Sounders' Schmid lobbies for Gspurning

Just over a year ago, Kasey Keller played his final regular-season home game for Seattle Sounders FC, with crowd of 64,140 on hand to say goodbye.

Since then, he has started a new career as a soccer analyst, and he will be in the Sounders’ broadcast booth today as the club concludes another home season against FC Dallas.

“The year was great,” Keller said Saturday while watching Sounders practice. “… It went by a lot faster than I thought it would. Retirement wasn’t much more than just kind of a transition into something else. I think that was part of it as well: I knew that it wasn’t just sitting around trying to figure out what the next project was going to be at the house. It was some fun, and doing some things that I wasn’t allowed to do, and at the same time transitioning into the broadcasting time and learning that trade – and it’s been a lot of fun. The combination with the Sounders and ESPN has been pretty seamless, put it that way.”

The Sounders’ transition on the pitch has been pretty seamless, too. After Keller’s retirement, the club signed veteran Austrian goalkeeper Michael Gspurning.

In his first MLS season, Gspurning leads the league in goals-against average, winning percentage, shutout percentage, and is second in saves percentage. Gspurning recorded his third consecutive shutout Wednesday in Seattle’s scoreless draw with Real Salt Lake, and afterward coach Sigi Schmid pitched Gspurning for MLS goalkeeper of the year – an award Keller won last season.

“I think there’s a consensus in this league that somehow thinks that (Sporting Kansas City’s Jimmy) Nielsen is the goalkeeper of the year,” Schmid said. “I think if you look around, Michael Gspurning’s goals-against average is better than Nielsen’s. …. Michael’s been everything we’ve hoped for and everything we expected of him. For me right now, he’s the goalkeeper of the year in this league. I think he’s the goalkeeper (who has) been the most consistent.”

Before joining to the Sounders, Gspurning was honored twice as goalkeeper of the year in the top league in Greece.

Whether he wins the award in MLS could depend on whether voters value total numbers or per-game averages. Heading into this weekend, Nielsen had played 32 games, while Gspurning had played 19 because a right hip strain kept him out from early May until late July.

That games-played disparity contributes to Nielsen leading Gspurning in wins (17-11), saves (70-54) and shutouts (14-8), while Gspurning leads in winning percentage, save percentage and shutout percentage.

Impressed as Keller has been with Gspurning, he said goalkeepers can’t be accurately judged by numbers.

“I think you look at it two-fold,” he said. “One: How many goals is he conceding that you can sit back and say, ‘Yeah, he probably should have had that one.’ And I think that this year was few. … Then the other thing you say is, ‘How many occasions did he make some saves that helped us earn points.’ And you obviously saw a prime example of that last match, and I think that’s how you judge a goalkeeper.”

Eye-test aside, Keller thinks those missed games could hurt Gspurning’s candidacy.

Schmid, however, thinks Gspurning’s absence further demonstrates his value. The Sounders’ record is 11-3-5 when Gspurning starts, 3-4-6 when he doesn’t.

The team allows an average of 0.70 goals in the games Gspurning starts, and 1.38 in the 13 matches when Bryan Meredith or Andrew Weber started in goal.

“We had one bad stretch. That was the stretch where (Gspurning) was injured,” Schmid said. “When you look at our record when he’s played, I don’t (think) there’s a goalkeeper (who) can match that.”

Gspurning said he appreciates Schmid speaking up for him. Otherwise, he is uninterested in campaigning.

“I have other targets at the moment, especially with the team,” he said. “I am not thinking about this. This is a thing that other guys have to decide. I’m looking forward just to bring my performance and especially that we reach something with the team that really counts.”

SOUNDERS GAMEDAY

FC DALLAS (9-12-11, 38 POINTS) AT SOUNDERS FC (14-7-11, 53)

6 p.m., CenturyLink Field.

TV: ESPN. RADIO: 97.3 FM.

CLUB LEADERS: For Dallas – goals 8, Blas Perez; assists 7, David Ferreira and Jackson; shots 55, Brek Shea; shots on goal 22, Perez; goals against average 1.32, Kevin Hartman. For Seattle – G 14, Eddie Johnson; A 13, Mauro Rosales; S 115, Fredy Montero; SOG 43, Montero; GAA 0.70, Michael Gspurning.

HEAD TO HEAD: The Sounders lead 3-1-4 overall, but the series is 1-1-1 in Seattle. In meetings this season, both in Frisco, Texas, Seattle won, 2-0, on May 9, and the clubs played to a 1-1 draw Sept. 2.

NOTES: Seattle coach Sigi Schmid will miss the game while serving a one-game suspension for criticism of the referee after the Sounders’ scoreless draw with Real Salt Lake on Wednesday. Top assistant Brian Schmetzer will assume Schmid’s duties today. … Both teams have a stake in the Portland-Vancouver match today, which should conclude just before kickoff. If the Whitecaps win at home, Dallas is out of playoff contention, while a Vancouver win or draw would clinch the Cascadia Cup for Seattle. … Seattle and Dallas are both 1-1-3 over their past five games. … Seventeen players have scored for the Hoops, most in MLS. … Dallas leads MLS in fouls suffered. Seattle is fourth. … Jackson, Shea and defender George John of Shoreline are listed as questionable. … Seattle’s Zach Scott and Dallas’ Julian de Guzman are out with disciplinary suspensions. Montero and John are one caution away from yellow-card suspensions. … The referee is Baldomero Toledo. … The Sounders will celebrate fan-appreciation day with prize giveaways. … In a nod to breast cancer awareness, the game ball will be pink.

QUOTABLE: “Sigi, I know what he wants, I know what he’s all about. That’s just making sure nothing major goes wrong.… We’ve been here 31/2 years. I know what he needs, I know what he wants. I’ve got a good feel for him.” – Schmetzer, on filling in for Schmid.

NEXT: The Sounders conclude CONCACAF Champions League group play Wednesday, when Marathon of Honduras visits CenturyLink. Regardless of the outcome, Seattle wins its group. Seattle ends its MLS regular season Sept. 28 at Los Angeles.