David Bingham’s days in San Jose are numbered, a source close to the Earthquakes goalkeeper told MLSsoccer.com on Monday.
The starter in San Jose since 2015, Bingham hasn’t played since he was surprisingly benched for second-year goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell on Aug. 12. According to the source, Bingham is in the final year of his contract and is not expected to re-sign with San Jose this winter.
The source said that several MLS teams are interested in potentially acquiring the 27-year-old ‘keeper in a trade this offseason. The source also said that Bingham has drawn interest from top-flight teams in Germany, Belgium and Scandinavia, and could make a move abroad in January.
A San Jose spokesperson confirmed that Bingham is out of contract at the end of the year but declined to comment any further.
Bingham will turn 28 next week but won’t be an MLS free agent this winter as he’s only in his seventh year in the league, one year short of the eight years of experience necessary to qualify for free agency.
Bingham made 23 regular season appearances before being benched this year. He allowed 1.52 goals per game, recorded a 61.7 save percentage, kept seven shutouts and compiled a 9-9-5 record.
Tarbell’s numbers are worse across the board, though the Quakes have played a more open style in his nine starts than they did at the start of the season under ex-head coach Dom Kinnear. The Generation adidas player has allowed 2.44 goals per game, has a 61.4 save percentage, has kept two shutouts and has a 3-5-1 record as San Jose have slipped under the playoff line.
San Jose manager Chris Leitch told reporters following the Quakes’ 2-1 win against Portland on Sept. 30 that the move to keep Bingham on the bench was a “staff decision.”
Bingham has allowed 118 goals in 96 career regular season appearances since signing with San Jose as a Generation adidas player in January 2011. The Bay Area native and Cal product has three career caps with the US men’s national team, and was a late roster addition for the March World Cup qualifiers against Honduras in San Jose and at Panama.
The Quakes are currently in eighth in the West, one point behind FC Dallas for the conference’s sixth and final playoff spot with two regular season games remaining. They’ll play at first-place Vancouver on Sunday (7:30 pm ET; TSN1 in Canada, MLS LIVE in the US).
