It was only right.
In his second start since returning to the Black-and-Red on the final day of MLS' summer transfer window, Bill Hamid reached two historical milestones in one night, recording his 50th career MLS shutout and the first-ever clean sheet at Audi Field in United's 2-0 win over the New England Revolution on August 19.
While United dominated possession in the first half and jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, leaving Hamid relatively free of threats during the first 45 minutes, the home side was forced to grind through the second half and withstand waves of pressure from a New England team desperately in need of a draw or win. The Revs found a number of chances to equalize in the second half, but Hamid and his back line remained disciplined, preventing New England from crawling their way back into the match.
Hamid ended the night with two saves, but his vocal leadership from the back was equally as valuable as his stops, as the goalkeeper's constant directions allowed the Black-and-Red defense to shut down the likes of Teal Bunbury, Diego Fagundez, and Juan Agudelo. The Homegrown now has 68 career regular season MLS wins, and remains United's all-time leader in saves and shutouts.
"Forwards have to be aware of him, he's imposing when he comes out with that type of speed and stays big," head coach Ben Olsen said of Hamid's strengths. "It's nice to have him in net, it's as if he never left."
With clean sheet #50 under his belt, Hamid will look to continue to accrue shutouts at Audi Field as United continue their playoff push. Sunday's win was the Black-and-Red's first clean sheet since the 1-0 win over Columbus on April 14, and only their second clean sheet of the season. Hamid and the United back line know that a late run toward the playoff line will require them to continue their uptick in play—a challenge given the upcoming visits from fiery offenses like Philadelphia, Atlanta, and the Red Bulls, but a challenge the Black-and-Red are ready to face given their recent run of form.
"I think we're turning in the right direction," Hamid said following Sunday's victory. "The chemistry is very solid right now, and hopefully we can keep it going."
