SAN JOSE, Calif. - Earthquakes goalkeeper David Bingham had a month of August for the ages and was rightfully selected as one of five candidates for the Etihad Airways MLS Player of the Month.
Bingham, the only member of the Quakes to play every minute of the season so far, has been a rock in-between the goal posts for San Jose. Needing a tremendous run of play to propel the Quakes up the standings and into the playoff picture, Bingham stood tall and delivered, leading the club to a 4-1-1 record during August.
In those six matches, Bingham made 18 saves, fourth most in the league, and kept an unbelievable five clean sheets, including four shutout victories to close out the month. And whom he did it against might be even more impressive. Of the five teams that Bingham and the Quakes defense kept off the board, four are currently playoff teams – Portland, Sporting Kansas City, D.C. United and Los Angeles – that are all within six points of the Supporters’ Shield. Also, LA and Sporting KC possess the two most proficient scoring attacks in the highly competitive Western Conference. The fifth team, Colorado, is among the hottest teams in MLS, with their loss to the Quakes being the only game they haven’t won in their last four contests.
“The defense has played good in front of him, and that’s a sign that they’re listening to his instruction behind them,” said head coach Dominic Kinnear. “ And when he’s been called upon, he’s made some real good saves. It’s nice to see him get nominated. I’m sure he’ll push a lot of the credit to the team in front of him, but he’s done a great job.”
Bingham became just the third goalkeeper in league history, and first in the last 10 seasons, to record four shutout victories in a row, joining Scott Garlick with Colorado in 2003 and Matt Reis with New England in 2005. Bingham, 25, is the first goalkeeper to do so under 30 years of age. In addition, 2015 marks Bingham’s first season as the regular starter, tallying no more than two starts in any of his previous four years in the league.
“His game’s getting a little bit better every single week, every single game, building on the last one,” said Quakes goalkeeper coach Tim Hanley. “The team and David have a good run going.”
Good might be an understatement. Bingham has allowed two total goals in six starts, with both goals coming on the road in Houston, and one coming after the Quakes had dropped to 10 men, giving him a goals against average of 0.33 in August. He is the only goalkeeper in the league this season to make five or more starts in a single calendar month and record a GAA of 0.5 or lower.
Bingham’s play during the month of August has certainly warranted the award nomination, and as they say, numbers don’t lie.
