Cody Cropper. Photo/Kari Heistad
You’ve seen this before: a wide midfielder cuts toward the penalty area and right-foots a well-weighted cross into the box that finds the head of an attacker, who in turn sends the ball toward the back of the net with seemingly unstoppable trajectory.
Except then—like a cat emerging from the shadows to corral a rapidly scampering mouse—the goalkeeper emerges, diving with arms outstretched to push the powerful header away from the net. Saves like these—the ones that look impossible—are hallmarks for good goalkeepers. More importantly, these saves don’t seem accidental—they’re simply what’s required.
The New England Revolution haven’t had a goalkeeper capable of making saves like that—making an impossible save not look accidental—since the days of Matt Reis.
But now, thanks to a transaction that saw satisfactory shot-stopper Bobby Shuttleworth get traded to Minnesota United FC for striker Femi Hollinger-Janzen, the Revs might finally have created some breathing room for Reis’ true heir to step forward.
Cody Cropper is 24 years old and joined the Revolution last August after spending all of his very young career in England with Southampton and Milton Keynes Dons. He played in just one game for the Revolution last season—their 3-0 victory against the Montreal Impact at Gillette Stadium in the regular season finale—and made one of those seemingly impossible saves look easy when he thwarted a powerful header by Montreal’s Anthony Hamel-Jackson.
Now Cropper is trying to convince Revolution head coach Jay Heaps and goalkeeper coach Remi Roy that he should be the full-time starter in 2017, just as Reis did from 2005 until his retirement at the end of the 2013 season.
“I know of Matt Reis,” Cropper said in a phone interview from Casa Grande, Arizona, last week as the Revolution concluded preseason. “But at the end of the day, I can only do the best I can. I hope Jay and Remi choose me to start as many games as possible. If they think I’m the guy to take the reins, I’m going to do it and never look back.”
Cropper comes across as humble. He’s soft spoken in interviews and mentions an ongoing battle for starting minutes with New England’s other goalkeeper, Brad Knighton, who has seen significant minutes as a starter as well.
“The trade caught everyone by surprise, but I won’t say it clears the way for me,” Cropper said. “Brad is a good keeper. He’s very experienced. He’s filled in well for Bobby in the past.”
“So, yes, Bobby has been traded, but it’s still competitive. From a selfish perspective, it was a relief, but nothing is guaranteed. My attitude does not change.”
Cropper earned three consecutive preseason starts after Shuttleworth was traded. He is expected to start the season opener at Colorado on Saturday night and is in prime position to make the starting goalkeeping spot his own.
Knighton, who is 32 years old and has represented four MLS clubs since joining the league in 2007, has an obvious edge in experience. But Cropper, who turned 24 in February, is a highly regarded prospect who spent his developmental years in England’s highly competitive and tactically driven environment. That experience seemed to manifest itself in his performance against Montreal and may make him a source of stability for the foreseeable future.
Cropper just concluded his very first preseason in MLS, which he said enabled him to get accustomed to his teammates both on and off the field. Getting to the point of being in contention for a starting position has taken a while, too.
He was out for four months recovering from shoulder surgery prior to his start last October against Montreal and only earned competitive minutes in England’s second division before that. So right now, Cropper is both thankful and excited.
“Before the Montreal game I was just happy to be playing football,” Cropper said. “Playing in that game was a big moment, not only for myself but what I’m trying to fight for.
“Coming off the surgery, I wasn’t in the best place mentally. My focus had been on getting fit and returning to what I do best.
“We’ve got a huge game against Colorado. The off-season has been a while for all of us and with the end of last season going how it did, with us not making the playoffs, we’ve all been itching to get back to business.”
If you want to reach Julian email him at julianccardillo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @juliancardillo
