It was Chicharito this weekend, potentially Raul Ruidiaz and Jordan Morris during the week and Jaroslaw Niezgoda after that.
FC Dallas goalkeeper Maarten Paes faces a parade of attacking stars each week in Major League Soccer, but he says he's relishing the challenge during his first season in the league.
He says he didn't know too much about MLS before arriving in the winter on loan from Utrecht, a move that since has been made permanent, but has found it to be more of a gauntlet, with no down weeks like he sometimes experienced in his native Netherlands.
"I think it’s very different than the Eredivisie because here I think every team has one star. It’s the way the league is built, and it’s why you can never have a dull moment in this league. I really enjoy it," Paes said. "Before coming here, you only see, like, the crazy highlights, but I’m really pleased by the level of the league.
"It’s also very enjoyable to watch, so it’s been so fun. The traveling, you see a lot of beautiful places and we’ve played against some teams with good players but we also have really good players with big potential. It’s crazy, and I like it."
Paes has made a number of crazy saves during the season, including stopping a Dejan Joveljić penalty kick to maintain a clean sheet in Saturday's 1-0 FCD win over the LA Galaxy. He also was called on to deny shots from Chicharito and other Galaxy players during the contest as he earned his second consecutive shutout.
Your @Allstate Save of the Match, because, well, duhhhh pic.twitter.com/HiKA2y3yyy
— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) July 31, 2022
The 24-year-old would, of course, like to be less busy when he faces the Seattle Sounders of Ruidiaz (who is still working back from an injury) and Morris on Tuesday and Niezgoda’s Timbers on Saturday. In the 1-0 victory Saturday against the Galaxy and the one that preceded it against Real Salt Lake, he faced a barrage of shots late: Six against LA and more than a dozen against RSL.
As FCD continues to rediscover the style Estévez wants, Paes shouldn't need to rise to the occasion as often —though he certainly indicates he can.
"At the end, it’s just saving shots and blocking shots as well," Paes observed. "The last two games we gave up a lot of shots, but blocked a lot of shots also, and I think that’s a major improvement from before."
Goalkeeper rarely has been a problem position for FC Dallas, with Jimmy Maurer putting in a good season when healthy in 2021. But FCD manager Nico Estévez said the club was intrigued when it started to look at Paes' film after learning he might be available for a move.
"What we saw was a goalkeeper who is very good at shot stopping from any angle, very brave, very long," Estévez praised. "He’s very difficult to beat. We saw a lot of potential in him and at an age when he can keep getting better."
The Flying Dutchman got people talkin'@Socios Social Reaction | #DTID pic.twitter.com/UppBMftZ6V
— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) July 31, 2022
That's not to say there aren't areas of improvement for the young goalkeeper. Estévez and his staff are working to get him more comfortable with his feet, becoming a goalkeeper who can fit the profile modern managers are looking for as players who can dribble out and push the lines forward or simply hit dangerous passes from the back.
Paes is working to refine those skills, but in the process, he's pushing FCD's back line to be its best and hoping to help the team into the playoffs. There, even more matchups against top forward would await him. He can't wait for the chance.