Curaçao goalkeeper Elroy Room made 15 saves to spark a stunning 0-0 draw with Ecuador in Kansas City on June 20—just one short of Tim Howard’s World Cup saves record from 2014.
Kansas City was supposed to be a stage for Ecuador’s favorites. Instead, it became a spotlight for Elroy Room.
On Saturday, June 20, in Group E action at Kansas City, Ecuador and Curaçao played to a 0-0 tie. Room. the goalkeeper for Curaçao. finished with 15 saves—an extraordinary total that set a new World Cup mark for saves in a match that ended in regulation. Tim Howard’s longstanding record is 16 saves. and he set it in 2014 against Belgium. a game that went to extra time. In that match, Howard finished with 12 saves in regulation.
Afterward, Room didn’t hide the emotion of being close. “It’s unbelievable,” Room said. “I couldn’t do it alone. I did it with my team and with my defenders. I am happy that I did my job.”
He then addressed the record by name—clear enough to show how much it meant to him. “A little bit annoyed that I didn’t take the record from Tim Howard,” Room said. “I think he was sweating in front of the TV because I was close.”
The save that stayed with him came early. In the third minute, Ecuador played a long ball over the top to striker Enner Valencia. Valencia won a one-on-one with Room and drilled a shot from 12 yards out with his right foot. Room made a low diving save to deny Ecuador, which have yet to score in the World Cup.
Room called that first stop the hinge of the night. “The most important save was the first one because that set the tone for the rest of the game,” Room said. “All of the other saves, I don’t even remember.”
Curaçao’s performance didn’t look like a team surviving on scraps. It came with chances, too. The Blue Wave’s best opportunity arrived in the 60th minute when Leandro Bacuna struck a shot from outside the box and forced Ecuador keeper Hernán Galindez into a diving save. After the stop. the ball was recycled to the top of the box. where Livano Comenencia fired a low shot—also saved by Galindez. Curaçao finished with 10 total shots, three on goal.
The result was even more striking given what came before. Curaçao had conceded seven goals against Germany in its opening match, and the gap between the two performances was sharp enough to invite explanation. Curaçao coach Dick Advocaat pointed back to the timing of that first game.
“We see once again that Germany was a great team. That day, they were out of our league,” Advocaat said. “The team was standing, the way they should’ve been standing. They were fighting like lions with high individual levels of play.”
In Kansas City, the night carried extra layers of attention. On Tuesday. June 16. fans at the stadium watched Lionel Messi deliver a historic hat trick in Argentina’s 3-0 win over a separate opponent. tying the record for most goals ever scored in World Cup history. Against Ecuador, Room stood tall after tall, turning his 15 saves into the kind of moment that doesn’t easily fade.
For fans from the island nation. the impact was visible in the way Room framed it—part of a collective effort. not a solo act. “It’s nice to be thought of with Messi,” Room laughed. “I don’t know what it is. I’ve never played in this stadium, but it felt good to me. This is going to be my favorite stadium now.”.
After the match, Curaçao’s team was treated to a warm welcome in the locker room. Netherlands King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima danced and celebrated with the Blue Wave.
To Advocaat, the scene carried meaning beyond the moment on the field. “To see how the king, wife and daughter fit into the group,” Advocaat said. “It evokes a lot of respect. They smiled and they danced. You can see them radiating with joy.”
Room’s performance was described in terms that match the scale of his saves—legendary for Curaçao, and etched into World Cup history. His 15 saves will go down in the tournament’s record books. The game was so memorable that Queen Máxima even planted a kiss on the man of the match.
Room, still smiling, offered a human punchline that softened the intensity of the numbers. “I hope my wife didn’t hear,” Room smiled.
World Cup Elroy Room Tim Howard Curaçao Ecuador Kansas City Group E saves record Tim Howard 2014 Belgium Hernán Galindez Dick Advocaat Lionel Messi
15 saves is insane lol
Wait so Ecuador was supposed to win right? And it ended 0-0 but the goalie just carried them. I swear records like this always make me confused though—like was it even a full World Cup match or some friendly?
That Tim Howard record talk is wild. I’m pretty sure the 16 saves thing doesn’t count unless it goes to overtime right? But this one was in regulation so technically Howard should’ve still been the real king lol. Either way, being annoyed at “the TV” comment kinda sounds like he’s salty for attention.
Kansas City as a stage for Ecuador favorites and then Curaçao just parks it and the keeper becomes the headline… soccer is funny like that. Also Enner Valencia missed his chances?? like I thought he always scores. Not gonna lie, I only clicked because it said ‘nearly toppled’ and I assumed it was a comeback story with goals. 0-0 feels like nothing but then 15 saves is basically everything I guess.