2018 Player Profiles: Nick Rimando

Nick Rimando is the epitome of RSL goalkeepers. He’s the only goalkeeper who has consistently started for Real Salt Lake since 2007. The Wall of the Wasatch has over 300 appearances for the club too. He’s missed just a handful of games in his long tenured career.

2018 was no different for Rimando. The goalkeeper may be 39 years old, but that didn’t stop him from starting 33 games and making 103 saves this season. His veteran presence is a huge part of the way Real Salt Lake runs as a team.

Heading into 2018 at the beginning of preseason, it was a little iffy on what would happen with him. It was on the second day of preseason that it was officially announced that Rimando would be returning to Salt Lake. We all spent the entirety of the offseason knowing he was out of contract and waiting for the announcement. Not really to anyones surprise, he was re-signed and didn’t miss a beat in preseason.

Rimando is one of the most decorated MLS goalkeepers in history for a reason. Name any personal award a goalkeeper could win and you’d probably see his name attached to it. Whether its starts, minutes, saves, shutouts or PK saves, he owns it.

2018 wasn’t Rimando’s best season in goal — likely that title still belongs to his outstanding 2013 — but it was a pretty good year for Rimando. Although it may not look like seven shutouts in 33 matches is the most impressive seeing as he did 14 shutouts in 2010, you can also see in 2010 he made just 78 saves in comparison to the 103 he made this season.

All season we heard endless complaints of Rimando’s age. Although there’s no denying that he’s not the same goalkeeper he was in 2013, which was one of Salt Lake’s best years, you can’t say he’s not an incredible goalkeeper either. Rimando had a pretty impressive 2018 seeing as he made over 100 saves, a feat he hasn’t done since 2007, and is 39 years old.

Overall, Rimando had a pretty solid 2018 and we should expect the same from him in the future.