From the first day Nick Rimando arrived at training with the Miami Fusion in 2000, Jeff Cassar knew he had a different quality about him that would take him far as a goalkeeper. Since then, Cassar has seen Rimando in many different lights. As teammates. As opponents. As a pupil of sorts while he was goalkeeper coach and now as a leader of his club as Head Coach. Each step along the way, he has seen Rimando grow and develop and mature into the player that now holds Major League Soccer career records in shutouts (126), games started (414), minutes played (37,413) and now, after Saturday’s 3-1 win over the Chicago Fire at Rio Tinto Stadium, wins (181).
The improvements he has seen in that time are not just in how he plays on the field, but how he approaches the game off of it.
“I knew he was special right when I met him,” Cassar said on The Bill Riley Show on Tuesday. “I think he was an amazing athlete for a lot of years, making amazing saves and coming up big. He’s always had that personality where the bigger the game, the better he plays. But I think since he came to Salt Lake, he’s become an unbelievable goalkeeper with his positioning, with his distribution and with his consistency. I also think he’s stepped up his level of professionalism – taking care of his body, which is why he’s been able to stay on the field all the time.”
Rimando has not only been incredibly successful on the field, winning two MLS Cup titles in 2004 and 2009 while also reaching a third final in 2013, but he’s also been resilient, starting at least 24 matches in all nine seasons with Real Salt Lake and in 13 of his 16 MLS seasons entering 2016.
That consistency has allowed him to amass statistics beyond the realm of any goalkeeper in MLS history, leaving Cassar in awe of his accomplishments.
“To be where Nicky is and have the career that Nicky has, you have to be good at everything. You have to come up big for your team in big games. And you have to be playing all the time or you can’t get these records. It’s really being an ultimate professional,” Cassar said. “In that position, there are injuries like crazy. You’re hitting the ground every single day. And for him to be able to play for as long as he has and at an unbelievable level for as long as he has – and I think there’s a lot more to come too – it’s truly amazing. It really is.”
To hear Cassar’s full interview, click here.
