PORTLAND, Ore. – Portland Timbers goalkeeper Jake Gleeson may have been surprised when he got the text message from his goalkeeping coach Adin Brown on Sunday morning, but he was far from unprepared for the moment.
That morning, Brown informed Gleeson that starting goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey was feeling ill and to begin making preparations to start against Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs Western Conference Semifinals first leg.
Just in case.
But when Gleeson walked into the Timbers facility later that Sunday morning, he got a call from Kwarasey himself, who told him that he still felt sick and was heading back home. The call meant that Gleeson was suddenly just hours away from starting in his first-ever MLS Cup Playoff game.
“As a backup, you always have to be ready, you don’t know when you’re going to go in,” Gleeson said after Sunday's 0-0 draw with Vancouver. “That’s when I really, officially found out I was playing, so it was a pretty exciting morning.”
The calm Gleeson was more than ready. Despite having not started a MLS regular season match for the Timbers since 2011 and perhaps being something of an unknown among many fans, Gleeson has been consistently playing and developing over the last five-plus seasons for Portland.
Still only 25 years-old, Gleeson has now been a part of the Timbers organization since 2010, when as a fresh-faced young 19 year-old, the New Zealand international signed with the Portland Timbers U-23s developmental side.
That year, Gleeson posted a 14-0-0 record along with eight shutouts for a Timbers U-23s team that finished its season an historic best 20-0-0 while winning the PDL Championship. Gleeson had a league-best goals against average (GAA) of 0.36, allowing only five goals in 15 total games.
After making his MLS debut in 2011, Gleeson started three games that year including the memorable home win over the Chicago Fire. A mainstay on the team’s reserve team in 2012 and 2013, the Timbers loaned Gleeson to USL side Sacramento Republic FC for the majority of the 2014 campaign. With the Republic, Gleeson played in 17 matches, posting a GAA of 0.92 and helped lead the expansion side to an 11-2-3 record in his starts, pushing the team all the way to a USL Championship 2-0 victory over the Harrisburg City Islanders.
“It's been invaluable to come away and play in games, especially in pressure games, especially like ones tonight,” Gleeson said after winning the championship with Sacramento. “You can't replicate that on the training field. It's all about going out there and doing it. So to be able to go out there and do it has been huge and it's really helped me take that next step in my development.”
After Sacramento, Gleeson spent much of the 2015 season playing for the Timbers' new USL team, Portland Timbers 2. With T2, Gleeson started 20 games and earned three shutouts.
All of those experiences—including some high-pressure game moments—strengthened Gleeson’s ability which gave him more than enough confidence to play in front of the raucous playoff crowd at Providence Park Sunday.
"It’s like picking up where you left off,” he said. “The chanting, the sounds, the stadium and all, are very familiar to me. I’ve been here so long. So it’s just like in any other game. You just go out there, keep your head down, but obviously a great experience to be back out there.”
Gleeson's almost preternatural cool in goal helped solidify an already stable defense against Vancouver. Gleeson made three saves in Sunday's match, the team controlled near 60 percent of possession and the defense held firm with a clean sheet.
Jack Jewsbury, a teammate of Gleeson’s since 2011, believed Gleeson’s experience shined through on Sunday helping the team in the match.
“Jake’s a guy that got a ton of games with T2 and that’s what that’s all about,” he said. “Getting reps for goalkeepers and backups that keeps them fresh. We’ve seen in training the last couple months that he’s been with us that he’s an exceptional young goalkeeper. We weren’t nervous at all about him stepping in. He did a great job tonight.”
Midfielder Diego Valeri agreed.
“I think he looked very mature. He’s a great ‘keeper and I’m very happy for him.”
