In the offseason, goalkeeper Luis Robles was a huge question mark for the Red Bulls. Robles spent the early part of the season as an Achilles’ heel. Now? He’s heading into the postseason run as arguably the team’s most consistent player, his game-changing saves a big reason the Red Bulls sit atop the Supporters Shield standings.
“Well, it’s just been an adjustment,’’ Robles said. “At the beginning of the season, there were a lot of changes. I was working with a new coach, new coaching staff, new players, new faces. I knew that during that rough patch if I could just continue to keep my mind on the way I wanted to play and continue to work hard and get pick-up support from the guys.’’
Robles heads into Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash in Seattle unscored upon in his past 252 minutes since surrendering a Jason Johnson goal in the 18th minute of the Red Bulls’ 4-1 win at Houston on Sept. 8. Last Sunday, his save on Fabian Castillo’s acute-angle shot in first-half stoppage time was the only one needed in a 1-0 win over FC Dallas.
“He’s a vital part of our football team. I said in the first half, I said to him, ‘That one could win us the game,’ and it ended up winning us the game,’’ Tim Cahill said. “Luis was fantastic [Sunday] again.”
Robles’ stop was nominated for MLS Save of the Week.
“He was coming in at a pretty tight angle, so I figured I could close out that post and kind of entice him to go to the back post, and he did,’’ Robles said. “And lucky for me, he hit more of a dink, he didn’t just smash it.
“But I think that was the only shot on goal that our defense gave up. It just continues to show that there were some things we needed to work out at the beginning of the season.’’
The only Red Bull to play every minute of every game, Robles is fourth in MLS in saves (89) and sixth among regular starting keepers in goals-against-average (1.20). But the defense has not always been stout in front of him, and Robles struggled earlier in the season.
“At the beginning of the season, everyone was saying that we couldn’t finish games,’’ Robles said. “But if you look at the way we played the last 10 games, it’s starting to show the fruits of our labor. Being diligent and disciplined and working hard each and every week. So huge credit to not only the back four, but the team in general for putting in 90-minute work defensively.’’
In a five-game span from July 27 through Aug. 25, Robles was peppered with 30 shots, and had to stand on his head to steal points here and there. But in the Red Bulls’ four-game winning streak that has followed, he has only faced a total of a dozen shots — and allowed just two goals.
It’s a noteworthy emergence from a player who only entered the lineup late last season because then-rookie starter Ryan Meara suffered a hip injury. Even during Robles’ early-season struggles, there was always the specter of the highly-regarded Meara hovering over his shoulder.
That is, until he shrugged it off.
“I’m not oblivious to it, but I think I felt [responsibility] more towards my teammates,’’ Robles said. “When I was on the field, I wanted to be able to not only play well for them, but also let them know that I got their backs. There were some really difficult moments, but I got support from them and that helped a lot.’’
And now Robles is repaying that support with huge saves like Sunday’s.
“Luis comes up big for us a lot of times, you know?” Jonny Steele said. “At the end of the day, that’s his job. You get one shot and you expect him to save it.’’