Fresh off being named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, St. Clair joined GOAL Convo to reflect on his breakout campaign and why Minnesota United could be a postseason threat.
Dayne St. Clair doesn't necessarily think he has a right to be MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. These things are never guaranteed, nor should they be taken for granted. But as he reflects on his season, looks at the body of work he pieced together for Minnesota United, and considers everything, it just might be deserved. Even he, in the middle of a playoff run, can allow himself to admit that.
"You want to be involved in the conversation always, because that means that you're at the top. Of course, every individual is going to have their own kind of thought process or what they value more. But I knew that I put myself in good standing, and I think my play spoke for itself," St. Clair tells GOAL.
And it would make sense, too. St. Clair has been, by most metrics, the best shot stopper in the league this year. Minnesota United have conceded the third fewest goals in the league. Part of that is due to an excellent defense. But a lot of it is on St. Clair. The stats make for fine reading. He has the second-highest post-shot expected goals in the league. No full-time goalkeeper conceded fewer goals. He is tied for third in clean sheets. He was named to the MLS All-Star Team.
The eye test looks good, too. St. Clair is a more composed presence, a better passer, and a vocal leader. This is the year St. Clair became the keeper many hoped he could be. The immediate impact is the fact that his team is now very much in the conversation for the MLS Cup. After beating Seattle in the first round of the playoffs last week, St. Clair and Co. are now three wins away from lifting the trophy. That could happen – especially given the style they play.
"We're not going to be winning many games three, 4-0, or 5-0. You know what I mean? We're very much a team that's built to win a lot of games, 1-0, 2-0, and having good, strong defensive performances gives our team the best chance to win," St. Clair says.
And more broadly, it has thrust St. Clair into the conversation for his national team. In the past, the Canadian has been in a dead heat with veteran Maxime Crepeau. Now, manager Jesse Marsch might just have enough evidence to go with St. Clair as his No.1 for good. The World Cup is a true focus of his, St. Clair admitted.
"We're taking a lot from exhibition matches and preparation from what it would look like in terms of a World Cup, and taking in the learnings and preparing us so that when the World Cup comes, the first game in Toronto, we're ready," St. Clair says.
Following his Goalkeeper of the Year announcement, St. Clair joined GOAL Convo, a weekly Q&A with central figures in the North American soccer scene, to discuss his award, Minnesota United’s playoff push, and what representing Canada means to him.
Getty Images SportON BEING NAMED MLS GOALIE OF THE YEAR
GOAL: Congrats on being named MLS's 2025 Goalkeeper of the Year. What does it mean to you? And do you reflect on these things in real time?
ST. CLAIR: I think it comes a little bit at a weird time because of the playoffs. So that's the focus. You know what I mean? Of course, after the season, I'll really kind of take it in, digest it. So it's like, OK, I can say I had a great regular season, and I think I'm deserving of the award, but at the same time, I know that my focus now is to help my team lift the trophy. So it's a little bit of both, but I think after the season, it'll sink in a little bit more.
GOAL: Are you thinking about these things in advance? Do you think 'Yeah, I deserve to be in the running for this?'
ST. CLAIR: You want to be involved in the conversation always, because that means that you're at the top. Of course, every individual is going to have their own kind of thought process or what they value more. But I knew that I put myself in good standing, and I think my play spoke for itself in terms of a lot of the metrics that people look at. But at the same time, I just want to win games.
And I know that, for the way in which we play, I need to play well for our team to win…So I think you're kind of always paying attention to see what's going on in the league, of course, with standings and performances. And I think my position is probably a little bit easier to compare.
AdvertisementON HIS BEST GAME OF THE SEASON
GOAL: So, what was the best game you played this year?
ST. CLAIR: I'd probably say the San Diego game. I think not only the performance, but what the game was, especially at that time. It was a No. 1 vs. No. 2, going to the top-ranked team. We knew if we lost, that it'd be very hard for us to fight for that No. 1 spot. And although we did win, we still didn't end up fighting for where we want to. But we knew that would result in momentum. And I think even now, playing them in the next round, we have confidence in the fact that we beat them. For me, the first time we played them, when we lost in my home, I wasn't there because I was away with the national team, and there were a few other guys that were missing as well. So I'm thinking in my head, all right, this is our team. When we played with full strength versus full strength, we beat them. And I think that kind of gives you confidence leading into the playoffs versus the team that's untouchable, or seems like they're untouchable.
Getty Images SportON THE CANADIAN NATIONAL TEAM
GOAL: And on the Canadian National Team, what's it been like playing for Jesse Marsch?
ST. CLAIR: He was the right person that we needed for the job. Anytime you put yourself in the spotlight, there's gonna be more eyes. And I think he's someone who wants a spotlight on us, but has definitely been willing to fight for us. And you see the red cards, the talk, and I think especially living in the U.S., you see a lot of the American media, so by us having an American coach, they're forced to talk about Canada more. Although he's American, he wants us to win. He has that chip on the shoulder, like a lot of us have. He's really embraced who we are as Canadians and what our team represents. And I think he's done the best job of getting the best out of us and putting ourselves in a situation where we feel confident going into the World Cups six months from now.
Getty Images SportON THE WORLD CUP
GOAL: How would you say World Cup prep has been going? It seems like you've had some good results but also some critics have pointed out you haven't had a signature win of sorts…
ST. CLAIR: For sure. I think we've had our hiccups along the road. You look at the Gold Cup. Of course, it's disappointing that we go out in the quarterfinals to Guatemala, even the Curacao game in the group stage. I think we expect better from ourselves. But I think we've also had great results. We went to Europe and got two wins for the first time.
So like, as much as there have been some of these hiccups and things like that, we have also had a lot of success. Obviously, Copa America last summer, I don't think anybody would have picked us to get to third place outside of us. So we kind of have that chip on our shoulder. But at the same time, we know all these results mean nothing. It's about preparation and setting ourselves up for six months from now. If you told any team in the world right now that you'd lose every single game to the World Cup, and then you win the World Cup, everyone's gonna gonna be gonna take that. So for us, it's been nice that we've already qualified. But we're taking a lot from exhibition matches and preparation from what it would look like in terms of a World Cup, and taking in the learnings and preparing us so that when the World Cup comes, the first game in Toronto, we're ready.
GOAL: And what would it mean to play a World Cup game at home?
ST. CLAIR: Very few players get to go to a World Cup, even less get to play in a World Cup, and even less get to do it on home soil. It's definitely a once in a in a lifetime opportunity, and it's something that I don't think any of us are taking for granted. And we know how much support we had leading up to the last World Cup, and we know that that's even going to be magnified to a whole other level when we're playing on home soil.