A four save performance in Saturday’s match against the Seattle Sounders marked goalkeeper David Ousted’s 150th regular season Major League Soccer match—the Dane is only the 21st goalkeeper in MLS history to reach the 150 club. The milestone adds to an already impressive list of accolades and moments for the veteran, and now the Dane looks to continue his accomplished career with United in his first season with the club.
Although happy to reach the milestone, Ousted had his mind on the result in Seattle first.
“I’m obviously proud to play 150 games. But right now, the defeat is a little bit more on my mind than that,” Ousted said. “I’ll probably look back on this later on and say it was a good milestone to hit. But right now, the defeat hurts.”
Ousted's team-first and results-focused reflections are testaments to his winning mentality, which has helped him build such a strong professional career.
The 33-year-old got his MLS start with the Vancouver Whitecaps in 2013 after playing 10 seasons in his native country Denmark. After securing the starting position the following season, Ousted became a durable presence in net for the Whitecaps, missing just one MLS match from 2014 to 2016. His efforts helped Vancouver make MLS Cup playoff appearances three times, and he was named the squad’s captain in 2016. After the 2017 season, D.C. United acquired the Great Dane, and Ousted signed a two-year contract with the Black-and-Red in January to begin a new chapter in his MLS career.
The veteran has proven his affinity for big saves throughout his MLS tenure, as he has accumulated seven MLS Save of the Week honors on 23 nominations. Ousted received the award for three consecutive weeks in 2015, a dominant season that resulted in a runner-up selection for MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. Ousted also led the league with 13 clean sheets in 2014, four more than any other keeper. He ranks 8th out of all active MLS keepers in saves with 458 in his career.
Ousted was honored for his 2015 efforts with a spot in the MLS All-Star game, which featured the league's top players taking on English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur FC at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Colorado. The Dane came into goal for the second half of the match, tasked with preserving a 2-1 MLS lead. Ousted held the likes of English stars Harry Kane and Dele Alli scoreless to secure the victory for the All-Stars.
After joining the Black-and-Red last winter, Ousted got started with United with a 1-1 draw against Orlando City SC on March 3. The veteran goalkeeper got the chance to start the season for his new team and made 13 saves in the first five matches. After missing a few games with a foot injury, Ousted has returned in good form between the posts. With nine saves in United's matches at San Jose and LAFC, the Dane was an integral factor in his team's four-point west coast road trip. He tallied another four saves in Seattle, bringing his total to 26 saves on 35 shots in seven starts this year. Last Tuesday, his penalty shootout save helped the Black-and-Red advance past North Carolina FC in the Fourth Round of the U.S. Open Cup.
"He's had a great career so far," head coach Ben Olsen said of Ousted. "We're lucky to have him."
While Ousted is proud of his newest accomplishment, he still has only one thing on his mind moving forward—getting results for his new club. The Black-and-Red's next chance to do so comes Wednesday night at BMO Field against Toronto FC, and immediately following Saturday's match, Ousted was already focused on the next task at hand.
“That’s what it’s all about now. We need points and we need to climb the table.”
