Steve Clark - 2023 report card
(image via Billy Mears)
With the Dynamo season now over we’ll be reviewing the season by taking a look at how each player performed in 2023. We’re kicking things off with the goalkeepers and the starter for almost every match this season, Steve Clark.
2023 Grade: B+
2023 Stats (MLS):
Matches played: 33 (2nd on Dynamo)
Minutes played: 2,970 (most on Dynamo)
Saves: 84 (13th in MLS)
Clean sheets: 12 (2nd in MLS)
PSxG-GA: +0.8 (19th in MLS)
2023 in review
Clark played all but one game in MLS this season for the Dynamo. Andrew Tarbell played the cup games for Houston, but Clark was in net for almost every league match and all the playoff games. The back four in front of him was a bit in-flux at the beginning of the season with a number of players rotating in and out but when the foursome of Escobar, Micael, Sviatchenko, and Dorsey became locked in, the Dynamo played very well as a defensive unit.
Looking at his stats, Clark was second in Major League Soccer with 12 clean sheets. His defense helped limit good chances, but Clark made his fair share of big saves to keep the Dynamo in some games and earn some valuable points. The Houston defense only allowed 43.21 expected goals against. Clark’s shot-stopping is excellent at times, but he didn’t put together any stretches of play where he was “standing on his head”. His PSxG-GA (post shot expected goals minus goals allowed) shows he kept out less than one goal than expected with +0.8. St. Louis’ Roman Burki, who won Goalkeeper of the Year, led MLS with +9.1.
Clark’s passing is good as he is among the league leaders in passing percentage among goalkeepers, even on long, launched passes where he completes 37.8%. Even with Tarbell getting the cup matches and helping the team win the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Final, Clark’s position as the team’s number one was never in jeopardy as his veteran leadership played a big part in the club’s turnaround in 2023.
Looking ahead
Clark has an option in his contract for 2024 but all signs point to him returning as the starting goalkeeper next season. Xavier Valdez is continuing to develop well with Dynamo 2, but he is probably another year away from being ready to take the reigns with the senior club. Valdez has spoken about how vital both Clark and Tarbell are to his development and another year learning from them will do him even better.
Best moment of 2023
Clark’s double save in Minnesota was nominated for the MLS Save of the Year this season and was just one of his big saves. You can also throw in the save he made in the Western Conference semifinal to deny Daniel Salloi.
