Joey Batrouni wins USL Championship Fans' Choice Goalkeeper honor

Joey Batrouni was named the USL Championship Fans’ Choice Midseason Goalkeeper of the Year on June 30, a recognition that matched the workload he carried for San Antonio FC. His first half ended with 37 saves, four shutouts, a 74 percent save percentage and a minus-3.68 Goals Prevented mark, the kind of line that tells you San Antonio spent plenty of nights asking him to hold the edge.

The fan vote was open to the league’s audience starting June 25, and Batrouni’s win was not just a popularity swing. New Mexico United goalkeeper Kris Shakes was the closest comparison point in the midseason picture, with the same 37 saves, a better 77.1 percent save percentage, four shutouts and a minus-1.37 Goals Prevented mark. Batrouni did not win the cleanest statistical race on paper, but he won the one that matters in the moment: the vote, while still posting the kind of save volume that keeps a team in the frame when the margins get tight.

San Antonio’s own standings line explains why his performance carried weight. The club was 14-6-14 in the June 29 update, with a 7-1-9 home record and a 7-5-5 mark away from Toyota Field. In a Western Conference race like that, every stop matters. Batrouni had already forced himself into the league conversation before the vote opened, earning Team of the Week recognition on May 26 after a five-save performance in a 2-1 win over Sacramento Republic FC. He also stacked up Save of the Week nominations on March 21, March 29, April 18 and May 23, a run of weekly moments that showed the award was built on more than one hot stretch.

The honor also fits the path San Antonio has been building around him. Batrouni came through the SAFC Pro Academy and Elite Training Program, attended Lee High School in San Antonio and helped lead the Volunteers to the 2021 Texas 6A State Championship as a three-time All-State selection. San Antonio signed him to a multi-year deal on January 21, 2025, and said he would join the club in May after finishing his degree at the University of Virginia.

Batrouni’s recognition came alongside Michael Edwards, Danny Stone, CJ Olney and Ihsan Sacko in the league’s other midseason award categories, but for San Antonio the goalkeeper vote says something specific: when the first half got tight, Batrouni was good enough to turn pressure into points.