Joe Willis (American soccer)

Last updated

Joe Willis
Inter Miami 0-0 Nashville SC 05 (cropped).jpg
Willis with Nashville SC in 2023
Personal information
Full name Joseph Mark Willis [1]
Date of birth (1988-08-10) August 10, 1988 (age 36)
Place of birth St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Height 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) [2]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Nashville SC
Number 1
College career
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2006–2010 Denver Pioneers 53 (0)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2009–2010 Real Colorado Foxes 7 (0)
2011–2014 D.C. United 23 (0)
2014 → Richmond Kickers (loan) 18 (0)
2015–2019 Houston Dynamo 90 (0)
2020– Nashville SC 151 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 23, 2024

Joseph Mark Willis (born August 10, 1988) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Nashville SC.

Contents

Early career

Willis played high school soccer for Chaminade College Preparatory in St. Louis. Willis played soccer for University of Denver from 2006 to 2010, serving as the starter from 2008 to 2010. [3] He was named the team's Most Valuable Player in 2008, and was named All-MPSF from 2008 to 2010. [3] While at Denver, he also played for the USL Premier Development League Real Colorado Foxes. [4] [5]

Professional career

D.C. United

Willis training before a DC United game in 2012 JoeWillis.JPG
Willis training before a DC United game in 2012

Willis was selected by D.C. United with the 50th pick in the third round of the 2011 MLS SuperDraft, and he signed a contract with the team on March 16, 2011. [6] Willis served as the backup goalie with Bill Hamid being the first choice goalie. He made his MLS debut on August 13, 2011, recording a clean sheet in a 4–0 victory over Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Willis made only 3 appearances in his first season. [4]

For 2012, Willis became first choice goalkeeper while Bill Hamid was with the US U23 team for Olympic qualifying. However Hamid retook the starting job on May 5, 2012, [7] after Willis had made 9 starts. [4] On November 8, 2012, Willis came on as a substitute in a MLS Playoff match against New York Red Bulls after Hamid received a red card. He denied Kenny Cooper from the spot on the striker's second attempt (the first penalty kick that was successfully converted by Cooper was ordered to be retaken due to an infringement on the part of Cooper's teammates) and managed to keep a clean sheet to help D.C. United get a 1–0 win, advancing them to the next Eastern Conference Finals. [8] With Hamid suspended, Willis started the next match. However, this time he couldn't replicate his heroics as D.C. United fell to the Houston Dynamo 3–1. [9] Hamid returned for the second leg, but D.C. United drew 1–1 and was eliminated. [10]

Willis remained the second choice goalie for 2013, only getting an extended run of games while Bill Hamid was with the United States national team for the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup. [11] Willis made 5 starts before Hamid retook the starting job on August 10. [12] Willis enjoyed success in the 2013 U.S. Open Cup. On May 28 he saved 2 penalties against the Richmond Kickers as D.C. United won on penalties. Willis helped lead D.C. United to 3 more wins, including a clean sheet in the semi-finals, a 2–0 win over the Chicago Fire. [4] Despite his strong performances in the tournament, Willis was replaced by Hamid for the final. D.C. United defeated Real Salt Lake in the final 1–0. [13]

In 2014, Willis became third choice goalkeeper after losing his spot as the number 2 to Andrew Dykstra in preseason. Willis was sent on loan to D.C. United's USL affiliate, the Richmond Kickers. [14] His first appearance of the season with D.C. United came in a CONCACAF Champions League match against Waterhouse on August 20, a 1–0 win for D.C. United. [15] Willis made 2 more appearances in the Champions League, both of them clean sheets against Tauro FC. [16] [17]

Houston Dynamo

Joe Willis playing for the Houston Dynamo in 2018 Minnesota United - Houston Dynamo - TCF Bank Stadium - Minneapolis - MLS (40885785405) (Joe Willis cropped).jpg
Joe Willis playing for the Houston Dynamo in 2018

On December 8, 2014, Willis was traded to the Houston Dynamo along with Samuel Inkoom, in exchange for the rights for Andrew Driver (who moved to Europe and didn’t play for D.C.) and a fourth-round pick in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft. [18] On December 19, 2014, he signed a contract with the Dynamo. [19] Willis served as the backup to Tyler Deric for 2015 and appeared in only six games in his first year with Houston. [20]

Willis got a chance to play early in 2016 with Deric missing time for an abdominal injury. [21] Deric returned in week 6, but he picked up a red card, with Willis coming in as a sub and starting the next game as Deric served his suspension. Willis came in for Deric again on May 15 as Deric served a suspension for another red card. [22] Willis picked up his first career assist in the game when he hit a long goal kick that Giles Barnes ran onto and converted to score the game winning goal over Real Salt Lake. [23] Willis would fill in for Deric as he missed time with another abdominal injury and an elbow injury. [22] He performed well, winning MLS Save of the Week for a stop against the San Jose Earthquakes on August 19. [24] He also made the MLS Team of the Week for that game. [25] He ended the season with 5 clean sheets from 26 MLS appearances. [26] Willis's strong performances saw him named the Dynamo defensive player of the year. [27] Despite his good play, the Dynamo missed the playoffs again. [28]

Willis missed the start of the 2017 season due to a knee injury. [23] He returned on April 15 and made 7 consecutive starts before head coach Wilmer Cabrera gave the starting job to Deric. [29] Willis became the number 1 goalie during the playoffs after Deric was arrested and subsequently suspended by the MLS. [30] He would help the Dynamo defeat the Portland Timbers 2–1 on aggregate and reach the Western Conference finals, where the Dynamo fell to Seattle Sounders FC. [31] [32]

Ahead of the 2018 season, Willis re-signed with the Dynamo. [33] Off-season addition Chris Seitz started the year as first choice keeper. Willis would retake the starting job on April 21 and keep it for the rest of the season. [34] He enjoyed a strong performance on July 21, saving a penalty kick and being named to the MLS Team of the Week after helping the Dynamo get a 1–1 draw against rival FC Dallas. [35] The Dynamo would miss out on the playoffs in 2018, but they enjoyed success in the US Open Cup. Willis started the Open Cup semifinal match up with LAFC on August 8 as the Dynamo won on penalties. Willis kept a clean sheet in the final to help Houston defeat the Philadelphia Union 3–0 as the Dynamo won their first Open Cup in club history. [36]

Willis began 2019 as the club's first choice keeper. He played in every game of the CONCACAF Champions League as the Dynamo reached the quarterfinals. [36] After making a couple of costly errors in some games in mid-season, Deric got a run of 5 starts starting on July 17. [37] Willis returned on August 11, a 2–1 loss to the Union. He started the next 8 matches before sitting the final 2 of the season in favor of Deric. [38] It was another disappointing league campaign for Houston, failing to qualify for the playoffs for the second straight season. [39]

Nashville SC

On November 19, 2019, Willis was traded to Major League Soccer expansion side Nashville SC in exchange for Zarek Valentin. [40] He made his debut for Nashville on February 29 in Nasvhville's first ever MLS game, a 2–1 loss to Atlanta United FC. In a shortened season due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Willis made 23 appearances, out of a possible 23, and kept a league best 9 clean sheets. [41] He also was named to the MLS Team of the Week twice during the season. [42] [43] Willis led a Nashville defense that conceded the 3rd fewest goals in MLS, leading the team to a 7th place finish in the Eastern Conference and qualifying for the playoffs. [44] In Nashville's first ever playoff game, Willis kept a clean sheet to help defeat Inter Miami CF 3–0. He kept another clean sheet in their next match as they defeated Toronto FC 1–0 in extra time. In the conference semifinals, Nashville and Willis lost to the Columbus Crew 2–0 in extra time. [45]

Career statistics

As of February 25, 2023 [46] [47] [48] [26]
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cupPlayoffsContinentalTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Real Colorado Foxes 2009 USL PDL 50—00—50
2010 20———20
Total7000000070
D.C. United 2011 MLS 3000——30
2012 1101020—140
2013 9040——130
2014 0000003 [a] 030
Total230502030330
Richmond Kickers (loan) 2014 USL Pro 1802000—200
Houston Dynamo 2015 MLS3030——60
2016 26030——290
2017 802030—130
2018 26020——280
2019 27000—5 [b] 0320
Total90010030501080
Nashville SC 2020 MLS2300030—260
2021 340—20—360
2022 3201010—340
2023 100000—10
Total900106000970
Career Total2100160110802450
  1. ↑ Appearances in CONCACAF Champions League
  2. ↑ Four appearances in CONCACAF Champions League, one appearance in Leagues Cup

Honors

D.C. United

Houston Dynamo

Individual

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Davis (soccer)</span> American soccer player

Bradley Joseph Davis is an American former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tally Hall (soccer)</span> American soccer player

Talmon Henry "Tally" Hall V is an American retired soccer goalkeeper who spent eight of his ten professional seasons in Major League Soccer (MLS) with the Houston Dynamo (2009–2014), Orlando City SC (2015) and D.C. United (2016). He was a starter from 2011 to 2015 and helped the Dynamo reach MLS Cup in both 2011 and 2012. He was an MLS All-Star in 2011 and 2013. Since 2017, Hall has worked as a police officer for the Orlando Police Department.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Seitz</span> American soccer player

Christopher Seitz is an American former soccer player. He played as a goalkeeper in Major League Soccer from 2007 until his retirement in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boniek García</span> Honduran football player (born 1984)

Óscar Boniek García Ramírez is a Honduran former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Before moving to the United States, García had a successful career in Honduras with Olimpia and Marathón, winning eight league titles. He earned over 130 caps for the Honduras national team and is the fourth most capped player in the country's history and has the fourth most appearances in Houston Dynamo history.

This article is a list of statistics and records relating to Houston Dynamo. The Houston Dynamo is an American professional soccer club based in Houston, Texas. The club was founded in 2006 and plays in Major League Soccer.

This list comprises all players who have participated in at least one league match for Houston Dynamo since the team's first Major League Soccer season in 2006. Players who were on the roster but never played a first team game are not listed; players who appeared for the team in other competitions but never made an MLS regular season appearance are noted at the bottom of the page.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyler Deric</span> American soccer player

John Tyler Deric is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Clark (soccer)</span> American soccer player

Steven Thomas Clark is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Will Bruin</span> American soccer player

William Christopher Bruin is an American former professional soccer player who played as a forward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romell Quioto</span> Honduran footballer (born 1991)

Romell Samir Quioto Robinson, nicknamed El Romántico, is a Honduran professional footballer who plays as a forward for Saudi First Division League club Al-Arabi and the Honduras national team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fafà Picault</span> Haitian footballer (born 1991)

Fabrice Jean-Ian "Fafà" Picault is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club Vancouver Whitecaps and the Haiti national team.

Tomás Martínez is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Melgar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marlon Hairston</span> American soccer player

Marlon Hairston is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder and full-back for USL Championship club Hartford Athletic.

Mauro Andrés Manotas Páez is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liga MX club Atlas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memo Rodríguez</span> American soccer player

José Guillermo "Memo" Rodríguez is an American professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City.

The 2017 Houston Dynamo season was the club's 12th season of existence since joining Major League Soccer for the 2006 season. The club's had misse the MLS Cup Playoffs for three consecutive seasons.

Alejandro Enriquez Fuenmayor Castillo is a Venezuelan professional footballer who plays as a defender for Phoenix Rising FC of the USL Championship.

Michael Nelson is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for FC Tulsa in the USL Championship.

Tate Matthew Schmitt is an American professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Major League Soccer club Houston Dynamo.

Erik McCue is a Swedish professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Örebro.

References

  1. ↑ "2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup – Club roster: Nashville SC (USA)" (PDF). CONCACAF. January 30, 2024. p. 17. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Joe Willis". Nashville SC. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Joe Willis". University of Denver. Archived from the original on July 26, 2011. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Joe Willis". dcunited.com. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Joe Willis | Elite Football". www.elitefootball.com. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  6. ↑ "D.C. United signs goalkeeper Joe Willis". D.C. United. Archived from the original on March 19, 2011. Retrieved April 1, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Bill Hamid". dcunited.com. D.C. United. Archived from the original on November 20, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  8. ↑ Moore, Robert. "Joe Willis and Nick DeLeon Play Heroes as DC Advance to East Finals". Total MLS. Retrieved November 25, 2012.
  9. ↑ Lerner, Sarah (November 11, 2012). "United digs deep into its bench in first loss in two months". dcunited.com. D.C. United. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  10. ↑ "DC United vs. Houston Dynamo - Football Match Commentary". ESPN.com. ESPN. November 18, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  11. ↑ SoccerInsider. "Backup goalkeeper Joe Willis helps D.C. United play to a 0-0 draw at the Colorado Rapids". Washington Post. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Recap: D.C. United 0 - Philadelphia Union 2". dcunited.com. D.C. United. August 10, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  13. ↑ "2013 US Open Cup Final: Underdog DC United upsets Real Salt Lake to win third title (video) | TheCup.us - Full Coverage of US Open Cup Soccer". thecup.us. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  14. ↑ Goff, Steven (March 25, 2014). "D.C. United loans 4 to Richmond". Washington Post. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  15. ↑ "DC United 1 Waterhouse FC 0". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. August 20, 2014. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  16. ↑ "DC United 2 Tauro 0". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. September 24, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Tauro FC vs. DC United - Football Match Commentary". ESPN.com. ESPN. October 21, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Trade Tracker: MLS half-day trade window to make for a busy post-MLS Cup Monday". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. December 9, 2014. Archived from the original on July 1, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Houston Dynamo sign goalkeeper Joe Willis". houstondynamo.com. Houston Dynamo. Retrieved December 19, 2014.
  20. ↑ "USA - J. Willis - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Dynamo report: Goalie Tyler Deric among 4 injured players returning to form". houstonchronicle.com. Houston Chronicle. April 6, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  22. 1 2 "Dynamo goalie Tyler Deric reflects on trying season". houstonchronicle.com. Houston Chronicle. October 12, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  23. 1 2 "Joe Willis". houstondynamo.com. Houston Dynamo. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  24. ↑ Brisendine, Steve (August 26, 2016). "Houston Dynamo's Joe Willis wins Save of the Week for Week 24". Major League Soccer. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  25. ↑ Baer, Benjamin (August 22, 2016). "2016 Team of the Week (Wk 24): USMNT strikers shine bright in big wins". Major League Soccer. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  26. 1 2 "Joe Willis Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  27. ↑ "Houston Dynamo announce 2016 team award winners". Houston Dynamo. November 17, 2016. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  28. ↑ "2016 Major League Soccer Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  29. ↑ "Dynamo goalkeeper Tyler Deric stars in return to starting lineup". Times Union. May 30, 2017. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  30. ↑ Gomez, Laura (November 14, 2017). "Houston Dynamo's Joe Willis making of of(sic) unlikely opportunity in net". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  31. ↑ "Portland Timbers eliminated from MLS Cup Playoffs after 2-1 loss to Houston Dynamo". OregonLive.com. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Free-flying Sounders eliminate Houston Dynamo from playoffs". prosoccerusa.com. Pro Soccer USA. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  33. ↑ "Houston Dynamo re-sign goalkeeper Joe Willis". houstondynamo.com. Houston Dynamo. February 7, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  34. ↑ "Joe Willis 2018 Match Logs (Goalkeeping)". FBref.com. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  35. ↑ Rodriguez, Alicia (July 23, 2018). "Team of the Week presented by Audi: Quintero dominates again in Week 21". Major League Soccer. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  36. 1 2 "USA - J. Willis - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". us.soccerway.com. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  37. ↑ Gribbs (November 21, 2019). "Making Sense of the Joe Willis Trade". dynamotheory.com. Dynamo Theory. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  38. ↑ "Joe Willis 2019 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  39. ↑ "2019 Major League Soccer Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  40. ↑ "2019 Expansion Draft results: Inter Miami, Nashville SC make their picks". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. November 19, 2019. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  41. ↑ "Statistics – Shutouts". Major League Soccer. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  42. ↑ Quillen, Ian Nicholas (October 5, 2020). "Team of the Week presented by Audi: It's a midfield takeover in Week 15". Major League Soccer. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  43. ↑ Quillen, Ian Nicholas (November 5, 2020). "Team of the Week presented by Audi: Colorado Rapids, San Jose Earthquakes clinch more than playoffs". Major League Soccer. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  44. ↑ "Major League Soccer Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  45. ↑ "Joe Willis 2020 Match Logs (Goalkeeping)". FBref.com. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  46. ↑ "Joe Willis". Major League Soccer. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  47. ↑ "J. Willis". soccerway.com. Soccerway. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  48. ↑ "Joe Willis GK". elitefootball.com. Elite Football. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  49. ↑ "USL PRO All-League Teams Announced". USLSoccer.com. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  50. ↑ "Dynamo Awards". houstondynamo.com. Archived from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  51. ↑ "Dynamo announce 2018 team award winners". houstondynamo.com. November 19, 2018. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.