VANCOUVER, BC – For the amount of points David Ousted has stolen for Vancouver Whitecaps FC over the last two seasons, or even last year alone, he’s allowed a blunder or two every now and again.
Not that he’ll see it that way.
The ‘Caps goalkeeper held his hand up for a rare miscue that led to Domenic Oduro’s 42nd-minute goal in Vancouver’s season-opening 3-2 defeat to Montreal Impact on Sunday at BC Place. Oduro got in behind and slotted the ball into an open net after Ousted and Whitecaps FC centre back Kendall Waston failed to clear the ball – something you don’t see often.
“It was all me," Ousted told reporters after the match. "I come out and think I got it. I should have communicated better to Kendall. Then I tried to slide and ended up not wanting to collide with him and sliding past the ball. So that was all me.”
Sunday’s match marked Ousted’s 85th consecutive MLS start.
Mistakes have been few and far between. Last year, no goalkeeper had more wins or clean sheets than Ousted, who pitched a second-half shutout against Tottenham Hotspur in the MLS All-Star Game. He also led Major League Soccer with three penalty saves and had the runner-up for the MLS Save of the Year.
Ousted has high expectations for himself, which is why he was visibly shaken after Sunday’s loss.
“That’s some of the worst I played as a Whitecap,” he said. “I’m gutted for the team.”
As the old adage goes, however, you win as a team and you lose as a team. And it’d be hard to imagine many blaming Ousted after this one.
“David is a leader in this club,” said Whitecaps FC defender Jordan Harvey. “He’s a leader in this locker room. He wins us games all the time and I’m sure down the stretch he’ll win more.”
Be a part of the best sporting atmosphere in Vancouver! 2016 Whitecaps FC Season Tickets are on sale from $39/month all in. In addition to Season Tickets, Whitecaps FC offer a flexible range of ticket products, including Half-Season Packs, 5-Packs, a Youth Soccer Half-Season Ticket, and single match tickets. For more information, visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets.
