MLS Round-Up
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
The ascent for Colorado Rapids goalkeeper Clint Irwin has certainly been a rapid one.
In 2012, the 24-year-old was a backup for the Charlotte Eagles in USL PRO, making spot starts to spell Eric Reed in the league and starring in the Eagles’ run to the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup as he played a key role in victories against FC Dallas and the San Antonio Scorpions.
A year on, just as he did for the Eagles, Irwin has made his own good fortune. After an injury to Rapids starter Matt Pickens on April 16 saw Irwin plunged into the Rocky Mountain Cup rivalry against Real Salt Lake, he hasn’t flinched in the spotlight. After another standout performance against RSL this past weekend, Irwin was named to the MLS Team of the Week for the second consecutive week.
Irwin earned the honor thanks to his first shutout in MLS, which came thanks to a penalty save against Alvaro Saborio that allowed an early goal by Atiba Harris to stand in a 1-0 victory. Irwin gave credit after the game to Rapids goalkeeper coach Chris Sharpe, who had given him a scouting report on RSL’s penalty takers in the week leading up to the game, and he dove to his left to push the Costa Rican international’s effort onto the post before it was cleared to safety.
“I was just extremely happy,” Irwin told ColoradoRapids.com. “The past couple games we’ve had two penalties, and I’ve come close to saving them, and honestly I was just sick of having PKs scored on me. We worked on it this week, saving PKs, and it really just comes down to the preparation that the coaches have provided. Give a ton of credit to them for putting me in a good position to make the save.”
Irwin, who also previously played for the Carolina Dynamo in the PDL while at Elon University, now has a 1.02 goals-against average in his four appearances this season.
Other USL alumni named to the Team of the Week included former PDL standout Darlington Nagbe, who played a key role in the Portland Timbers’ 2-0 victory against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday night. The former Cleveland International completed 49 of 57 passes against the Dynamo, and provided the assist on Ryan Johnson’s second goal of the evening.
Also selected was former Orange County Blue star standout Luis Silva, who helped Toronto FC come back from a two-goal deficit against FC Dallas. The midfielder, who is making his way back from injury, came on in the second half for the Reds to great effect, providing energy and putting Dallas on the back foot to help his side earn a point.
Former Austin Aztex midfielder Dillon Powers was also honored on Tuesday, taking SoccerByIves.com’s Rookie of the Week award after playing an important role in Colorado’s win against RSL. Playing as one of the Rapids’ holding midfielders, Powers was all over the field on Saturday, completing 34 of 45 passes, winning five headers and recovering possession for his side five times in the contest.
Elsewhere, former Wilmington Hammerheads forward Corey Hertzog, who earned All-USL PRO First Team honors last season, scored his first goal in his return to MLS as the Vancouver Whitecaps earned a 1-1 draw against the San Jose Earthquakes. Also finding the back of the net was former PDL standout Dominic Oduro, who earned the Columbus Crew a 1-1 draw with the Philadelphia Union.