(Red Bulls goalie Luis Robles (in blue) and his teammates – Photo by Mike Lawrence / Sportsday Wire)
Red Bulls goaltender Luis Robles is the new Iron Man of the MLS, as he played in his 113th straight game on Saturday night at Colorado.
Robles has played the full 90 minutes of all these games, and his streak began late in the 2012 season.
Kevin Hartman held the record, as he played in 112 consecutive matches. Hartman played for the LA Galaxy, Kansas City, FC Dallas, and the Red Bulls. He was teammates with Robles on the Red Bulls in 2013.
Robles said of setting the record, “Thank you. It’s a pleasure to be a part of this team and this organization. I’m just so grateful to so many people. Whether we want to go back to my parents, encouraging me even when times were really difficult and giving me guidance to not only become a good soccer player but a good person. And then you look at my home life, I couldn’t do this without my wife. She’s there for me and she supports me and that just continues to trickle on down, whether you look at the coaches who have worked with me and given me a chance, from Mike (Petke) to Jesse (Marsch), the goalkeeper coaches who keep me prepared and the goalkeepers who are challenging me each and every day.”
The Red Bulls lost the match 2-1 to Colorado and have lost six of their first seven games of the season.
“So when I look at the whole thing, it’s just tough because I really want to be able to celebrate this milestone with a victory,” said Robles. “But I still feel there’s bright days ahead and maybe we weren’t able to get the result to turn it around, but my belief is still very high in this crew and I do believe it’s not a matter of if, but a matter of when.”