FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The penalty shootout is perhaps the most stressful situation in soccer. It’s edge-of-your-seat stuff for everyone involved, from players to coaches to fans.
But as New England Revolution goalkeeper Brad Knighton prepared to face a barrage of Philadelphia Union penalty kicks to decide Wednesday night’s U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal, he was eerily calm.
That’s because Knighton knew something the rest of us didn’t.
“I knew it was going to be a good day,” Knighton said after stopping a pair of penalties in the shootout to help the Revs book a semifinal date with the Chicago Fire. “I woke up, went for a walk and ended up finding Pikachu, so I knew it was going to be a good night. Ultimately, it was.”
Knighton is, of course, referring to one of the rarest and most popular characters in Pokemon Go, the game currently gripping the planet. The comment was only slightly tongue in cheek, as a significant chunk of the Revolution roster has been engrossed in the game for the past week.
Jokes aside, Knighton’s sense of calm during the penalty shootout was very real. And much of that had to do with advanced scouting.
As the Revolution goalkeeper prepared to face each Union penalty taker, he pulled out a piece of paper, carefully studying it before taking up his place between the pipes. What Knighton was studying was the penalty tendencies of each Union player, comprised by the club’s analyst, Tim Crawford.
The information gave Knighton enough of an edge to stop two of the four penalties he faced, going to his left to deny Sebastien Le Toux, and his right to stuff C.J. Sapong.
“We do a lot of research and we have Tim Crawford break down every penalty kick that any opposing team takes, and we try to give our keeper the best information he has on penalty kicks,” said head coach Jay Heaps. “Tonight, [Brad] went against one of his best friends in Le Toux and he read it.”
“Tim does a very good job of getting us the footage and plots of where guys go,” Knighton said. “It’s just a matter of taking a look at that and knowing where guys go, then making a save or two in the shootout.”
Knighton makes the feat sound modest, but that’s because he doesn’t view the penalty shootout as a stressful situation for a goalkeeper. To his point, players are expected to convert penalties, so it’s a scenario in which a goalkeeper can really only be a hero.
“There’s no pressure on me,” Knighton said. “All the pressure’s on them, and if I can save one or two, I’ve done my job. We’ve got good enough kickers on our team and you know they’re going to take their chances; it’s just a matter of me coming up with one save.
“That was my mindset and my goal and fortunately it worked out for us tonight and we were able to get through to the next round.”
Wednesday night’s victory gave Knighton a rare trifecta as he’s now beaten all three of his former teams – the Carolina RailHawks, Vancouver Whitecaps and Philadelphia Union – in the span of five weeks. It’s even more impressive when considering that Knighton has only featured in six games this year in all competitions.
For his part, Knighton doesn’t care who the Revs are facing, so long as he can help them win. That’s something he’ll be looking to do – should he get the opportunity – on Tuesday, August 9 when the Revs host the Fire in an Open Cup semifinal at Gillette Stadium.
“Any time I can get a game, I’m fortunate and trying to make the most of an opportunity,” Knighton said. “It was a great result tonight for us and we’re looking forward onto the semis.”
