‘He’s our No. 1’: Sporting Kansas City has a new goalkeeper. He’s replacing a club legend

The goalkeeper position for Sporting Kansas City has rarely been one to question. Since 2014, the position has, by and large, been Tim Melia’s.

For the first time in a decade, Melia will not be the sharpied-in starter when the 2025 MLS season begins. Melia’s deal ran out at the end of 2024, and the club made it clear it was moving on.

As time went on this offseason, it also became clear Sporting KC wouldn’t add further experience to that position. That means it’s John Pulskamp’s time.

“He’s our No. 1,” manager Peter Vermes said in a Zoom call with reporters.

“John has the opportunity,” Vermes continued. “He’s worked hard for it. He deserves it. We’ll work with him to get him as prepared and ready for each game as possible.”

Who is John Pulskamp?

Pulskamp is a native of Bakersfield, California, a blue-collar city that runs on oil and agriculture. He was born to an American father and Palestinian mother and is eligible for the United States and Palestine national soccer teams.

Pulskamp joined Sporting in 2018 after spending time in the Los Angeles Galaxy academy.

Since signing a homegrown contract in 2020, he’s made 42 appearances for Sporting, posting 11 clean sheets. He’s also made 8 appearances in the U.S. Open Cup and started five Leagues Cup matches.

Pulskamp’s grandfather and namesake also competed in the 1960 Rome Olympics, placing fourth in the weightlifting competition. Last summer, Pulskamp was an alternate with the U.S. Men’s Soccer Olympic Team at the Olympic Games in Paris, continuing that history.

Frustration (and motivation) at Sporting KC

Pulskamp’s longest streak of games came in 2022, when Melia missed the final third of the season. He posted three clean sheets in 12 appearances.

Pulskamp signed a contract extension in 2022 just before that stretch of games, but he has only made 11 MLS appearances since. His extension expires at the end of the 2025 season, but there’s a club option for 2026.

Some of the lack of game time was due to Melia’s presence. However, even during a 2023 stretch with Melia injured, Kendall McIntosh received 13 starts before Melia returned down the stretch.

Playing time has been a source of frustration for Pulskamp, as is the case with many pro athletes.

“I think all good players are frustrated when they don’t play,” Pulskamp told The Star. “That’s natural. If you’re not frustrated about not playing, then I’d be concerned with that.”

The goalkeeper position is unique because a player’s prime begins much later than position players.

It’s a position that requires information to be processed quickly. Judgments on which actions to take need to happen fast. Repetition and experience often lead to that elite-level processing clubs seek.

Earning a full-time starting spot at 23 is arguably ahead of the curve for most goalkeepers. But that never stopped Pulskamp from wanting it.

“I’d be lying to you if I said over the past few years there wasn’t some frustration,” Pulskamp said.

He said even when he was a young and “delusional kid” — when he first joined Sporting — he expected to play and start.

“Whether some of that frustration I’ve had over the years was justified or unjustified, the fact of the matter is it’s how you respond,” Pulskamp said. “It’s what you do with that frustration as a player that really matters. ... You have to remember that your frustration isn’t going to change your situation.”

He says he’s used that frustration to motivate himself to work hard and be ready for his opportunities.

“... When you’re an ambitious person — in this case, an ambitious player — you want to fly,” Vermes said. “And John has always been wanting to fly, (which) goes with wanting to show yourself, wanting to climb the ladder. He’s worked hard.”

Sporting KC’s impressive history at goalkeeper

Dating back to days of the Kansas City Wizards, fans have come to expect good — if not great — goalkeeping from the KC franchise. Before Melia commanded the role for the last decade, greats like Jimmy Nielsen, Kevin Hartman and Tony Meola came before him.

Throw in a few good years from Bo Oshoniyi and Mike Ammann, and you have the majority of the club’s goalkeeping history covered in just six players.

“It’s obviously something that sticks out when you look at the history of the club,” Pulskamp said. “The position has a great track record at this club.”

Pulskamp is already seventh all-time in appearances at the goalkeeper position for Sporting, despite not yet having a full season as the club’s No. 1.

Meola is still the only goalkeeper to win the MLS MVP award and has won an MLS Cup, U.S. Open Cup and Goalkeeper of the Year award. Nielsen was legendary in his own right, having won Goalkeeper of the Year and the famous penalty shootout victories in the 2012 U.S. Open Cup Final and 2013 MLS Cup Final.

Both have 142 club appearances, tied for second all-time. Combined, they’re still shy of Melia’s record 298 appearances for Sporting KC.

Melia’s decade of dominance came with a 2017 Goalkeeper of the Year award, two U.S. Open Cup titles (2015, 2017) and an unblemished record in penalty kick shootouts (5-0). He leads the club in wins (73), clean sheets (52) and saves (530).

In other words, there are some big shoes for Pulskamp to fill. But instead of pressure, he feels excitement

“Now it’s my turn in line to put my stamp on the history of the position at this club,” Pulskamp said. “I want Pulskamp to be that next name mentioned after those names.”

Consistency is the key

Time will tell if Pulskamp eventually puts himself into that category. To do so, he must have a solid 2025 campaign — to get off on the right foot.

Pulskamp believes he and the team can succeed simply by doing their jobs.

“Me as much as anybody else, I think sometimes players get caught up if there’s a downturn in form, or you want to make your mark on the team and do too much,” Pulskamp said. “In a way, you almost hamper yourself by having that mentality of: ‘I need to be perfect’ or ‘I need to be the one that puts the team on my back.’”

Goalkeeper is a spot where mistakes often appear in the scoreline, maybe more so than any other position.

It’s only human nature that mistakes will happen. But, as Pulskamp identified, pressing to fix a mistake can lead to, well, even more of them.

“There’s an objective fact that none of us have a redo button,” Pulskamp said. “It’s simply, ‘That (mistake) is over. Be as good as you can because two mistakes are worse than one.’”

To that point, every goalkeeper listed on the club’s wall of fame (plus Melia, when he is enshrined in the future) has made mistakes. But the common thread in their longevity was consistency.

Consistency leads to good individual seasons (and eventually long careers), particularly at the goalkeeper position. And Pulskamp knows it could make the difference for himself, too.

“Your job isn’t to be a 10 out of 10 for 34 matches,” Pulskamp said. “Your job is to be as consistent as can be.”

Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.