 Saunders withLos Angeles Galaxy in 2010 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1981-03-02)March 2, 1981 (age 44) | ||
| Place of birth | Grants Pass, Oregon | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1999–2000 | Cal State Fullerton Titans | ||
| 2001–2002 | California Golden Bears | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003 | San Jose Earthquakes | 0 | (0) |
| 2003 | →Portland Timbers (loan) | 16 | (0) |
| 2004 | Portland Timbers | 24 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | Los Angeles Galaxy | 0 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | →Portland Timbers (loan) | 50 | (0) |
| 2007 | Puerto Rico Islanders | 22 | (0) |
| 2008 | Miami FC | 27 | (0) |
| 2008 | →LA Galaxy (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2009–2012 | LA Galaxy | 53 | (0) |
| 2013 | Real Salt Lake | 3 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | New York City | 66 | (0) |
| 2014 | →San Antonio Scorpions (loan) | 15 | (0) |
| 2017 | Orlando City | 0 | (0) |
| 2017 | →Orlando City B (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2002 | United States U23 | 1 | (0) |
| 2008 | Puerto Rico | 2 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Josh Saunders (born March 2, 1981) is a former professionalfootballer who played as agoalkeeper inMajor League Soccer. Born in the metropolitan United States, he represented Puerto Rico at international level.
Saunders, the younger brother ofShawn Saunders, spent the final two seasons of his collegiate career atBerkeley, after spending the previous two atCalifornia State University, Fullerton. He was named a First Team All-Pac-10 selection in each of his two seasons with the Golden Bears, and during his senior season he became the first keeper ever to be namedPac-10 Player of the Year. He has a B.A. in American studies.
After being selected in the fourth round of the2003 MLS SuperDraft Saunders made the roster of theSan Jose Earthquakes, but did not appear in an official match. Instead, Saunders played on loan with thePortland Timbers in theUSL First Division, where he played every minute of his 16 games, allowing only 15 goals, giving him a 0.90GAA for the 2003 season. The next year, he started 24 games and posted a 1.11 GAA with six shutouts. Chief among his feats was a 363-minute scoreless streak, which, until recently, was the longest in Timbers history.
Saunders joinedLos Angeles Galaxy in 2005 as third-choice keeper behindKevin Hartman andSteve Cronin, but again failed to appear in a first team game, logged only 15 minutes as a substitute in a game for the Galaxy's reserves. In 2007, Saunders and three other players were waived from the LA Galaxy.[1] Some bloggers suspected this was due to the massive expense of acquiring soccer starDavid Beckham,[2] and despite a successful pre-season trial withChicago Fire, signed for thePuerto Rico Islanders for the 2007 season.[3] He made his debut for the Islanders in a 2–1 victory over theRochester Raging Rhinos on April 14, 2007.
On April 11, 2008, Saunders signed withMiami FC, and subsequently made 27 appearances for the Florida team, until he was loaned toLos Angeles Galaxy in September 2008 for the remainder of the MLS season. Saunders signed a permanent contract with Galaxy in early 2009, and was expected to serve as understudy toDonovan Ricketts.
On November 22, 2009, he came on in the 2nd half in relief of the injured Ricketts during the2009 MLS Cup. Despite holdingReal Salt Lake scoreless for the remaining 26 minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of extra time, Saunders was unable to guide the Galaxy to their 3rdMLS Cup title when he could stop only two of seven Salt Lake penalty attempts.
Saunders had an impressive season during 2011, putting in commanding performances in the Galaxy's goal in the absence of Ricketts, who was out for most of the season with a long-term injury. In 2012, he guided Galaxy to victory inMLS Cup 2012 helping the club win their 4th MLS Cup in history and first back-to-back championships.
On February 22, 2013, Saunders contract with Galaxy expired and it was not renewed due to the arrival ofCarlo Cudicini. After requesting to join the preseason camp ofReal Salt Lake, Saunders saw his first minutes with the Claret and Cobalt in a preseason win over the Galaxy. He was later signed as a backup forNick Rimando.[4] During Rimando's absences for the2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Saunders made 2 starts, but tore his ACL on July 13 againstFC Dallas and missed the rest of the season, and his option was declined following the season.[5]
On July 10, 2014, it was confirmed that Saunders would sign for MLS expansion franchiseNew York City FC on a free transfer, joining theSan Antonio Scorpions on loan until the end of 2014. It was also confirmed that he would join New York City's sister clubManchester City in their tour of Scotland.[6]
Saunders was traded by NYCFC toOrlando City on January 27, 2017, in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the2019 MLS SuperDraft.[7] Saunders' contract option was not renewed by Orlando City following the 2017 season.[8]
In 2008, Saunders made his debut with thePuerto Rican national team, and is now considered to have Puerto Rican sporting nationality. Prior to his international switch, Saunders made an appearance for the U.S. U-23 national team in 2002 against Canada.[9]
| Club | Season | League | League Cup | US Open Cup | North America | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| San Jose Earthquakes | 2003 | MLS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LA Galaxy | 2005 | MLS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | |
| 2006 | MLS | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2008 | MLS | 3 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| 2009 | MLS | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2010 | MLS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2011 | MLS | 19 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 30 | 0 | |
| 2012 | MLS | 27 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 36 | 0 | |
| Total | 56 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 80 | 0 | ||
| Real Salt Lake | 2013 | MLS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | |
| San Antonio Scorpions | 2014 | NASL | 15 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 15 | 0 | ||
| New York City FC | 2015 | MLS | 33 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 33 | 0 | ||
| 2016 | MLS | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 33 | 0 | ||
| Total | 66 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 66 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 140 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 173 | 0 | ||
San Jose Earthquakes
Portland Timbers (USL)
Los Angeles Galaxy
Real Salt Lake
San Antonio Scorpions
Individual