Arizona United The (No.) 1 And Only

In his first chance to play a full season without injuries, Arizona United SC goalkeeper Carl Woszczynski has developed into one of the club’s biggest leaders.

By Bryan Washkewicz

After helping his defense with several commands, he notices a counter-attack approaching. Quickly preparing, he makes a dive to the right and stops a shot.

At first glance, Carl Woszczynski looks like a veteran member of the team, communicating and directing his defenders with the ease of a keeper who has spent years forging a special relationship with his back line.

But the Columbus, Indiana native is only in his first season with Arizona United SC, signed just before the 2015 campaign began. And his performance between the pipes has been one of the club’s brightest this season.

“Carl has transformed into a leader on this team, and we came in here hoping that he would,” said goalkeeper coach Cory Robertson during a recent training session. “More recently, he has done that in his play with saves that he has been able to make.”

Woszczynski made his way to Arizona after previous USL stops in Los Angeles and Orlando City. He was supposed to be the No. 1 goalkeeper for the Los Angeles Blues but injuries limited his appearances. Still, he made the most of his time on the pitch. In 16 appearances for Los Angeles, Woszczynski recorded eight shutouts from 2012-2013.

At his next stop, Orlando City, Woszczynski battled injuries and a four-year starter to contend with, which kept him in a backup role for most of the season. But he eventually won the No. 1 spot and, like with the Blues, he came up big when he was called on. In five combined starts, Woszczynski notched three shutouts and posted a goals against average of 0.28.

“In my mind, everywhere I’ve been at, I’ve always been a No. 1 quality keeper,” Woszczynski said. “You have to have that confidence. You can’t think you’re a No. 2 and then go fight for the starting spot.”

Coming into Arizona, there was no guarantee that Woszczynski would get the No. 1 spot. And that fueled him further.

“It was a spot you had to earn,” Woszczynski said. “I worked hard and established myself early and I feel I performed pretty well to keep that spot.”

Forward Dennis Chin, who came with Woszczynski from Orlando City, said Woszczynski has given his teammates confidence from behind the back line.

“This year, we’ve had a lot of ups and downs,” Chin said. “But if it wasn’t for him, it would’ve been worse in some situations.”

His work with Arizona United SC has been recognized by the USL after several outstanding performances. Carl made the USL team of the week on April 7, and on July 11 after recording an astounding 13 saves against Orange County Blues FC.

He currently has the most saves in the league, with 105. That’s 26 more than the next best keeper. And three of Arizona United SC’s wins this season have been clean sheets.

“Carl has been good,” said defender Tyler Ruthven. “Since he got here, he and I have seen things the same way. Even on Saturday night, and in L.A. two weeks ago, you can see that we are comfortable together and it’s a little calmer, a little more organized.”