SAN JOSE, Calif. -
As an athlete, you're defined by moments.
Whether it's scoring the game-winning goal, threading a timely pass up the field or clearing a ball off the goal line, as little as one second can change the course of your career.
For Quakes starting goalkeeper David Bingham, it took 45 minutes and a number of timely saves in the 2012 California Clasico at Stanford Stadium to help cement his name in Quakes lore and earn a crucial 4-3 win against their Western Conference rival LA Galaxy.
Just hours away from the 2015 California Clasico at Stanford Stadium, Bingham is poised to make his first start in the most heated rivalry in MLS, an opportunity ignited from a first half collision in the 2012 matchup.
“[Jon] Busch got in a collision in the first half and his eye started to swell up," Bingham said. "I was told to stay loose, so I was staying warm on the side of the field for the last 25 minutes of the first half.
“We go into the locker room and Batts [former Quakes goalkeeper coach Jason Batty] tells me that his eye has swollen shut and that I was in. At that point, it was about keeping the feet moving, getting a few kicks in and I was ready to go.”
Bingham entered for the second half and could see his objective with clarity.
“You always want to start every game with a good catch or distribution to get your confidence up,” Bingham said. “Once I made the first save, and I know it sounds crazy, but everything around me was just blocked out.”
In just his third career appearance, the former Cal star kept a clean sheet for 45 minutes, including denying David Beckham on a glorious chance.
“I was waiting all year for my opportunity, and that was a good shot,” Bingham recalled this week. “He got away from one of our defenders, toe-poked a shot to goal and I reacted by tipping it over the bar. That save kind of added to the momentum.”
Bingham’s tip save against Beckham fueled the Castro Valley native in the games final stanza. True to his style of goalkeeping, Bingham sprung off his line to disrupt several LA attacking sequences and, in one of the most memorable moments of the match, pinned a looping shot on the cross bar before batting it out of play.
As the final whistle blew, Bingham proved that he belonged, sparking the Quakes to one of the biggest wins of the season. Fast-forward to the 2015 MLS campaign and the 25-year-old is the club’s starting goalkeeper, tallying 50 saves and five shutouts so far this season.
The Quakes are coming off an impressive 2-0 win against Seattle Sounders FC and the defense appears to have adapted nicely to Bingham's aggressive, proactive approach during a season of adjustment.
“Our communication is getting a lot better game by game. It’s going to continue to get better. We’ve had one of the hardest teams to break down in the league, and we’re just going to get harder to break down.
“You have to work on it every day. It’s a long season, so some days aren’t as good as others. It’s just part of being a professional. You have to come in every day and work your butt off and work to get better every day.
"Ultimately by the end of your career, you can look back and have no regrets," he continued. "That’s what I’m going for right now: Take it day by day and work hard.”
Bingham’s stellar 2015 regular season performance looks to continue this weekend at the venue where he came to prominence in 2012. Instead of waiting in the wings when the opening whistle blows, he’ll be defending San Jose’s box in the biggest rivalry in MLS.
“The matches at Stanford Stadium are fun for everyone, including us players,” Bingham said. “Saturday’s match is just another step towards reaching our ultimate goal. Against LA, we need to focus on stopping their attack, staying organized in our defensive half and hopefully get the result.”
