MLS: Top 5 goalkeepers in the league right now
By Matt Coles
2. Bill Hamid
Just missing out on the top spot on our list is an MLS one-club man, having only played for D.C. United in his two spells in the American top-flight, USMNT international Bill Hamid.
After spending four years with Premier AC, Hamid joined D.C. United Academy at the age of 16, and spent two years within the youth set-up before becoming the first Academy player to sign for the first team in 2009.
MLS Career & Honours:
- D.C. United (2010-2017, 2018-)
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- MLS Goalkeeper of the Year – 2014
- MLS Best XI – 2014
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- U.S. Open Cup – 2013
- CONCACAF Gold Cup – 2013, 2017
Hamid went on to make his professional debut for the club in May 2010, with United defeating the Kansas City Wizards. The shot-stopper broke Tim Howard’s record, becoming the youngest goalkeeper to win a regular-season match, beating his fellow American by just four days.
Two years later, he made his debut for the United States Men’s National Team in a friendly against Venezuela, and he has gone on to be a part of the USMNT squads that won the CONCACAF Gold Cup in both 2013 and 2017. That same season, Hamid also won the only domestic trophy during his time in MLS, as D.C. lifted the U.S. Open Cup.
A year on from that first national triumph and Hamid was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year for his efforts during the 2014 term. He recorded ten shutouts and made 110 saves in 30 regular-season appearances, ranking 4th and 2nd in the league in those respective categories. The club won the Eastern Conference on the back of the shot-stopper’s performances, having finished bottom of the Conference just twelve months prior.
The American international continued with United through to the end of the 2017 campaign, racking up over 190 regular-season appearances in his first spell with the side, but after failing to negotiate a new contract with the club, Hamid signed for Danish side FC Midtjylland. He was part of the side that won the Superliga in his first season with the club, but his stay in Denmark would prove to be short.
Hamid returned to the American capital midway through the 2018 campaign and immediately regained the No.1 spot at the club. He then put together his best-ever season in Major League Soccer in 2019, recording a career-high 14 shutouts, which also tied him atop the league-high with Brad Guzan. The ‘keeper also set a creed-high with 126 saves across the regular season, third in the league behind only LA Galaxy’s David Bingham and Minnesota United’s Vito Mannone, the man named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.
After playing 33 matches during the 2019 regular-season campaign, Hamid returned as D.C.’s out-and-out No.1 for the 2020 season, and he played all 180 minutes of their opening two fixtures. A nine-year veteran, and a goalkeeper that could continue in Major League Soccer for some time to come!