwich Albion. However, it looks like Bond, Jonathan Bond, has finally found his niche after one season and a third in LA LA Land.
4. Nashville SC—Joe Willis
The Nashville keeper ranks fourth on the list of the best MLS goalies, and it’s not just because of his superior assertiveness. The 33-year-old goaltender from St. Louis, Missouri has spent time with DC United and Houston Dynamos. A seasoned veterinarian, he’s now a traffic cop for one of the MLS’ top defenses in Tennessee.
Not only does Willis help Walker Zimmerman and his crew organize in front of him, but he’s not bad at stopping the ball. In 11 games, he has a save rate of 72.7% and a GAA of 1.09. Not bad for a keeper who played the first eight games of the season away from home.
3. NYCFC – Sean Johnson
The stats for New York FC and USMNT keeper Sean Johnson are excellent. He has a savings rate of 70.6% and a GAA of 1.0 on 24 saves. However, the reason Johnson is so high on this list isn’t just because of his blocking.
Johnson is one of (if not the) best passkeepers in MLS. His distribution allows NYCFC to play his groundbreaking style, which is what a modern goalkeeper needs to do. It’s no surprise that the Manchester City MLS team’s goalkeeper plays like this, but it’s impressive.
2. Minnesota United – Dayne St Clair
The 25-year-old keeper from Canada is one of the highlights of the season for Minnesota United. Dayne St. Clair has 40 saves in nine games with a staggering 80% save rate and a 1.11 GAA.
The youngster is shaping up to be a true star and one of the best MLS goalkeepers in the 2022 season. He could also play his way into a problem for the Canada men’s national team. As hot as St. Clair is right now, he’s dying to take the World Championship spot from 34-year-old Canadian Red Star Belgrade starter Milan Borjan. He will also challenge LAFC’s Maxime Crépeau if he fails to unseat Borjan.
1.Philadelphia Union—Andre Blake
Even at 31, Jamaican superkeeper Andre Blake is still the top goaltender in MLS in 2022. The stats speak for themselves. Blake has conceded just nine goals in 990 minutes. He has 35 saves with a save rate of 79.5% and a GAA of 0.82.
The Philadelphia Union picked Blake their #1 pick in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft, and 181 drafts later, they haven’t looked back for a minute. Union are currently third in the East after a tough 1-1 draw with the New York Red Bulls, but the team are MLS Cup contenders and much of that is thanks to Blake in defence.
Statistics courtesy of MLS.com
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