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VANCOUVER, B.C - The Vancouver Whitecaps are the Rodney Dangerfield's of Major League Soccer. They get "No Respect." Carl Robinson's squad are currently tied with FC Dallas for top spot in the MLS western conference. Vancouver have been perched at the top of the table for much of the season and should be getting more attention and accolades from across the league as the top team to beat.
David Ousted didn't start out as a keeper. He's only been playing as a goalkeeper for half of his life. He wanted to be a player that got forward and generated offense. Preventing goals was something of a fluke for Ousted when he was first asked to step in net during a youth tournament.
"I didn't go into goal until I was almost 14. I was playing outfielder and loving that, but we had a tournament and our keeper got injured and they put me in. I thought it was fun and I stuck in there. Next game I was playing there as well and it was still fun so I ended up staying in there."
It wasn't until a few years later that Ousted thought he might be able to turn his shot-stopping abilities into a professional career. As a teenager he signed his first contract and hasn't looked back since.
"Early on when I was 18 and almost finished with school I got my first professional contract. The last year I was in school I was playing professional as well on the side of that. When I was 18 or 19 I had my first professional contract and had an idea that I could make it as a professional if I could put some hard work into it and luckily here we are."
One of the perks of being a professional athlete is you get to travel the world playing the sport you love. In his home country of Denmark, football is king. Ousted was happy playing in the Danish Superliga with Randers FC, but he wanted more for himself, his family, and his career. A move to MLS was an offer that could not be passed up.
"I saw it as a good opportunity for me to develop inside the pitch and outside the pitch. I said that it was the best opportunity for me to develop as a keeper in MLS and become better, but also develop as a human being and seeing something different than the four walls of little Denmark. That appealed to me a lot."
Ousted signed with the Vancouver Whitecaps on June 20, 2013. In that time he has started 58 consecutive matches and sports a record of 22-16-20 with 23 clean sheets to his name. It's tough to describe Ousted's playing style because it is so unique. While he doesn't wish to draw the spotlight on himself, the Caps keeper is vocal and takes charge of the defenders in front of him when he's on the pitch.
"That's a hard one. Like you say, I'm vocal. I like to communicate with my back-line. I feel like I might not be the flashiest goalkeeper. I don't make the incredible saves every week, once and a while. I try to make it easy. I feel like if you can move your feet and get behind the ball and hold the ball that's better than maybe a diamond forward. That's what I try to do. The easier you can make it look, I feel the better."
Vancouver Whitecaps goalkeeper coach, Marius Rovde has worked his magic with David Ousted and vastly improved his qualities since the two Scandinavian keepers started working with one and other. Rovde sees an immense change in the way Ousted handles himself in his own box. His attitude is different and Ousted now plays with much more confidence according to Rovde.
"I think he has improved how he demands the box, and crossed balls, and distribution more. I think he was more of a goalkeeper standing back there and doing saves more in the final 2 yards on the field before. Now he's more alive and more offensive. I think I have given him more confidence and he's exposing himself a bit more."
It's especially important for a goalkeeper to be able to read what's happening in front of him before it takes place. Anticipation is a huge asset that a keeper must have in his arsenal. You can certainly make life easier for yourself and cut down on the number of saves, and clearances one has to make in a match if you have a sense for what's occurring around you. Rovde often sees Ousted making the right decisions.
"He's demanding, but he's a good football player as well. He's good with his feet and he understands. He can read it and very often he does the right decision-making on through balls, long balls, and crossed balls. He recognizes situations very early and can often eliminate big chances."
The partnership between David Ousted and Marius Rovde has worked wonders for both individuals. They have a right balance with one and other and aren't afraid to offer an opinion if it might not sound very pleasing at first. The end goal is to have the best goalkeeper available for the Whitecaps on a match day by putting together a plan during training sessions and meetings. Thus far it's all good.
"Marius has been fantastic for me. He knows me very well. He knows when to push me and when to back me up. He's the first one to complement me, but he's also the first one to criticize me and that keeps me on my toes and keeps me getting better. He has a plan for me and which sides of the game he wants to develop with me, and that's helped me a lot already. I'm looking forward to keep developing and keep getting better."
The recent diving saves that David Ousted made in the second half vs DC United on April 25 and the spectacular dive across goal to deny Andrew Wenger of the Philadelphia Union on May 9 have drawn huge praise for Ousted. The Dane is currently leading the MLS voting for Save of the Week. While the rest of MLS is drooling over Ousted's spectacular saves, Marius is not overly impressed by what he gets to watch, everyday.
"No I'm not surprised. For a goalkeeper coach it's not many saves that we think are spectacular. It would have to be something very special. He does those kind of saves daily in small sided games and things in training. Sometimes you need those situations in a game to be able to pull of a spectacular save as you guys love to call it."
Whitecaps FC goalkeeper coach Marius Rovde:
Earning Save of the Week and leading Major League Soccer in clean sheets for arguably the top team in MLS soccer should garner a little more respect for David Ousted and the Whitecaps. Something so very important for the supporters of the Whitecaps is not why Ousted plays football. Just having the support from his family, friends, and 21,000 screaming fans at BC Place is plenty of respect for him.
"I feel like I'm getting enough respect. I feel like the most important thing for me, is the team gets the respect. I feel the most important thing is, whenever I get into BC Place every Saturday the guys behind me here, the guys in BC Place give me all the respect I need. I feel the way they cheer for me, every time they're there for me and the team, and it's all I need. I feel that's amazing."
It might actually benefit Vancouver if Ousted and the Whitecaps continue to fly under the radar. Perhaps opponents will take them lightly and not prepare for the speedy game and deadly touch of Pedro Morales, Octavio Rivero, and company. The more attention received, the more pressure, and exposure usually follows. For a young Whitecaps team, it might just be fine and dandy to fall under the radar for a little longer. The avid Mumford and Sons supporter couldn't agree more.
"Yeah you can say that. I feel it more and more now that people know that the Whitecaps are a good soccer team. I feel like we're getting closer and closer to getting up there and contending. I feel like people are recognizing that now. This is a tough place to play so hopefully we can continue and the team will get more recognition."
It is without a doubt, an absolute atrocious calamity that Ousted was not named a finalist or named winner as 2014 goalkeeper of the year. Ousted led the league with 13 clean sheets and he continues to lead the league with 6 clean sheets this season. A clean sheet for his keepers is something that the Norwegian Whitecaps coach always expects to see.
"All my goalkeepers are always leading the league in clean sheets (Laughs). That's just the thing we do here. I want the goalkeepers to be really greedy. Don't give away anything, don't give away chances. Be really good on the bread and butter saves and be really tidy in your area and then sometimes you get a chance to shine. That's how we train and that's how we play."
The bread and butter saves that David Ousted makes might not look sexy on television, but they all count just the same. Marius Rovde will boldly tell you who the best keeper in MLS is. Ousted's not on an all bread and butter diet until kickoff.
"He's already the best goalkeeper in the league, like hands down. That's for sure."
The 30 year-old David Ousted would one day love to play for his national team of Denmark, but he isn't sitting next to the phone waiting for Morten Olsen to give him a ring. It would be an honour to represent his home country on an international stage. However, MLS is still not yet highly regarded across the pond. Denmark has a strong pipeline of goalkeepers and currently it doesn't include David Ousted.
"I think they lost my number. I haven't heard from them. The guys that are in that national team are very, very good keepers and we've got a great pool of good keepers in Denmark. I'm focusing on what I need to do here and that's to keep improving and keep playing well."
Marius Rovde has much stronger thoughts on Ousted's inclusion from the Denmark national team.
"I think the Danish media will not acknowledge him so much, because they don't know enough about MLS and they are quite ignorant in Europe to MLS. It's getting better, but I don't think they will bother getting a goalkeeper from the national team from here. He wouldn't be a starter because they have people playing in Spain, Bundesliga, and Premier League. For sure he should be looked at when it's a top four group coming in during the winter when they don't bring the Premier League guys. I don't think it will happen, but he would deserve it."
Unlike on the pitch, Ousted will sit back and wait and see what happens. He won't be asking his agent to hound the Danish national team. Instead he will let the chips fall where they may.
"No, I'll take a more passive approach. Like I say, I'll do what I need to do here. I'll keep performing and if they suddenly find Vancouver that's only a bonus. Right now I'm just focused on what happens here."
If an offer to train and join Denmark for a camp should come David Ousted's way, it's possible that Marius Rovde might have been up to something. His cooking skills are unknown, and based on that, who knows what would have to happen for David Ousted to suddenly earn a trial, camp, or postcard from Denmark's national team.
"I think it'd have to be food poisoning. Like general food poisoning at the next camp, with four of the goalkeepers are really ill, and then they will maybe call him as a fifth man."
David Ousted is by far the top goalkeeper in Major League Soccer. Ousted, Rovde, Robinson and the entire Whitecaps organization are perfectly fine keeping his Oustanding play under wraps. Vancouver's top keeper will get his praise in due time. For now the Whitecaps move forth and prepare for a Cascadian counter with the rival Seattle Sounders on Saturday, May 16 at BC Place.
Notes: In his spare time David Ousted enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with his family.
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