FC Dallas' Jimmy Maurer shows us how to go out in style*
*Maybe "go out" that is; If this WAS Maurer's final match as a pro, man, did he do it right
Anyone who has played the game will have their last kick of the ball at some point.
“Last kick” in this case isn’t literal; rather, it’s the last match at their personal highest level achieved.
A lot of us will remember it. Maybe it was high school soccer, or college, or high level amateur, or lower division professional or the big time show.
Not everyone will have a solid recall of all the little elements that go into the bigger framing, for sure, because we don’t always know it’s happening. The luckiest among us may even get to have a moment to take it in, to appreciate the privilege of playing with people you care about, men or women you suffer with and celebrate with. Maybe when the whistle blows for the final time, just maybe, you even get to thank the coaches, referees and administrators who helped make it all possible. (It happened that way on Sunday evening for Alex Morgan, who is surely among the most deserving of the privilege for all of her accomplishment and endeavor, on and off the field.)
It’s inevitable that the sand runs out of the hourglass on our playing days. What isn’t inevitable is that we go out with a flourish, on a very high “high,” in a memorable and stylish wave of success and good feeling.
It just may – a big emphasis here on “may” – work out that way for FC Dallas’ Jimmy Maurer. If so, the man sure earned it.
How it ended (“IF” it ended, that is)
This was a big topic on our post-game show Saturday night, a late one, as Maurer’s well earned clean sheet in a 0-0 draw at Vancouver helped an FC Dallas team that is fighting desperately to stay relevant in the postseason chase.
Maurer may be one of the very lucky few who saw both the moment AND the match end in a good way, as he replaced starter Maarten Paes in goal for one match while the FCD No. 1 was away on international duty.
No, the scoreless draw in Vancouver wasn’t a perfect result for FC Dallas. But considering how every point is so very precious now in the team’s valiant postseason chase, it sure wasn’t a bad result. Particularly considering the team’s recent history at Vancouver’s BC Place, which could appropriately be described as: “Ooof!”
Maurer was FCD’s Man of the Match by, seemingly, unanimous agreement. He had just four saves, not a particularly high total. That was quite normal, in fact. It was more about the quality, timing, circumstance of those saves.
He came up big in two first half moments as FCD struggled to gain any foothold on the match, unable to effectively get out of its own end. Peter Luccin’s team was better after intermission, but still afforded the hosts with high-percentage opportunities. And they needed their 35-year-old keeper to be not just big, but “massive” in two particular moments.
One happened as the back line completely fell apart, leaving Vancouver attacker Deiber Caicedo to break clean away. With only FCD’s keeper standing between him and (likely) earning three points for the Whitecaps with a late goal, Maurer was out aggressively and then spot-on perfect in timing a left-handed lunge at the ball. It was huge – and yet not the veteran keeper’s best moment.
(Watch it: 5:40 mark of the highlight video)
The best came deep into stoppage time, in the 96th minute, when a Vancouver strike would all but certainly earn the full three points. It was Caicedo who was robbed again, this time as Maurer scrambled across goal quick as a flash before raising a savvy right hand to push away the forward’s point-blank shot. If you aren’t sure whether it was Maurer or one of the defender’s who turned that shot way in the mad, chaotic scramble, just watch defender Sebastien Ibeagha’s reaction, practically assaulting the fallen Maurer in his appreciative enthusiasm.
(Watch it: 6:00 mark of this highlight video)
That wasn’t quite the last kick, but it was close enough, still fresh in everyone’s mind as the final whistle did sound just minutes later.
It was the save that clinched Maurer’s well-earned place on the MLS Team of the Week.
Last match? We’ll see
Maurer had not played in more than a year before Saturday, last guarding goal for FCD in a competitive match in early September of 2023. For Saturday’s match at 5th-place Vancouver, he was picked over Antonio Carrera to replace Paes.
(BTW shout out here for Luccin, who had a big decision to make: Maurer or young backup Carrera. Maurer is far more experienced, having won championships with the Cosmos in the second division NASL before performing in 81 games over 7 years with FCD. Carrera, 20, is probably better in terms of pure shot-stopping at this point, and appears to have a bright future – but he’s yet to play a minute in MLS. So tough call, perhaps. But clearly Luccin chose correctly.)
There certainly is a chance that Maurer will be needed again before season’s end, in the unfortunate case of a Paes injury (or even a match ejection). And there is certainly a chance that Maurer could return for another season, although he’s about a month from turning 36 and already seems to be leaning into his post-playing days, possibly in coaching.
But the odds seem to favor Saturday’s performance being his final as a professional – and what a sparkling performance it was.
He may be one of the best communicators and organizers I’ve ever been around. I’ve been to countless training sessions where it’s easy – so long as you’re paying attention – to hear and appreciate how much information Maurer is providing to the players in front of him. Not just the back line, by the way; he’s frequently organizing the rest defense (that is, the players’ positioning behind the ball when FCD is in possession) all the way up the field. That instruction often goes all the way to the wingers, who may be 70-80 yards away.
He’s also a rock solid locker room guy by all accounts.
It would be nice if every professional had a “last kick” as good as Maurer’s. But since we know that’s not the case, let’s just appreciate how it happened for one of the really good ones out there.