Photo/Kari Heistad
Bobby Shuttleworth may have technically recorded just two saves on Saturday night when he helped the New England Revolution beat the Philadelphia Union 1-0 at PPL Park, but taking that statistic at face value seriously undermines what was actually an impressive performance.
Shuttleworth stopped direct bids at goal in both halves, in addition to breaking up a slew of chances before they could materialize. He also worked well throughout the game with central defenders Jose Goncalves and Andrew Farrell, helping the Revolution notch their eighth shutout of the season.
Shuttleworth signed a new contract last week—an undisclosed salary for an unknown number of years, due to team and league policy—and has lived up to management’s faith, even before his sterling role in Saturday’s win.
Goalkeepers on any team often have to play a nerve-wracking waiting game. With only one player taking up a spot between the goal posts each game, the back-ups and third-stringers may not even get to take the field in a competitive game over the course of a whole year.
Former Revolution back-ups Luis Soffner, Tim Murray, Zach Simmons, and Kyle Singer only had one field appearance between them despite being standouts in college. Shuttleworth, a top-notch keeper with the University of Buffalo, signed with the Revolution in 2009 as a third-stringer and, in rare fashion, has excelled to starting every game.
That rise separates Shuttleworth from his peers, who never made an impression for the limited time they were in MLS. Shuttleworth made the most out of a loan to the Western Mass Pioneers (PDL) in his rookie season, was a patient yet fast learner under the tutelage of Matt Reis, and gave the Revolution a reason to stick with him once Reis retired instead of signing another veteran goalkeeper.
The result was a remarkable, six-year rise that took the Tonawanda, NY native from being a fringe, third-stringer on loan in Ludlow, Mass. to starting in last season’s MLS Cup against the LA Galaxy.
Under Jay Heaps’ tactical scheme, offense and defense work symbiotically in a balanced, quick-working system. And Shuttleworth is the main man once the opposition kicks the ball at goal.
As of Saturday, the Revolution and the Union have the most number of shutouts in the Eastern Conference. But unlike the Union, the Revolution are in a playoff position, mostly because of collaboration between offense and defense that Heaps has preached. Any goal that the Revolution has scored has been buttressed by Shuttleworth’s capabilities in goal.
