For the second consecutive week and fourth time this season, Sporting KC goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum is nominated for MLS Save of the Week. The Overland Park, Kansas native is one of five finalists for his 21st-minute stop on Matt Watson, pushing away the volley after winning an aerial challenge moments earlier.
"I try to get a read on the shot, but some of it’s obviously just making yourself big. Some if it’s positioning, too," Gruenebaum said. "Even though it happens bang-bang like that, it’s definitely something that you can kind of read when it goes off the player’s foot."
VOTE NOW: Save of the Week
The reaction save was his first of six saves in Friday's 2-0 victory over the Chicago Fire at Sporting Park - a win that secured Sporting KC's fourth consecutive postseason berth and came on the heels of Gruenebaum's seven-save performance at Eastern Conference leaders D.C. United a week earlier. In doing so, the nine-year veteran became the first Sporting KC goalkeeper to make at least six saves in two straight MLS contests since Kevin Hartman in June 2008.
Gruenebaum now has a 308-minute shutout streak dating back to Sept. 6, 2014, the longest active streak in MLS and just 44 minutes shy of the league's longest streak this season. His 75.6 save percentage in 2014 is also second best among MLS goalkeepers with a minimum of 30 saves.
Gruenebaum's 21st career MLS clean sheet not only earned him Man of the Match honors on SportingKC.com and a spot on MLSsoccer.com's Team of the Week, but he garnered rave reviews in both locker rooms following Friday's match.
"Andy had a great game today. That’s the best game that I’ve seen him play," said Sporting KC outside back Jacob Peterson. "He was big."
"I think Gruenebaum is the man of the match. He came up with some amazing saves that kept his team in it," said Chicago forward Quincy Amarikwa, who had three shots turned away.
"We had plenty of chances but unfortunately Gruenebaum played extremely well tonight," said Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson. "He was the man of the match for me."
Gruenebaum - who at age 31 is the oldest player to appear for Sporting KC this season -- has a 6-3-2 record as a starter in 2014 with 34 saves and a 1.14 goals against average in MLS play. After being acquired from Columbus prior to the 2014 season, he started each of Sporting Kansas City's two matches in the 2014 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, as well as a 2014/15 CONCACAF Champions League group stage victory over Costa Rica's Deportivo Saprissa.
Gruenebaum was also a Save of the Week finalist in Weeks 21, 26 and 30. He could become the third different Sporting KC goalkeeper to win the weekly award in 2014 after Eric Kronberg took home the honor in Week 9, while homegrown goalkeeper Jon Kempin earned the recognition in back-to-back weeks (22 and 23).
