Welcome to the final article in this exercise! This time we will look at our Goalkeepers!
As a reminder, the players discussed today are all listed as Goalkeepers on the team’s website. This week I will continue to focus on key stats that are traditionally attributed to Keepers: saves, goals against, and clean sheets.
As a reminder, I will use the following verdicts after making my statistical case for each player:
- Lock: these are for players that should be considered guarantee resigning.
- Mixed: There is an argument to resign this player but don’t be surprised if they’re not back in 2021.
- Gone: these are for players that are likely not coming back next season at all.
Players listed as Defender alphabetically by first name:
Brian Holt:
Brian Holt was a midseason announcement, along with Manny Lira, that did not see any game action.
2021 Verdict: Mixed. Some of you readers may not have even realized we had a third keeper on the team. Brian seems to be on the roster to fill the emergency keeper role but also to help coach the other goalkeepers. I’m not 100% sure what the team will do with Brian. Much like Manny, I can see them resigning him at some point in the off-season, just to have a third keeper on the roster. I wouldn’t be surprised if Brian wasn’t resigned as a player either.
Rashid Nuhu:
Who keeps the shots out? Our number one choice at keeper most of the season was Rashid Nuhu.
Before we get into stats let’s talk a little about intangible items with Rashid. He was a vocal leader on the field commanding and demanding of his backline. Those in the Parliament end could hear Rashid yelling instructions to his defenders. On the flip side, Rashid also gave you moments where you were left scratching your head. He is a fiery player and very passionate but his red card against North Texas was out of anger and there were times where he didn’t totally trust his backline. Rashid was named to the USL League One Second Team for the season.
Rashid played in and started 15 matches this season totaling the most minutes played at 1,311. His lone missed game was due to his red card suspension. Rashid completed the 3rd most passes on the team at 451 only a 46% completion percentage. Keep in mind that includes 348 long passes, which are statistically lower percentage passes. This isn’t uncommon for a goalkeeper and shouldn’t be considered a huge negative.
Defensively Rashid had 8 clearances and won 100% of his tackles attempted (which was only 1). Rashid was also involved in 15 total duels winning 12. Specifically, Rashid went 5/6 on his aerial duels. Rashid conceded 13 goals this season giving him a .87 per game goal against average. Rashid faced 45 shots while saving 32 for a 71% save percentage this season. He was also able to keep 6 clean sheets.
2021 Verdict: Lock. Rashid Nuhu should be considered one of the easiest locks for this team next season. He was clearly our number 1 choice at Goalkeeper and was second only to Dallas Jaye of Greenville in most statistical categories. There isn’t much more to say about Rashid at this point, he should be considered a guaranteed lock with his contract option.
Sam Howard:
Every team needs a capable and good backup Goalkeeper. Sam Howard appeared to be that for Union Omaha. In a shortened season Sam was able to make 2 appearances with 1 start playing 127 minutes. Sam’s first appearance was to finish up the game against North Texas and his start was while Rashid served his red card suspension.
In his two appearances Sam attempted 38 passes with a 48% accuracy, similar to Rashid’s season stats. Of those 38 passes, 27 were long passes. Sam conceded 2 goals (one in each match) while facing 4 shots and saving 2 for a 50% save percentage. Sam did not keep a clean sheet this season.
2021 Verdict: Lock. Sam Howard did what we expect a back up keeper to do. He came in against North Texas, after a red card, and played well. He was able to preserve the draw while down a man and had a big save in the game. He also led us to victory against FC Tucson the next match while Rashid served his suspension. Overall, Sam played well in tough spots and the coaching staff had the confidence in him to play when Rashid couldn’t. I look for the team to pick up his option for next season, especially when we have bigger areas of need throughout the outfield.
Final score: 2 locks and 1 mixed. Our goalkeeping position should look very similar in 2021. We have one of the best Keepers in the league in Rashid Nuhu and a very good backup, should the need arise. I don’t see much turnover here because we have good depth and Jay will need to focus on building more depth in the outfield positions.
Final team score: 13 locks, 9 mixed, and 2 gone.
That’s it for my review of the position groups and determinations on where we will stand moving into 2020. I hope you have enjoyed these articles and I look forward to seeing where I was right and (most likely) where I was wrong.
Let me know what you think!
Who Gives A Hoot? 