Pat Onstad Thread

[Joe MacCarthy]

News
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Onstad Named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year

http://www.canadasoccer.com/eng/media/viewArtical.asp?Press_ID=2336

http://www.canadasoccer.com/images/media/onstad_action1.jpg
Canada’s Pat Onstad

New York - Major League Soccer today announced that San Jose Earthquakes goalkeeper Pat Onstad, who helped lead his team to the best record in MLS, was selected as the winner of the 2005 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award.

Onstad, who earns his second Goalkeeper of the Year award in three seasons, had one of the best statistical seasons as a goalkeeper in MLS history. Along with being one of only five players to start and play in every minute of all 32 MLS regular season games (2,880 minutes), the 37-year-old veteran led the League in wins (18), shutouts (12), goals against average (0.97), and save percentage (77.2 percent). With a talented group of defenders in front of him, the Canadian international served as the last line of a defense which surrendered a League-low 31 goals during the season. Onstad narrowly edged out Matt Reis of the New England Revolution while defending Goalkeeper of the Year Joe Cannon of the Colorado Rapids finished in third place in the voting. The award marks the third time in the last four years that an Earthquakes goalkeeper has earned the title.

Earthquakes striker and Canadian International Dwayne De Rosario will find out on November 10 whether he has been voted the MLS Player of the Year. De Rosario, Jaime Moreno from DC United and Taylor Twellman from the New England Revolution are also in the running for the the award.

www.mlsnet.com

[supersjd]

Onstad Named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year

New York - Major League Soccer today announced that San Jose Earthquakes goalkeeper Pat Onstad, who helped lead his team to the best record in MLS, was selected as the winner of the 2005 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award.

Earthquakes striker and Canadian International Dwayne De Rosario will find out on November 10 whether he has been voted the MLS Player of the Year. De Rosario, Jaime Moreno from DC United and Taylor Twellman from the New England Revolution are also in the running for the the award.

www.mlsnet.com

Thats great that Onstad recieved goalkeeper of the year because i really liked how he played this year. I really hope Dwayne De Rosario can grab the MLS Player of the Year. This would be great for Canada!

[toronto_soccer]

a canadian goalie in mls won goalie of the year. yo joe mc carthy we need some info on this.

Edit: Next time try looking before posting. And you too can post info. It is allowed you know :)

[toronto_soccer]

lol well done. as soon as i heard i posted it here, didn't even notice the thread.

[Joe MacCarthy]

MLS introduces Houston 1836
By NEIL DAVIDSON

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/2006/01/25/1411446-cp.html

(CP) - The new Texas entry in Major League Soccer, introduced as Houston 1836 on Wednesday, will be looking to a pair of Canadians to help sell the game in Houston.

Goalkeeper Pat Onstad, on hand in Houston for the name announcement Wednesday, will look after the 1836 defence while attack midfielder Dwayne DeRosario goes for goal. Both Canadians won kudos last season with the San Jose Earthquakes, before the franchise was moved to Houston in December.

Onstad, who turned 38 on Jan. 13, was named MLS goalie of the year for the second time last season. DeRosario, 27, won goal of the year honours for the second straight year and was a finalist for the league MVP award.

The number 1836 refers to the date the city was founded and the Battle of the Alamo.

Using a number or date in a team name is not uncommon in Europe, with the likes of Germany's FC Schalke 04, 1860 Munich and Hannover 96.

"A little different, but you can look at the Philadelphia 76ers, San Francisco 49ers and 1860 Munich in Europe," Onstad said Wednesday from Houston. "There's a lot of history behind it."

The new team colours are black, blue and orange.

The team will open play at Robertson Stadium at the University of Houston for the first few seasons. The team owners are looking to build their own stadium.

Onstad and his teammates open camp on Feb. 1, looking to erase memories of a semifinal playoff loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy after a league-leading 18-4-10 regular season last year.

"Terrific season, tragic ending," he said.

Houston will be missing two key players from last season who have moved on: forward Mark Chung and defender Danny Califf.

Onstad says the move to attacking midfielder from forward made all the difference for DeRosario.

"He's been fantastic. We finally found a position for him. That was the problem with Dwayne, you never knew where he was going to be most successful. He got that opportunity to play that kind of free role in the midfield and he's got a great guy behind him in Ricardo Clark who can make up lots of ground and do lots of extra running for him."

The Houston Chronicle is already raving about DeRosario.

"He's lightning quick, has the vision of former NBA legend Magic Johnson and the ability to perform spectacular feats," the paper wrote.

"He is as talented at his craft as the Rockets' Tracy McGrady and the Astros' Morgan Ensberg. And unlike McGrady and Ensberg, he has won championships - two with the former San Jose Earthquakes.

"He scores goals that make fans ask, 'Did I just see that?"'

Onstad, meanwhile, says he is still savouring the game. He and his family have already bought a house in Houston.

"I really looked after myself this off-season and I'm really looking forward to getting to training camp," he said. "I'd like to play as long as I can."

He has no plans to return to international play, however, pointing to Canada's recent 0-0 tie with the U.S.

"They're in good hands by the looks of things," said Onstad, who won 41 caps for Canada between 1988 and 2004.

Onstad said some of his U.S. player colleagues had teasingly predicted the worst for Canada.

"I said 'You watch. Frank (Yallop) gets a team together for 14 days and he finally gets a chance to work with a group of guys. He can get the guys together and really get the team organized. A tough team to beat.' I'm very pleased."

Houston joins FC Dallas as Texas teams in MLS. Canada joins the league in 2007 with an expansion franchise in Toronto.

[Joe MacCarthy]

Tks to thepatriot at Vs for headsup

Houston's Onstad improving with age
By Marc Connolly / Special to MLSnet.com
http://houston.mlsnet.com/MLS/news/team_news.jsp?ymd=20060412&content_id=56203&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&team=hou

Major League Soccer got a little bit younger during the offseason. The retirements of the league's only 40-something star, Preki, the ageless centerback, Robin Fraser, and the MLS version of Bill Russell, Jeff Agoos, surely had to skew the league's median age.

It also firmly placed the burden on Pat Onstad. The Houston Dynamo goalkeeper now has to carry around the title of "the league's oldest player" since he checks in at the grand old age of 38. And, if you ask me, he doesn't look a day over 36.

Kidding aside, this simple fact probably comes as a surprise to many of you out there who might have thought that Carlos Llamosa, Tony Meola or, maybe, Claudio Suarez would be the next in line to be the "Gramps" of MLS.

Nope. Onstad has about a year on both Meola and Suarez, and a year and a half on Llamosa.

"My wife does a good job with the Clairol, what can I say?" says Onstad when told of this news. "Hey, at least I've got Scotty Garlick. If he ever decides to start dying his hair, then I'm in trouble."

Onstad's right, as he hardly looks like one of the older players in MLS. In fact, probably could pass for 30 much easier than 40. (American Idol's 29-year-old gray-haired wonder, Taylor Hicks, would be nervous sitting in the same room as Onstad, no?) Then again, goalkeepers are much like supermodels, Dick Clark and Pelé: They seem to age more gracefully than the rest of us.

"There's no real secret," says Onstad. "I take reasonably good care of myself. I'm not the most fit on my team, but I'm also not the most unfit."

If anything, the two-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year credits the fact that this is only his fourth season in MLS. Had he been in the league since the start, he'd be getting the "old man" treatment from his teammates when he started spinning tales of the 1996 season the way that Chris Henderson and Cobi Jones probably do. But since he's fairly new to the league, it was only last season, he says, that he started to take on more of a mentor role and become a leader for his club.

Should his teammates in Houston do a little research about Onstad, and they'll find that he's been playing for his national team (Canada) longer than Kasey Keller has been playing for his, and has already gone through one retirement.

"I quit the game back in '95," he says. "I taught (physical education) and went and got my 'B' license to coach."

That's actually what Onstad will end up doing, too -- teaching and coaching -- but only when he calls it a career, which might not come any time soon.

"I take each year one at a time," he says. "I've played in the A-League, the Canadian league, the indoor leagues -- so you learn to fly by the seat of your pants a little bit. I still feel sharp and I still feel as though I'm contributing. If I wasn't contributing, I wouldn't want to do it.

"If (Houston Dynamo head coach) Dom (Kinnear) said to me that I wasn't contributing anymore, I would walk away."

Of course, that's hardly the case for Onstad. He's coming off yet another highly-successful campaign with the San Jose Earthquakes that saw him lead MLS in shutouts (12), goals against average (0.97), saves percentage (77.2) and wins (18). For a goalkeeper, that's about as good as it gets, whether it's in MLS or any league in the world.

Even though he has somewhat flown under the radar screen since joining the league, is there another goalkeeper in MLS history that has had as strong of a three-year run as Onstad? Brad Friedel only spent two years with the Columbus Crew, so don't include him. One could argue Tim Howard, but that's about it.

Onstad doesn't expect any accolades or a great deal of respect, though, as his entire team keeps the same sort of "us against everyone mentality." He says it's been the driving force behind the club for as long as he's been there.

"We felt when we were in San Jose that we weren't very appreciated -- not by the fans, but the local businesses as far as sponsorships and all that," he says. "So we always had a bit of a cocoon mentality. That all we had were the people sitting within the four walls of the locker room. That bunker mentality has carried with us here in Houston since we had to pack up and go after the season and didn't even see our locker room until the day before our first game of the season."

What's amazing about Dynamo is how this team continues to play, regardless of records, the best soccer in the league. They move the ball around the park better than any club, and seem to be just a little bit more unselfish than their opponents. It doesn't matter that they've lost Landon Donovan, Richard Mulrooney, Ronnie Ekelund, Jeff Agoos and Danny Califf over the past two seasons, alone. They simply re-load, re-focus and continue to be a major force in the Western Conference.

"We always have a good group, both on and off the field," says Onstad. "It was that way with Frank (Yallop) and it continues with Dom. It's not about having the best players, but having the best group of players. We just always seem to gel."

For the most part that is true. Handling the stereo in the locker room, though, is another matter all together.

"We keep it in the veteran's corner," says Onstad. "On Monday and Tuesday, it's country-western and some arena rock. The rest of the time, the young guys put on rap. That's where the age difference does come in. They walk in with their iPods and all that, while I was pleased with myself for buying a portable CD player last year.

What a crazy old man.

Marc Connolly is the managing editor of ussoccerplayers.com and regularly writes to MLSnet.com. Marc can be reached at marc@oakwoodsoccer.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.

[Joe MacCarthy]

Dynamo 'keeper Onstad saves the day
By Lucas Ogden-Davis / MLSnet.com Staff
http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_events_news.jsp?ymd=20061112&content_id=78631&vkey=mlscup2006&fext=.jsp

http://i15.tinypic.com/2ni3b43.jpg
Pat Onstad saved the fifth and final penalty kick to give Dynamo the win.
(Allen Kee/WireImage.com)

FRISCO, Texas -- Though Brian Ching was declared Honda MVP of MLS Cup 2006, Houston Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad was every bit as important as Ching in his team's victory against the New England Revolution.

Onstad accrued four saves in regulation and one in overtime, including a dramatic first-half stop that prevented Revolution forward Taylor Twellman from putting New England up early. Onstad also saved Jay Heaps' penalty kick try to clinch the 4-3 victory in the penalty kick shootout and seal the Dynamo win.

Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear credited Onstad's first half save against Twellman with keeping Houston in the game.

"Pat made a good save on Taylor (Twellman) about 25 minutes in," Kinnear said, "and from there on it's a chess match."

Kinnear also credited the Dynamo defense with keeping bodies between the Revolution attackers and the goal, helping to limit the number of shots that New England was able to put on goal. Onstad agreed that Houston's defense performed well.

"Our guys have really tightened up in the back over the last five or six games," Onstad said. "Sometimes in the regular season we had lapses where we're giving guys space instead of making them beat us, but lately we've been playing very tight on defense."

Houston's defense was solid through more than two hours of play, and a number of players made big plays inside the box to keep Houston from falling behind. One of those plays came from Ching in the 86th minute, as he dove in front of Twellman's shot for what Onstad called a "game-saving tackle."

But all that defensive effort could have been wasted if not for Onstad's penalty-kick save to seal the win.

Onstad has a history of coming up big on penalty kick tries in the MLS Cup. In 2003, while playing for the San Jose Earthquakes, he saved a second-half penalty from Ante Razov of the Chicago Fire, preserving San Jose's lead and helping them hold on to win the Cup.

This year, Onstad lived every goalkeeper's dream by diving to his right to stop Heap's try and give his team the win in MLS Cup.

"I didn't have any clue what he was going to do," Onstad said of Heaps' kick attempt. "Before he hit it, I was planning on going left, but then I went right and the ball was in my hands. ... I think sometimes when guys are approaching the ball they give signs of which way they're going to go, and maybe I picked up on (a sign)."

The Revolution had already been through one penalty kick shootout in the 2006 MLS Cup Playoffs, beating Chicago 4-2 on penalty kicks to advance to the Eastern Conference Championship.

"I took a look at (the shootout in) Chicago, so I knew where three of those guys like to go." Onstad said. Onstad picked the right direction on all three of the Revolution players who also participated in the shootout in Chicago: goalkeeper Matt Reis, forward Pat Noonan and Twellman. Reis and Twellman scored, but Noonan missed by a hair, glancing his shot off the top of the crossbar.

When asked if he considered himself a penalty kick specialist, Onstad replied, "No, it just seems like I stop them whenever something big is on the line."

In addition to his penchant for big saves at the right time, Onstad brings some leadership and fire to Houston's game. After Twellman scored in the second half of overtime to give the Revolution a 1-0 lead, Onstad was pumping us his teammates, encouraging them not to give up.

"I saw the guys with their heads down, and I started yelling 'let's go!'" Onstad said. Less than a minute later, Ching scored the equalizer.

Onstad came into the MLS Cup confident that he and his team would perform well.

"I've been playing professionally for 20 years, so I've had lots of good (training) sessions," Onstad said. "I just felt very confident."

Onstad, one of MLS's elder statesmen, was playing professional soccer when some of his current teammates were still in youth soccer. Though he's been at it for almost 20 years, Onstad still wants to play, and hopes to return to play for Houston next season.

"I hope (to play next year)," Onstad said. "A good performance in the final certainly helps in contract negotiations."

Lucas Ogden-Davis is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.

[Joe MacCarthy]

Canada puts it together
By NEIL DAVIDSON
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/Canada/2007/06/07/4242654-cp.html

(CP) - Having won his first cap for Canada 19 years ago, Pat Onstad knows his Canadian soccer history.

And the veteran goalkeeper considers Canada's 2-1 win over Costa Rica at the Gold Cup in Miami on Wednesday as a night to remember.

"Probably one of the best performances I've ever been involved with for Canada," Onstad said Thursday from the Canadian team hotel in Sunrise, Fla. "The guys kept the ball, kept Costa Rica running around. A fantastic performance."

"We kept our shape really well," he added. "We were well organized, very tough to break down. And when we got the ball, we didn't give it away cheaply at all."

"Quite a performance," said assistant coach Stephen Hart, who is running the squad while coach Dale Mitchell looks after the under-20 side.

Hart says the national team has shown flashes of such play in the past, but this time the side put it together for 90 minutes.

It was a good day for Canadian soccer all-round. The men's under-20 team defeated the U.S. 4-0 in Kingston, Ont., while the national women's side blanked host New Zealand 5-0 in Auckland.

The Miami win was only Canada's fourth in 16 matches with the Ticos, who at No. 52 are currently ranked 42 places above Canada. The Canadian men are 4-7-5 against Costa Rica.

"They're the top Central American team," Onstad said of Costa Rica. "And I thought we thoroughly deserved to win."

The Central Americans' last game was a 2-0 home victory over No. 42 Chile.

Onstad took particular pleasure in Wednesday's win. His last game for Canada was a 3-1 loss to the Central Americans, in a World Cup qualifying match Oct. 13, 2004.

"And I had a poor game, gave up a sloppy goal ... For me that was the biggest disappointment. I left on a bit of a sour note," he said. "I guess it was poetic justice to come back and play Costa Rica."

Onstad never retired from international soccer, but former coach Frank Yallop told him he wanted to start some younger 'keepers.

"I thought it was it," said Onstad, now 39.

But Onstad was pressed into action after a strange turn of events at the CONCACAF championship in which backup 'keeper Josh Wagenaar suffered back spasm and then No. 1 Greg Sutton ended up with a mild concussion after taking a ball to the face in practice.

Onstad was flown in from Houston, where he plays for the MLS Dynamo.

The Costa Rica game was his first ever at the Orange Bowl and despite the rain, he savoured the experience.

"I really enjoyed every minute," he said. "I think the last couple of years, I've made an effort to make sure I enjoy every little time, whether it's my club team and certainly the national team. I had a little tear in my eye at the end of the match with the way the guys played and just the performance and the attitude of the players. It was very nice. I think Canada's really progressing in the right direction."

Onstad also likes the team atmosphere under Hart.

"The environment here is very different than it has been in years so it's been very enjoyable. Much more relaxed."

Sutton is recovering from the concussion and may be cleared to play against Guadeloupe on Saturday, meaning Onstad may return to Houston.

Hart, meanwhile, is making sure the Costa Rica showing is kept in perspective.

"Everybody's feet are firmly on the ground," said Hart. "We're not going over the top on this. We know it's only one game. Yes, it's against a good team but at the end of the day it's only one game."

Guadeloupe tied Haiti 1-1 Wednesday.

"Both teams were impressive," said Hart. "Very organized."

Canada has summoned Toronto FC defender-midfielder Chris Pozniak to bolster its ranks.

[Joe MacCarthy]

Onstad is ready for Guatemala
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Soccer/Canada/2007/06/13/4258104-cp.html

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (CP) - Goalkeeper Pat Onstad thought his days with Canada's national team were over. Now he's the last line of defence for his country's Gold Cup hopes.

With Canada's two goalkeepers nursing injuries, the 39-year-old Onstad will be in net for Saturday's quarter-final match against Guatemala (1 p.m. ET). It will be his third soccer game in seven days, a gruelling stretch he's glad to handle.

"It's fantastic," he said after Friday's practice at Gillette Stadium. "I love playing for my country. I've always enjoyed it. I thought 2004 was the last time I'd ever play for the country."

Onstad, who plays for Major League Soccer's Houston Dynamo, was pressed into action after a strange turn of events at the CONCACAF championship in which backup 'keeper Josh Wagenaar suffered back spasms and then No. 1 Greg Sutton ended up with a mild concussion after taking a ball to the face in practice.

Onstad played the first of Canada's three games in group play June 6, a 2-1 win over Costa Rica in Miami before heading back to the Dynamo. Sutton was back in goal last Saturday night in Canada's 2-1 loss to Guadeloupe but Onstad was called on for Monday's game against Haiti after Sutton got hit in the head again in Sunday's training session.

Haiti had few scoring opportunities and Canada won 2-0 to clinch a quarter-final berth and first place in Group A. Onstad, who had played Sunday for Houston, stayed in the game after hitting his head on the ground following a hard collision with Haiti's Ricardo Pierre-Louis in the 54th minute.

"I was like a little kid again," Onstad said of the chance to play for Canada on Monday. "It was a nice bonus. It was difficult playing in Columbus on Sunday and then Monday back down to Miami. But any chance I've ever had play for my country I've always said yes."

Canada coach Stephen Hart planned to go with Onstad even though Sutton is working out.

"The main thing for me is when we called him there was no hesitation," Hart said. "He wanted to play for his country."

Canada was 2-1 in group play while Guatemala went 1-1-1 to finish second in Group B. The United States, which plays Panama in Saturday's second game at Foxborough, won Group B with a 3-0 record.

"Our goal was to get into the quarter-finals," Hart said. "Once you get into the quarter-final, it's one game. Anything can happen."

The winner of the game will face the winner of the U.S.-Panama semifinal next Thursday. The Gold Cup champion will automatically qualify for the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa, a prestigious tuneup for the 2010 World Cup, which will also be held in South Africa.

Guatemala has a major offensive threat in Carlos Ruiz, who led MLS in goals as a rookie in 2002 and now plays for FC Dallas.

"I'm worried about the whole team," Hart said. "Ruiz is part of the team. Somebody has to serve him the ball. I'm worried about that player."

The two teams last met in World Cup qualifying in 2004. Guatemala took the opening game 2-0 in Burnaby, B.C., in August. Canada responded with a 1-0 win in Guatemala City in November.

Canada jumped 38 spots in the FIFA world soccer rankings earlier this week to No. 56 and is ranked eighth among CONCACAF countries. Guatemala is 10th in CONCACAF and 81st in the FIFA rankings.

Canada, which won the Gold Cup in 2000, is 7-2-2 against Guatemala and Hart expects Saturday's game to be close.

"I've watched two of the games (Guatemala played in the Gold Cup)," he said. "They defend very, very well and counterattack very quickly. And, of course, Ruiz is very dangerous, especially on the counterattack."

Ruiz scored Guatemala's only goal last Tuesday night in a 1-1 tie with Trinidad and Tobago in Foxborough.

It should be up to Onstad to keep him from scoring again and for the team to control the ball and dictate the pace of play.

"The guys have been playing great in front of me," Onstad said. "If we can play the way we're capable of playing, it would give us a good opportunity to win."

[onstad_blood]

Believe it or not, I'm related to Pat Onstad. I also live in the Vancouver area and my surname is Onstad. Apparently, he is my grandfather's cousin's son. So, not only am I a soccer fan, but I have goalie blood in my veins!