Tim Melia named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year

Sporting Kansas City's ever-reliable shot-stopper Tim Melia enjoyed a quiet regular season between the posts, and his saving efforts were rewarded Thursday with the 2017 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year prize.

Melia soundly beat Philadelphia Union goalkeeper Andre Blake and Seattle Sounders netminder Stefan Frei for the prize, claiming more than 50 percent of the vote conducted by players, club staff, and media members.

"Winning an award like this is one of the best compliments you can get as a goalkeeper," Melia said, according to the club's press release. "It's a huge individual accolade, and it's one that is only possible because of the efforts of my teammates and my coaches. To gain this recognition is an incredible honor."

Melia allowed a league-low 29 goals during the 2017 regular season, with the 31-year-old stopping three penalties, earning 10 clean sheets, and ending the campaign with a league-leading 0.78 goals against average, 78.4 save percentage, and 69.2 percent passing accuracy.

"Over the course of the season, Tim was extremely consistent and came up with some really big saves," Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes said. "There is no doubt that his excellent play was one of the reasons we won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and reached the MLS Cup Playoffs for a seventh straight year."