I'm definitely not one of the MLS conspiracy theorists, but this whole Donovan Ricketts as Goalkeeper of the Year has my head spinning.
Donovan Ricketts Voters Please Speak Up
I’ve been putting out calls all day on Twitter, asking for a single person to explain their voting him as the league’s top keeper.
So far? Nothing. Not a single person who has talked about the Goalkeeper of Year had anyone other than Kevin Hartman or Nick Rimando as their top pick.
This isn’t to suggest that I actually believe the award is a total crock, but I would honestly like to hear how people who voted for Ricketts justified their vote.
Could it really be his blazing start when he allowed just two goals in 996 minutes made enough impact on enough voters that they just picked him automatically? That’s honestly the most plausible theory I’ve heard, and that seems ... unlikely.
Assuming most voters waited until at least the third month of the season to make up their minds, there’s just no realistic way you can make the argument that Ricketts was the best keeper in the league.
The lazy voter probably just looks at the numbers. They see Hartman’s league-leading saves percentage (78.9) and his goals against average (.62) and I can understand why they voted for him. Or maybe they notice Rimando’s comparable numbers (78.0 and .67, respectively) in those areas and consider his league-leading 14 shutouts, and choose him. The only numbers that work in Ricketts favor are wins (18) and the his playing in more games (29) than Rimando (27) or Hartman (20). Ricketts was third in both saves percentage (76.0) and goals against average (.90). He had one more save than Rimando, but allowed three more goals.
The more thoughtful voter notices that Hartman was the linchpin of the FC Dallas defense and led them to a MLS record 19-match unbeaten streak. They see Rimando's command of the record-breaking RSL defense or see that he had the two longest scoreless streaks in MLS this season (567 and 511 minutes). They see both players making difficult saves look simple and turn no-doubt goals into highlight-reel saves. Either way, they choose one of these guys.
To be fair, Ricketts was not bad. He was among the league leaders in every significant category, but he was well behind Hartman and Rimando in most of them.
The easy answer is to say it was the large-market power of playing in L.A. But why then were just three Galaxy players selected as award finalists? If this were about market-size, the Supporters’ Shield winners certainly could have earned a couple more finalists without anyone raising too much stink.
A slightly more nuanced answer would be to say it was the players and coaches who pushed Ricketts over the top. Considering his reputation as a time-waster, I have my doubts about this as well.
It all adds up to a perplexing situation. Without MLS revealing their voting — and I’m not exactly holding out much hope for that — it’s up to individual voters to speak up. I’d love to hear from anyone who believes Ricketts was the top keeper. I don’t care if they are employees of the Galaxy or work for Ricketts’ agent. I just want someone, anyone, to tell me why Ricketts deserved to be Goalkeeper of the Year.
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