It was one of those flabbergasting plays you watch again and again and conclude that a human could not have actually done that — and thus the only logical explanation is that your favorite player might not classify as one.
Last Saturday night, an LA Galaxy player stood about 20 feet from goal, wide open. He received a cross pass and one-timed a shot. But ºüÀêÊÓƵ City SC goalie Roman Burki flung his left hand in the air and thwarted the shot.
“This one, with the arm?†said ºüÀêÊÓƵ coach Bradley Carnell, trying to imitate the save, which looked like it was from “The Matrix†or something. “I don’t know how he did it. Because that’s at point-blank range. And to think about the anticipation — and, you know, goalkeeper is processing so many things. He’s thinking, ‘Where are my teammates? Where is the ball (passer)? Where are the runners coming in from?’ And what is the short projection — and he has to take a gamble. At that moment, great reflexes. I mean, it’s just incredible what these guys do.â€
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Burki’s save against the Galaxy was galactic.
Yet it wasn’t even the best save by a ºüÀêÊÓƵ goalie this month.
Against LA’s hockey team, the Blues’ Jordan Binnington made a sliding kick save to the left, lost his stick, then made a diving save to his right.
“Sometimes you don’t even think, right?†Binnington told reporters. “You’re just reacting.â€
These saves are elite examples of what these two guys can do. Last season, Burki led Major League Soccer goalies in the hockey equivalent to baseball’s WAR (which measure’s a player’s value relative to a replacement-level player), per American Soccer Analysis — and so far this year, he’s seventh as ºüÀêÊÓƵ is 1-0-3. And Binnington, who deserved statue-status after his 2019 run, has a save percentage of .912 — that’s his best since 2019-20. And in the past 25 games, it’s a stupefying .921.
“I’m far from being an expert at hockey goalie, but all I hear is that he’s amazing,†said Burki, who recently attended a Blues game along with his fellow City SC goalies. “And he saves them a lot of games.â€
With Burki and Binnington, ºüÀêÊÓƵ is Goalieville. Or, perhaps, Save Louis. You might as well be reading the Goalpost-Dispatch.
OK, but who’s the better goalie?
We’ll get to that.
But for now, consider this an appreciation for the goaltender and goalkeeper dominance this city hasn’t seen since the days of the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Arena, when Mike Liut was between the pipes for the Blues and Slobo Ilijevski defending the goal for the indoor ºüÀêÊÓƵ Steamers.
Burki, for those who don’t know his status, is one of the best goalies on the planet. For years, he played at a high level in Germany’s famed top league, Bundesliga. The 33-year-old Swiss goalie is like, well, an Army knife. He can make tactical saves and acrobatic saves utilizing his agile body.
As for “The Matrix†save against the Galaxy, Burki joked that, “These are things we are doing in training every day — maybe it doesn’t look like it, but we are actually doing something.â€
Per Carnell, “I know Alex (Langer, the team’s director of goalkeeping) does all the peripheral training with the blinkers on and the glasses and everything, so we do (prepare) guys a little bit to put the guys in those positions. But nothing will replicate that (in-game moment). You can do as much training as you’d like. But if you don’t have that built in, it’s never going to work. Roman is sharp and agile.â€
At the recent Blues game, Burki said he met some of the Blues coaches and discussed the concept of getting in rhythm. One similarity between goalies in both sports is they want action early. Make a great save, get it under your belt and then you’re psychologically equipped for the game. Alas, unlike in hockey, a soccer goalie might go a whole half — or even a whole game — without facing a shot. That’s what makes the saves even more incredible — snap of the fingers, you must turn on brilliance.
As for Binnington, 30, he has kept this inconsistent Blues team in so many games because of his personal consistency. And if you want a fancy WAR-like stat, Evolving Hockey has goals saved above average. He’s eighth — and he’s fourth in the league in expected goals saved above average.
Even if the Blues don’t make the playoffs, Binnington’s resurgence this season is a reminder that ºüÀêÊÓƵ is in good hands (and pads) with him in the net.
OK, so who’s the better ºüÀêÊÓƵ goalie right now, Binnington or Burki? Per the WAR-like stat, “Binner†is eighth-best and Burki seventh. But City has only played four games so far. But it’s reasonable to say that Burki is still harnessing last season’s prowess — and last season, he won goalkeeper of the year in MLS.
And so, in a winner-take-all sporting contest of ºüÀêÊÓƵ vs. the aliens, I’ve got Burki in goal.