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Sandy • Nick Rimando says he doesn't remember his 300th start.
Same goes for his 200th. Ditto for No. 100. The only starting nod the Real Salt Lake goalkeeper chooses to not forget is his very first. Way back in the summer of 2000, in the sweltering Florida humidity, Rimando — then a 21-year-old rookie — earned the start for the now-defunct Miami Fusion against the similarly-defunct Tampa Bay Mutiny.
Back home in Southern California, mom called after the game. Obviously overjoyed for her son, she told Rimando that one professional start was enough of an accomplishment. If he wanted to, she joked, he could retire right then and there.
Sixteen years, two MLS Cups and 398 regular-season starts later, Rimando returns home to bust through another milestone. The 36-year-old, considered to be one of the best goalkeepers in Major League Soccer history, will hit No. 400 in front of family and friends when RSL makes its lone visit to the StubHub Center this year Saturday night to face the L.A. Galaxy.
The shot-stopper will become only the second player in league history to hit that mark. Only former MLS goalkeeper Kevin Hartman has more regular-season appearances (416) and starts (411). Both of which are within Rimando's sights.
"I want to reach these records, I think they're so close," said Rimando this week. "I feel comfortable, I have a lot of confidence in myself now and my body feels great, so why not go for those?"
Two years ago, Rimando became the league's all-time leader in regular-season shutouts, hitting No. 113 on a warm August night in 2014 in a 3-0 win over his former club, D.C. United. Since then, he's tacked on 12 more cleansheets, putting more distance between himself and — who else — Hartman, who ended with 112.
Each time Rimando encroaches on another one of Hartman's records, the former keeper texts or reaches out over social media to his peer. But Rimando's had to remind himself of what transpired two years ago. He let the idea of the record creep into his mind too often. He found himself so focused on a zero that small, uncharacteristic mental mistakes popped up. Once he launched the thought of his 113th shutout out of his psyche, it came.
"I've got to keep my head down, and these are my personal goals, [but] I try not to splash them around the league," he said. "It's not just me. It's a lot with the team, that [if] your team does well, you're going to do well."
Jeff Cassar was there 16 years ago for Rimando's MLS debut. The two were teammates with the Fusion, jockeying for the same starting job. When the RSL coach thinks of what Rimando's accomplished in his 17 seasons in MLS, he thinks of other iron men in professional sports.
"You think of records like Brett Favre and what you have to do to play that amount of games, how much concentration, preparation, playing with pain .. and consistency [go into it]," Cassar said.
Only twice since 2000 has Rimando started fewer than 22 regular-season games. Reminiscing on nearly two decades in MLS, he credits the fortunate move to RSL where, since 2007, he's been part of a postseason club eight out of the last 10 seasons. Not every player is as lucky, he said.
Each preseason, right back Tony Beltran has made it a habit of asking Rimando and captain Kyle Beckerman — who happens to be at 384 regular-season appearances entering Saturday — how long they've been in MLS. It's sheer curiosity, not a dig.
"Nick isn't stopping anytime soon, by any means," Beltran said. "I'm sure whatever the number is for most appearances, he's got his eye on it, and rightly so."
A five-time MLS All-Star, Rimando's cachet reaches beyond RSL's borders. The highlight-reel saves Rimando has grown accustomed to leave opposing fan bases shaking heads and spouting rage. There's his renowned ability to stop penalty kicks, saving a league-best 35 percent of spot kicks taken against him. There's his ability on the ball, sending onrushing strikers wayward in hopes of poking the ball away from him.
"With his feet, I'm surprised he hasn't come off the bench and come in up top at least once over his career," defender Chris Wingert joked.
The conversation about No. 400 is the first of many in 2016. Rimando knows it, too. Twelve more starts and he passes Hartman in that regard. Seventeen more appearances and he's got the record all to himself. Six more wins as a starter, he becomes the winningest goalkeeper in league history.
"I don't go out there to play for stats or records, I go out there to win," Rimando said. "The day that I feel that I can't give anything to my club or the passion isn't there, maybe I'm not thinking about these records."
But there he was, embracing the shade, leaning against a cool concrete wall in the elongated tunnel that leads out to Rio Tinto Stadium trying to put into context what 36,063 minutes, 125 shutouts, 1,383 saves and 469 goals allowed have meant over the last 399 regular-season starts.
"[These records are] only personal goals, just because I'm a competitive person and I want to achieve as many as I can before I'm done," Rimando said. "I don't see that day coming anytime soon."
Twitter: @chriskamrani —
Real Salt Lake at L.A. Galaxy
P Saturday, 8:30 p.m. MDT
TV • KMYU —
Real Salt Lake at L.A. Galaxy
P At StubHub Center, Carson, Calif.
Kickoff • Saturday, 8:30 p.m.
TV • KMYU
Radio • 700 AM
Records • RSL 4-0-2, L.A. 3-1-2
Last meeting • RSL 3, L.A. 0 (Sept. 19, 2015 at Rio Tinto Stadium)
About RSL • Striker Joao Plata is out for the match due to a strained hip flexor suffered in training Wednesday. … Plata, who has four goals and four assists in 2016, is expected to be out 7-to-10 days. … Jordan Allen or Olme Garcia are expected to replace Plata out wide in the starting lineup Saturday night. … Midfielder Javier Morales said earlier this week he feels "100 percent to play" against the Galaxy after missing last week due to illness. … RSL is 6-9-1 in 16 matches at the StubHub Center. … RSL remains the lone unbeaten team in MLS at 4-0-2.
About L.A. • The Galaxy will be without star forward Robbie Keane, who is still recovering from knee surgery. … L.A. midfielder Nigel de Jong is serving a three-game suspension for his tackle on Portland's Darlington Nagbe two weeks ago and will be unavailable vs. RSL. … Forward Giovani dos Santos scored two goals and had one assist in the Galaxy's 4-1 win last week in Houston. … Dos Santos was named MLS Player of the Week. … The Galaxy have the best goal differential in the league at plus-7.