One of MLS' top goalkeepers finally has some hardware for his collection at home. Real Salt Lake's Nick Rimando claimed the 2012 Save of the Year honors, as decided by a fan vote, for his reaction stop on Kei Kamara's bullet header in his team's 1-0 loss to Sporting Kansas City back on April 14.
Though it ultimately came in a losing effort, Rimando was nothing short of spectacularly, sticking an arm out in traffic to push away what looked like a sure goal from a pinpoint corner delivery.
Rimando looked a solid bet to claim the top honors this year, given that his saves made up three of the four candidates in the final round of voting, with Joe Cannon's early-season stop against D.C. United rounding out the group. The initial field was made up of 32 goals – the 31 Save of the Week winners in 2012 and one save chosen by MLSsoccer.com's editorial staff.
Save of the Year is a relatively young award, having first been awarded in 2009. Current D.C. United assistan Pat Onstad, then playing with Houston, claimed the inaugural award, while Seattle's Kasey Kaller claimed the last two prior to his retirement at the end of 2011.
You can click here to see all four finalists for the 2012 Save of the Year award and here to go to the Save of the Year homepage, which has links to all 32 candidates.
