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But the ‘keeper with the cat-like reflexes landed on his feet, being claimed by the Chicago Fire in January.

“It was a hard year,” Ousted said. “It was a big transition going from Vancouver to D.C., going from the West Coast to the East Coast, having to settle the family. Once I got in there, we were on the road for a half year straight. A lot of the time, it felt like I came in and put my bag down, and picked it up an hour later and went to the airport again. So it was rough. But I learned a lot from that situation. I also learned a lot for me and my family, and what makes them happy, and that’s why I’m happy to find my way to Chicago and have the family here.”

And the Fire are happy to have him. Ousted’s acrobatics have saved Chicago at least three times this year, with incredible saves on L.A.’s Daniel Steres and Toronto’s Jozy Altidore, but his stop on the incomparable Zlatan Ibrahimovic might just be the save of the year.

“I feel my game is where I want it to be, and I’m making the saves I want to make,” he said. “I felt my half year in DC, I did what I could to bring us into a good spot. I think I played well in a lot of the away games in tough situations, so from a personal perspective I was still happy with the product I put on the field.”

Photo by DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS

Ousted is flashing the form that saw him post 13 blank sheets in both the 2014 and 2015 seasons, his 1-0 shutout win over the New York Red Bulls — aided by a Tim Parker own goal — was the first clean sheet he’s posted since 2017. Since entering MLS in 2013, he has the third most shutouts (43) in the league.