Fulham Player Profile: Mark Schwarzer

Here is my player profile of Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer that originally ran during the World Cup coverage on Sbnation.com. Mark has been an integral part of the success Fulham has seen in the prior two seasons. He has to be one of the best goalkeepers in the English Premier League. Fulham fans know that they have a player that is extremely solid in net. He might be 37, but he still seems to have much left in his tank. Below is my profile of the Fulham goalkeeper.      

Mark Schwarzer was born and raised in Australia. His parents came to Australia from Germany in 1968. Schwarzer was born in North Richmond. He went to Richmond North Public High School.

He started his professional career with the Marconi Stallions of the National Soccer League. He was 19 at the time. He then went on to play in Germany. He played with 2 clubs in Germany. He played for Dynamo Dresden from 1994 - 1995. He then played for Kaiserslauten in 1995 -1996.

His England career began with Bradford City in 1996 - 1997. He then moved on to Middlesborough where he played from 1997 -2008. He moved to Fulham in 2008 and has been with the club ever since.

Club World

Schwarzer's professional career really took off with Middlesborough. He played for them from 1997 - 2008. I will mention some of his highlights at Middlesborough. In 2004, he was a part of the club that took the League Cup by beating Bolton. He is also well known for an important save he made against Manchester City in the 2004- 2005 season. He made a save on Robbie Fowler on a penalty kick. That save kept a 1 - 1 tie in tact. That tie gave Middlesborough seventh place in the EPL. Middlesborough qualified for the UEFA Cup. Mark played in the UEFA Cup final which Middlesborough lost 4 -0. In 2007, he became the Premier League's longest serving foreigner with one club.

In 2008, he came to Fulham. He has been at the club ever since. In his first season with Fulham he was a huge part of the club that ended 7th in the Premier League. That season Fulham needed big saves from their goalkeeper. He was the Fulham Player of the Year for the 2008 - 2009 season. He also was integral in Fulham's Europa League run to the Final in 2009 - 2010. In my opinion they don't get to the final match without Mark Schwarzer. Mark's time has been legendary at Fulham. Whenever Fulham have needed him to step up Mark has done his job. He personally has kept Fulham in many matches.

What to Look For

First, as a goalkeeper he hardly ever makes mistakes. You are going to have to beat him with a great shot. He is not going to beat himself. He is also a fiery competitor that will keep his teammates in the match.

Second, He is just the ultimate leader on the pitch. Mark's confidence can spread throughout the club. When he makes a big save, it definitely can invigorate a team to win a match.

Third, he has the ability to make the incredible save. I have seen this many times for Fulham. Even if you think he is beaten by a shot, he probably is not. He has the ability to make that finger- tipped save and that one on one save. His saves tend to be very dramatic.

In concluding, Mark Schwarzer has been a very valuable member of Fulham Football Club. As a goalkeeper, there aren't many better than the Australian international.