Fire Sign Goalkeeper David Ousted

After some speculation, the Chicago Fire have signed veteran goalkeeper David Ousted from D.C. United.

The 33-year-old Danish is signed through the 2019 MLS season with a club option for 2020. Ousted will be occupying an international slot on the Fire roster.

Fire president and GM Nelson Rodriguez praised Ousted as a missing piece to the ongoing squad puzzle in Chicago.

“We set out to find an experienced goalkeeper to complete our corps,” said Rodriguez. “In David we have secured a proven first-choice goalkeeper who retains a hunger to compete. His familiarity with MLS is a bonus.”

Head coach Veljko Paunovic also sounded bullish about the new keeper.

“David’s goalkeeper qualities and his ability to earn shutouts are traits that we were searching for,” said Paunovic. “We believe that he will use his leadership to improve our defense and our defensive performances.”

Ousted has spent a bulk of his career with Danish SuperLiga club Randers FC and fellow MLS side Vancouver Whitecaps. At Randers, he kept 35 clean sheets in 103 appearances. He helped his team to achieve a third-place finish and a qualification spot for the Europa League. In the summer of 2013, he joined the Whitecaps. During his four-year tenure in Canada, he accumulated 142 league appearances (plus two post-season appearances) with 42 clean sheets. He was also chosen to take part in the 2015 MLS All-Star Game against Tottenham Hotspur, where he played in the second-half in their 2-1 win. Ousted was a relatively decent goalkeeper - enough to warrant a YouTube compilation video with bad music in the background.

During the 2018 pre-season, the Whitecaps traded Ousted to D.C. United for a second-round draft pick in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft. D.C. was hoping to fill the void that Bill Hamid left with Ousted. Instead of recreating his heroics from Vancouver, he conceded more than thirty goals in the 17 games he’s appeared in. Once Hamid returned, Ousted was…. ousted from his position.

With the signing of Ousted, the Fire may have finally solved their goalkeeping issue since the departure of Sean Johnson. However, with his questionable performances at D.C last season Fire fans may have to keep their expectations down a bit.