Room ties World Cup save record as Curaçao draws
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- Eloy Room made 15 saves in a 0-0 draw against Ecuador on Saturday, tying Tim Howard's men's World Cup save record (since saves became an official stat in 1966) from the American's 2014 performance against Belgium.
- Curaçao earned its first-ever World Cup point one week after losing 7-1 to Germany in Room's first World Cup match, with coach Dick Advocaat saying 'all you can feel is pride at how far we've come.'
- Ecuador peppered Room with 28 shots and 15 on target — the most in a men's World Cup match without scoring since at least 1966 — generating 3.08 expected goals (xG) in a loss that leaves them likely needing a win over Germany on Thursday in East Rutherford, NJ, to advance.
- King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands were in attendance because Curaçao is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with Room saying the royals 'were even dancing in the locker room to our music.'
- Room, a 37-year-old former MLS Cup winner with the Columbus Crew who now plays for Miami FC in the USL Championship, joked that he 'need[s] a statue in Curaçao' for the performance.
- Tim Howard's 2014 record carries a footnote: FIFA marks his tally at 16 saves, while ESPN's data provider StatsPerform records 15 — the same number Room matched.
Why it matters: The draw leaves Ecuador in a must-win spot against Germany on Thursday, while Curaçao — the tournament's smallest nation by population and size — celebrates a historic first point one week after a 7-1 loss. Room's 15 saves against 15 shots on target worth 3.08 xG also reignites the save-record debate: FIFA credits Howard with 16, StatsPerform counts 15.
