CARSON, Calif. – The LA Galaxy are on something of a roll, unbeaten in their last three games, and a lot of it has to do with the progress Jaime Penedo is making in the nets.
The Panamanian goalkeeper is coming off a series of strong performances, capturing MLS's Player of the Week honor after a stirring showing in LA’s victory two and a half weeks ago over the Seattle Sounders and making the bench on this week's Team of the Week after coming up big three times in LA's draw Sunday against the New York Red Bulls.
Penedo has been the Galaxy's No. 1 netminder since arriving in August 2013, following a superb CONCACAF Gold Cup performance with runners-up Panama, but they're just starting to see the best of him.
“I think he's settling in now,” associate head coach Dave Sarachan said following Wednesday morning's training session at StubHub Center. “Every year brings on a new challenge, and I think for the most part with Jaime, he's established some consistency over the last couple of weeks. He's making the saves that you'd expect a quality goalkeeper to make to keep your team in the game.
“Like any player, there's things that need to improve, but he works at it all the time. We're seeing a guy who's a lot more consistent and keeping us in games when he's called upon.”
He was spectacular in the 1-0 triumph over the Sounders, making an MLS career-best 10 saves, including four superb stops on Lamar Neagle and two on Obafemi Martins, plus big saves on Chad Marshall, Andy Rose and Aaron Kovar. Then he followed a solid showing in a 2-1 win over Sporting Kansas City by making two huge saves on Bradley Wright-Phillips as LA claimed a point at Red Bull Arena over the weekend.
“It's all about form. It's all about confidence,” said goalkeeper coach Matt Reis. “He had a rough start to the season. We had some issues with him, just health-wise, where we had start-stop-start-stop preseason.
“The last couple months he's really, really trained well, and that shows. A lot of it is a couple great games and your confidence grows and the goal gets smaller and everything seems a lot easier.”
Penedo has made spectacular stops since arriving in MLS – it's a characteristic common to Latin American 'keepers – but with the Galaxy, with Reis and previous ‘keepers coach Ian Feuer, he's received expert technical training beyond what he saw at home and in professional stints in Guatemala, Italy and Spain.
“He does everything better than he did when he came here. Lot of areas,” said head coach Bruce Arena, a former goalkeeper. “He comes from a background where goalkeepers really aren't taught technically, I think, the right way, and it takes a little time. ... I think the game's a little faster [in MLS] than he was accustomed to. He's playing in a different style, in a more athletic kind of league, but he's a good professional and he's worked hard.”
The chief areas he's improved upon are dealing with crosses into his box and especially into his goalmouth, decision-making in difficult situations and distributing the ball. Reis emphasizes catching the ball, and Penedo is paying particular attention to playing with the ball at his feet, which he acknowledges he's “not very good at, not at all.”
In training, he says, “every day it's work with the feet, with the feet, with the feet.”
Penedo says the difference in training between the US and Latin America is “two different worlds.”
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“I've worked with the Colombian school, which is more about reacting [to the situation and the shot],” he said. “In South America, it's make [the spectacular] save. Here is very technical, more posture and balance.
“I have to give Matt a lot of credit. He's been very patient with me. He's worked very hard on my posture, on [catching the ball], corrects my posture, helps me with the right balance when the ball is coming.”
It's making a difference.
“Little things can make a huge difference, whether it's one step to the left or right, setting your feet at the moments they need to be set or the decision of when to get off your line and all of that,” Sarachan said. “You can train that, but once you're in the game, you have to be able to perform that, and I think that's starting to bear fruit a little more.
“... That's encouraging, and it gives everyone confidence. If all else fails, you've got a goalie who's capable of making those saves.”
