SEATTLE — Penalty shootouts are almost as much of a mental exercise as they are a physical or technical one. The advantage is naturally almost entirely with the shooter, the goalkeeper essentially being forced to guess and then needing to hope the ball is within reach.
Generally speaking, players convert in-game attempts at about an 80% clip. In training exercises, it seems to be even higher, even among players who aren’t as accustomed to shooting.
Through a combination of athleticism, instincts and maybe something a little extra, some goalkeepers are able to tip the scales ever so slightly in their favor.
Andrew Thomas might just be one of those goalkeepers.
Against Club Puebla, the Seattle Sounders’ ostensible backup goalkeeper made two massive saves to effectively will his team into the Leagues Cup semifinals where they’ll now face the LA Galaxy on Aug. 27. In the process, he also allowed the Sounders to avoid what would have been a disappointing — maybe downright embarrassing — loss to a team that was clearly overmatched and showed little interest in trying to win in regulation, even after playing up a man for nearly 20 minutes.
“Going through is the most important thing, it’s the only thing that really matters,” Thomas told reporters during the postgame mixed zone. “Looking back on this Leagues Cup run, no one’s going to care if we won in regulation.”
Instantly Iconic 🔥 Before the final penalty of the shootout, Andrew called his shot to the supporters behind the goal ⬇️
— Sounders FC (@soundersfc.com) 2025-08-21T17:23:41.695Z
While the Sounders’ shooters certainly had to do their part, Thomas deserves the lion’s share of the credit.
Cristian Roldan started the shootout with a confident attempt that struck the inside of the post and ricocheted out.
Some studies have suggested that missing the first penalty can decrease a team’s chances of winning by more than 80%, but Thomas immediately rendered that moot when he dove to his left to stop Ricardo Marîn’s attempt with two hands behind the ball. The next three shooters for each team then converted their attempts. Obed Vargas took the Sounders’ fifth shot and took a slight stutter step to send the goalkeeper the wrong way before calmly passing the ball into the net.
After appearing to look to the bench for some direction, Thomas turned to the supporters behind the goal and seemed to say something to the effect of “we’re going to end this now.” He then turned to shooter Nicolás Diaz and just stood calmly on the line. Thomas waited as long as possible to react, then sprang to his right, stopping Diaz’s shot with relative ease. He then turned to the crowd again and seemed to say “I told you I got this” before his teammates mobbed him in a hug.
“I was feeling fairly confident going into that one,” Thomas said. “I tried to smile at the guy a little bit. He’s feeling the pressure more than I am. As much as I can you get into his head, make him realize how big the moment is, the better it is for me.”
Sounder at Heart is what it is because of readers like you. We are 90% subscriber funded and August is our most important fundraising month. If you like what we do, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. To help entice you, here’s a 10% discount on our entry-level plan.
Last year, in the U.S. Open Cup, Thomas saved three penalties and watched a fourth Louisville City player miss. He would ultimately convert the winning penalty himself in the 8th round of that shootout. Combined, opponents are now just 7 of 13 against him in shootouts (a 54% success rate).
Aside from the shootout, though, Thomas had precious little to do as the Sounders held 80% of possession, allowed Puebla just five shots and didn’t give up a single “big chance.” Thomas did complete 14 of 16 passes, though.
“Andrew did what he needed to do tonight,” Schmetzer said. “He did what he’s good at, which is penalty kick shootouts.
“He does his job. That’s my expectation. That players come in, do the work and play to their best abilities. Tonight was Andrew’s night. He helped the team win. Other guys did their job. In my mind, it’s a team win, a total team win.”
Thomas will continue to start in Leagues Cup games, but beyond that Schmetzer clearly wasn’t ready to make any grand pronouncements. That seems to be fine with Thomas.
“I can only control the things I can control and it’s trying to put my best foot forward as much as I can,” Thomas said. “Every game isn’t going to go exactly how I want it. [Stefan] Frei has played over 400 games, he won two shootouts last year. I’m just trying to learn as much as I can from him everyday. Hopefully there will be a time when I’m the starting goalkeeper for this club. If that does happen, I want to be ready.”
That time isn’t now.
“[Frei’s] the starter,” Thomas said. “I’m fighting him to keep the position and he’s fighting hard to keep it.”
