Composure is saving grace for Steffen
Two days after he made a season-high seven saves in a 1-1 tie at Orlando City, Crew SC goalkeeper Zack Steffen struggled to recall past performances in which he had reached that number.
“I don’t really pay attention to that stuff,” he said Monday.
He has had at least one seven-save performance on American soil. On Sept. 24, 2013, Steffen, then a freshman at the University of Maryland, made seven stops in a 1-1 tie against Old Dominion.
The attendance at Maryland’s Ludwig Field that night: 1,928, or more than 20,000 shy of the 25,527 reported Saturday night at Orlando City Stadium.
With Crew SC down to 10 players in the final minutes against an Orlando team that desperately needed three points to change its playoff outlook, Steffen made two of his biggest saves.
He batted down a rocket from Giles Barnes in the third minute of second-half stoppage time, then pushed a shot from Dom Dwyer over the crossbar a minute later to preserve the tie.
Steffen, a 6-foot-3 keeper acquired by the Crew from SC Freiburg last summer, has made 79 saves — fifth-most in MLS — in his first season as Crew SC’s starter. His acrobatics make him a regular nominee for MLSSoccer.com’s Save of the Week, and he knows he will have to continue to make big saves in the final eight regularseason games for his club to have a shot at the playoffs.
Part of being an effective goalkeeper, however, is keeping things out of mind.
“As much as you can stay out of your head, for me at least, the better I do. I obviously do a lot of thinking, but at the same time I want to keep my game to instincts,” Steffen said. “I want to play like I train.”
Crew SC (11-12-3) takes plenty of risks in playing out of the back. It’s a style that places a heavy burden on the back line and the goalkeeper, and the numbers reflect that. Steffen has faced 123 shots through 26 games, second-most among MLS keepers, and his 1.58 goalsagainst average is the third-highest among the 15 keepers with 20 starts or more this season.
It’s a lot of pressure to place on a 22-yearold, but composure is a key reason why Steffen was able to win the starting job before this season and hold onto it.
“I think that’s a strength of his, his poise and his calmness. He has demonstrated that all year,” coach Gregg Berhalter said. “There’s no question there are things that can improve, but we’re more than happy with where he is right now.”
The hours of waiting on game day can be long for a goalkeeper, but Steffen tries to occupy his time. In the hours leading up to home games, he will spend some time with family, eat, nap and listen to music.
He said it usually takes a couple in-game touches to find his rhythm. From there, instinct takes over.
“You’ve been doing it since you were 5 or 6, so you can’t think too much,” he said. “You’ve got to be confident and go out there and know the game plan and execute it and have fun.”