CARSON, Calif. – All you need to know about how well LA Galaxy goalkeeper Jaime Penedo has been playing is one number: zero.
That’s how many goals the Panamanian international has allowed in the MLS Cup Playoffs and why the Galaxy have the upper hand in their Western Conference final against the Seattle Sounders.
The 33-year-old was at it again with another shutout, his third in a row in the postseason, in a hard-earned 1-0 win over Seattle on Sunday in front of an energetic, sellout crowd of 27,000 at StubHub Cener.
“I think this is the most confident he’s looked since he’s been here,” Galaxy defender A.J. DeLaGarza said of Penedo, in his third season in Los Angeles after playing the previous six seasons for Municipal in Guatemala. “He’s just on right now.”
Penedo, who finished the regular season with eight shutouts and a 1.14 goals-against average, was in the right place at the right time when he made consecutive, point-blank saves on Seattle’s Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins during a wild sequence right in front of the Galaxy goal in the 20th minute.
“The first one I saved,” Penedo said. “The second one I just tried to be as big as I could.
“And it stayed out.”
He was at it again early in the second half when Martins sent a back-heel pass to Dempsey, whose scoring attempt was turned away by Penedo, who finished with four saves.
Galaxy goalkeeper coach Matt Reis said the back-to-back saves, in particular, were examples of what Penedo does best.
“Those are both reaction saves and he’s always had fantastic reactions,” Reis said. “It showed right there.
“We know and we’ve talked about it, and it comes down to these last couple of games. You play all these games to now play hopefully five games for everything. We take it one game at a time and he knows that he’s got to be at his best.
“He needs to make those saves to turn the tide of a game, and he’s done it.”
Added center back Tommy Meyer, who started in place of the injured Leonardo, “He looked good tonight. I don’t think he was tested that much, but when he had to he made some big saves.”
Penedo credited his play to that of a defense that has been rock solid of late and is gaining even more confidence as the playoffs continue.
“A game like this gives us a lot of confidence,” he said. “We know we’re facing a really good team and two talented attacking players in Dempsey and Martins. I think we played very hard, and we know what we need to do against them.”
As long as Penedo is in goal, the Galaxy appear to be in good hands.
“Jaime’s been terrific,” the Galaxy’s Landon Donovan said. “He’s come out and made really good saves. He’s been really solid and when we need him to make a big save he has.
“That’s what you need if you’re going to win a championship.”
