New York City FC goalkeeper Matt Freese will get a clean sheet for tonight's 0-0 draw with Chicago fire at Solider Field. So will Chicago's Chris Brady. Freese made two saves, Brady made just one, but in a game when neither attack created much that was enough to notch a shutout.
The clean sheet is a strange stat. Tonight, it was less about what the goalkeepers did than what the midfielders and attackers didn't do.
It's not a bad thing that Freese will get a clean sheet for tonight's draw. He now has him five in the 23 games he played so far this season, which puts him in a five-way tie for ninth place in the league. It's a respectable position.
But anybody who follows New York City will tell you this wasn't among Freese's five best games. No, it was a minor performance by the standards of Freese, who is having a breakout year. A physical and intelligent player with blistering reflexes, the 25-year-old is making a case this year that he should be included among the very best keepers in the league.
Just last month, he put in a heroic 90 minutes against Columbus Crew, when he made eight saves against arguably the most complete attacks in Major League Soccer. But a New York City reduced to 10 players lost that game 2-3: Freese kept NYCFC in the game, but his numbers took a hit despite his Player of the Match performance.
Eight saves against Columbus, two saves against Chicago: One of those games was a goalkeeping masterclass, but the other gives a boost to Freese's stats.
Matthew Mangam
None of the players in tonight's 0-0 draw at Soldier Field between New York City FC and Chicago Fire crowned themselves in glory. It was a back-and-forth without much creativity: The two teams combined for 19 shots, but none of them troubled either goalkeeper.
In the end, New York City's Matt Freese and Chicago's Chris Brady made just one save apiece. Both finished the night with a clean sheet.
