Head Coach Jesse Marsch said that the goalkeeper for the 2017 U.S. Open Cup Final is still to be determined.
Ryan Meara has started and played in every game of the New York Red Bulls' Open Cup run, but Luis Robles could still get the start for the team on September 20 against Sporting Kansas City.
"I’ve been straight with both Ryan and Luis that we haven’t made a decision yet on who will play in that game," Marsch said. "It will be a big one we will have to make."
Who should be in goal for the @OpenCup final?
— New York Red Bulls (@NewYorkRedBulls) September 6, 2017
📰 ➡️ https://t.co/L9o9kE6t96#RBNYpic.twitter.com/uTGLQUhvyi
Meara has tallied two cleansheets in four Open Cup matches this season. He also notched a huge penalty kick save against Philadephia to help the Red Bulls advance in the Open Cup.
"Ryan has earned every chance to continue to play in a big final and Luis is a big player for us, a big leader and a big goalkeeper, so we have to make a decision at some point and it’s not going to be an easy one," Marsch said.
Meara has tallied four career shutouts in Open Cup matches.
Robles has started and played a full 90 minutes in 165 consecutive regular season games. He broke Kevin Hartman’s all-time MLS record of 112 complete games against Colorado on April 16, 2016 and set a new league record for consecutive starts with his 119th against NYCFC.
The goalkeeper also leads the franchise in wins (78), shutouts (46), goals against average (1.32), winning percentage (.588) and minutes played for both field players and goalkeepers (14,760).
