Steve Clark has plenty of gas left in the tank. The 36-year-old goalkeeper looks as good as ever after joining Houston Dynamo FC last December and, 16 matches in, he looks like the bargain buy of the offseason.
The former Portland Timbers man will return to Providence Park for the first time since losing the 2021 MLS Cup Final to New York City FC on penalties. The two clubs are separated by just two points, amplifying the stakes. With a Portland win, the home side would jump Houston in the Western Conference standings.
"It's really nice to be back, a lot of good memories here. Fun to land in the city and then tomorrow, business is business," said Clark. "Looking forward to the match there and it's a big game for us."
The Texas club departed for the Pacific Northwest on Monday and had a team dinner after their arrival in the Rose City. The first team trained at the Timbers Training Facility in Beaverton on Tuesday afternoon.
After losing two straight on the road, with the international break in between, the Dynamo reclaimed victory with a 2-0 win over the Chicago Fire last Saturday. It marked Clark's fifth clean sheet of the season.
"It was a good, good victory at home. Important to get that for us," Clark said. "We're feeling good, you know, we're feeling some good momentum."
Clark picked up 18 clean sheets in his four seasons with the Timbers from 2018 to 2021. Sitting one short of his 50th, he could reach that landmark against the club that opted not to retain him last winter.
One mark that the goalkeeper is sure to reach is his 200th MLS regular season appearance. The Michigan native has played 15 of the club's 16 league encounters (missing just the Real Salt Lake match due to the birth of his child), is tied with Adam Lundkvist for most starts (15) and leads all players on the team with 1,350 MLS minutes.
"It will be a cool mark to get to, I know that it's over 300 with my games in Scandinavia, so it's cool to get to 200 MLS games and to do it [in] Portland will be special," Clark mentioned. "A lot of fond memories here, but it's an important game."
Prior to his MLS career, Clark played 97 matches and posted 28 shutouts for Honefoss BK in the Norwegian first division from 2010 to 2013. Following two seasons at Columbus Crew SC, he signed with Danish club AC Horsens for the 2016-17 Danish Superliga season.
Houston Dynamo GM Pat Onstad was with Clark at Columbus during that timeframe, making the decision to acquire him in free agency an easy one. That makes for an open line of communication with one of MLS' most legendary goalkeepers.
"We have a personal relationship, but also he's our superior. I don't get too much into things above my pay grade other than culture," Clark said. "We talk regularly on the culture of the team, that's something that is a strength of mine, bringing intensity and a winning mentality. We discuss those type of things."
Houston has not won in Portland since 2011, the club's sole win in the Rose City. A win would not only help the club jump back into the playoff spots, but it would mark a statement against a club that has been one of the consistent contenders out of the West.
In the larger picture, the box that remains unchecked for the shot-stopper is to add an MLS Cup to his trophy case. He fell just short of that playing finals at home for Columbus Crew SC and Portland Timbers, but he if is able to return, he intends to close the deal with his current club.
"It has been an exciting project for me to join," Clark said. "I knew that with the people that are in charge here that things are going to be the exciting. So obviously, we're taking little steps forward as an organization and certainly on the first team here. We have a bunch of incremental goals before we get to an MLS Cup, but my career is not done. I got a lot of energy left to go win one."