In last Sunday's 1-1 draw with Sporting Kansas City, Minnesota United's Bobby Shuttleworth tied a career high he set in 2013 with nine saves. That put him on the MLS team of the week for the third time in the past four weeks.

That's an impressive run to probably everyone, except Shuttleworth.

"I don't really pay attention to stuff like that," he said. "I'm obviously just more concerned with how the team is doing and of course concerned with my own performance. For me, if I play well and the team's winning, that's great."

He might demur, but the goalkeeper has had to be ready for anything since coming back into the lineup for the past six games after sitting the first six in favor of Matt Lampson. Against Kansas City alone, he weathered 24 shots, including the 10 on target.

Shuttleworth said while letting the opponent take that many shots isn't ideal, he said the activity keeps him more involved in the game, which he prefers to waiting around and feeling like he's not doing anything.

Coach Adrian Heath has been impressed, too, especially after a preseason riddled with injuries kept him from starting.

"When we came into the season, I thought Bobby had a really good season last year," Heath said. "He didn't have a good preseason for a lot of reasons. It wasn't form. … So he hadn't had a really good preseason and didn't look sharp, and he said that. But since he's come back into the team, he's looked terrific, and we always talk about goalkeepers coming up with big saves that either keep you in the game or win you the game, and he has actually done that."

A common complaint

Heath again lamented his team's lack of a reserve squad last week. While some MLS clubs have the advantage of secondary teams that play in the lower division United Soccer League, United has struggled with keeping its bench players game ready.

"I know a lot of clubs are going through it," Heath said. "We're not getting enough game time for the guys. We can train outside all day, but there's nothing like the cut and thrust of playing in a 90-minute game against opposition that gets your prepared for it.

"We have to address it somehow, and I don't mean us," Heath said. "I think the league in general, because one of the big talking points within MLS is getting the people who are not playing enough game time."

Heath specifically mentioned this problem in relation to midfielders Collin Martin, Harrison Heath and Maximiano. And United's injury woes this season have made it hard to send players like that out on loan.

"If you experience a spell where you have people away with internationals or injuries, you're on the negative all the time by you're playing four or five guys who maybe haven't played for four months," Heath said. "It's something that we have to come up with. How we do it, I don't know."