BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — CSUB men's soccer alum Josh Wicks has been playing against top-quality competition since concluding his Roadrunner career. On Aug. 9, however, the keeper played on perhaps the largest stage of his career when D.C. United faced off against Champions League member Real Madrid in an international friendly in Landover, Md., in front of 72,368 fans at FedEx Field.
Wicks and the MLS club held its opponent scoreless for nearly 60 minutes before the Spanish powerhouse broke through on its way to a 3-0 win.
“The crowd actually gave me more confidence,” Wicks said in a statement following the match. “You sure don't want to mess up in front of 70,000. One or two hundred is OK to mess up on, but 70,000 – you don't want to do that.”
The former Roadrunner finished the match with six saves before being removed in the 67th minute – both coaches substituted liberally in the second half – to a warm ovation.
After a brief stint with the L.A. Galaxy in 2008 and 2009, Wicks was traded to D.C. United on Mar. 10 and has since taken over the starting role with the club. In 13 starts and 1,170 minutes, he has faced 75 shots and made 53 saves for a 1.69 goals against average. He also holds a 3-4-6 record with a pair of shutouts. With nine regular-season matches remaining, D.C. United currently sits in fourth place (28 points) in the Eastern Conference behind the Columbus Crew (39 points), the Chicago Fire (35 points) and Toronto FC (30 points).
At Bakersfield, Wicks was a three-time National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Far West Region selection. He continues to hold the school record for career saves (348), shutouts (34) and minutes played (7,161) while also ranking second in goals against average (1.01).
“Josh's success is a great reflection on how far our program has come,” said CSUB Head Coach Simon Tobin. “The fact that one of the top keepers in the MLS played at CSUB is a great accomplishment. Hopefully this is a starting point to launch some other careers in the top flight of U.S. Soccer.”
