Zack Steffen named to the MLS All-Star team

A Major League Soccer starter at 22 year old, a starter for the rebuilding U.S. National Team, now add MLS All-Star to the list of Zack Steffen’s accomplishments. The Columbus Crew SC goalkeeper was announced as an MLS All-Star for the Aug. 1 game against Italian giants Juventus at Atlanta United’s Mercedes Benz Stadium.

Steffen built off a solid 2017 to backstop an improved Crew SC defense that set a team shutout record of 512 minutes. Steffen then set his own club record, going 525 minutes without conceding and not allowing a goal during the month of May. The goalkeeper recorded five straight clean sheets over that stretch and was named the MLS Player of the month for May.

With Steffen, the Crew SC defense has been one of the best units in the league in 2018, allowing 18 goals through 18 matches, the third best total in the MLS. Steffen’s seven shutouts are tied for most in the league with Sporting Kansas City’s Tim Melia and he owns the best goals against average in MLS at 0.79.

Steffen joined Columbus on July 22, 2016 and earned the starting job ahead of the 2017 season. In his first year on the field, Steffen played in all 34 regular season matches and added five additional starts and two clean sheets during Crew SC’s run to the Eastern Conference Final. He becomes the Black & Gold’s first All-Star since Wil Trapp in 2016.