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Josh Saunders: NYCFC’s Most Underrated Player

By John Tolis

Sep 17, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York City FC goalkeeper Josh Saunders (12) drinks in his game against the FC Dallas at Yankee Stadium. New York City FC and FC Dallas tied, 2-2. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York City FC goalkeeper Josh Saunders (12) drinks in his game against the FC Dallas at Yankee Stadium. New York City FC and FC Dallas tied, 2-2. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports /
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After the departure of Josh Saunders, the NYCFC faithful had mixed reviews about it, but in reality, he was the team’s most underrated player.

Being a goalie in this sport is no easy task, especially at NYCFC last year. Standing between those posts for a full 90 minutes is an immense amount of pressure. A goalie needs to anchor the defenders, direct them and back them up when they need support.

There’s even more pressure on a goalie when he comes into an expansion team with no identity and an unbalanced defensive line, that pressure belonged to Josh Saunders. The 35-year old came over to the Big Apple in 2015 from Real Salt Lake with experience.

He’s a three-time MLS Cup winner and playing the majority of his career with the LA Galaxy, Saunders was the experienced keeper NYCFC needed. Saunders only missed a mere two games in his NYCFC career and made 66 starts. In those starts, Saunders grabbed 221 saves and 123 of them came in 2015 alone, which earned him the most saves in the league.

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At times, Saunders was loved and hated. The NYCFC fan base had mixed reviews about him and often blamed him for Eirik Johansen’s time on the bench. Saunders, in my opinion, was the team’s most underrated player in so many ways.

Of course, he made mistakes, but most of the time he came up with clutch saves in certain situations. Along with a shaky defensive line, Saunders had to adapt to different coaches. Every NYCFC player had to endure that, but with Patrick Vieira it was a little different.

One of Vieira’s tactics was playing the ball out of the defense, something that Saunders struggled with. It was evident that Saunders’ time with NYCFC was dimming when Johansen got the starting nod in the second leg against Toronto FC in last year’s play-offs.

Jun 18, 2016; Commerce City, CO, USA; Chicago Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson (25) kicks the ball in the second half against the Colorado Rapids at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 18, 2016; Commerce City, CO, USA; Chicago Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson (25) kicks the ball in the second half against the Colorado Rapids at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

Once Sean Johnson was signed, Saunders’ NYCFC career was considered over as it seemed that Vieira wanted a young gun between the sticks. Ironically, Saunders was traded to Orlando City SC which is NYCFC’s expansion rival and lead by NYCFC’s ex-gaffer, Jason Kreis.

Saunders deserved more from NYCFC and did the best he could for the club, something that shouldn’t go unnoticed. We all know how hard the fans in New York can be on athletes, but this time is different.

NYCFC fans need to look back on Saunders’ time in the bright blue and come to terms with the fact that he was indeed– the club’s most underrated player.

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