This week for Major League Soccer, awards were given out to players, and one of those players was St. Louis City’s Roman Burki, who won goalkeeper of the year. He is the first goalie to win this award, who played for an expansion team since 1998. Before signing with City, Burki was at Borussia Dortmund. 

Burki, originally from Sweden, started his career at the Swiss Young Boys Club, in 2005. In 2009, he was loaned to another Swedish Club, called Fussballclub Thun. After one year there, he went back to Young Boys. He then was loaned to FC Schaffhausen, and Grasshoppers, from 2010-2014. In 2015, he was loaned yet again, from Grasshoppers to German team SC Frieberg. After a year there, he went to top German Club Dortmund, in 2016, and stayed there until 2022. 

This season, Roman set the record for most wins as a goalkeeper, with an expansion team (17). Also, finished second in the MLS for most saves (123), while also boasting about a 75% save percentage, which was fourth in the MLS. To go along with those accomplishments, Burki had eight shutouts. Thanks to these stats, City finished their inaugural season at the top of their conference, which gave them a playoff berth. That didn’t last long though, as they fell to Kansas City in the first round. 

“He definitely deserved it because he had an incredible season, especially because it was his first year in the MLS. On top of that, he’s playing for an expansion team that started with low expectations,” Junior Jack Vogler said. 

Many fans say City wouldn’t be as good as they are without Burki. His leadership, and passion for the game, motivated his squad to perform better. 

“His experience from Europe really helped the team out and made him a very fun player to watch. I can’t wait to see what he does next year,” Vogler said. 

Players and fans are looking forward to watching City and Burki next year, as they will try to prove to the MLS that they are a top team in the league. Make sure to get rowdy for next year, as it sure will be yet another great season!