What Is a Clean Sheet and Who Earns a Clean Sheet in a Soccer?
In soccer, the term “clean sheet” is used to refer to what other sports call a shutout. Clean sheets are a statistic used to keep track of shutouts by goalkeepers, defenders, and teams over a season.
What Is a Clean Sheet?
A goalie or defender who is part of a team that holds their opponent to zero goals will get a clean sheet added to their stats. Neither the goalie nor the defenders can take all of the credit for the defensive performance, so clean sheets are awarded to all of them. Often, players can receive bonuses for the number of clean sheets earned.
Who Earns a Clean Sheet?
Clean sheets are earned by goalkeepers, defenders, and entire teams. Clean sheets are often thought of as a goalkeeper statistic, as it is used to determine golden glove award winners. However, defenders on teams allowing no goals also earn clean sheets. Clean sheets are kept track of as a team statistic as a way of measuring overall defensive excellence.
Clean Sheet Rules
- A team must allow no goals to be scored against them for a clean sheet to be awarded.
- Clean sheets are awarded to the goalkeeper and the defenders.
- A player must play at least 60 minutes of the match to earn a clean sheet.
- If a match ends in a draw, both teams and their respective defenders earn clean sheets.
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