No friction between Fire goalkeepers
It’s just business.
Fire goalkeeper Sean Johnson is keeping a positive attitude despite his demotion to second string behind Jon Conway, and he sees it as a learning experience.
Last year’s rookie phenom is enduring a bit of a sophomore slump, giving up 9 goals against 5 saves in the club’s first four games. He watched Conway in Sunday’s 2-1 loss to Los Angeles, and coach Carlos de los Cobos said Conway likely will start again in Saturday’s game at Toyota Park against Houston (7:30 p.m., Comcast SportsNet).
“It’s fine,” Johnson said after Wednesday’s chilly training session. “It’s coach’s decision who plays and who doesn’t play. Obviously, I want to be on the field. That should be every player’s aspiration.
“If I’m No. 1 or I’m No. 2, I’m going to be supporting Jon. We both work well together in training every day. Whether he’s playing or I’m playing, we both have the understanding that our job is to get a result. That’s our goal, to make each other better and to be prepared at any time our names get called.”
There seems to be no friction between the goalkeepers, a group that includes third-stringer Alec Dufty and goalkeepers coach Aron Hyde, a Judson College graduate. Johnson and Conway could be seen joking around together during training Wednesday.
“Training, game situation, it doesn’t matter,” said the 21-year-old Johnson, who was called into U.S. national team camp in January. “We’re on the same page, and that’s important as goalkeepers. It’s about being a group rather than individuals. We win as a goalkeeping group, we get shutouts as a goalkeeping group. Goals scored, we take responsibility as a goalkeeping group. At the end of the day, it’s a good relationship to have, and it’s just going to make it better.”
“The situation with Sean is normal,” de los Cobos said. “We need to understand that he’s a young player. He doesn’t have a lot of time playing. He doesn’t have a lot of experience. He has a great potential. Everybody likes the qualities he has.
“... I am sure he can learn (very) much about this, but for now I want to keep playing in the goal Jon Conway.”
For his part Conway also tries to keep himself ready for action at any time.
“I start each week waiting for the coach’s decision on whether he plays me or not, so it doesn’t really matter. I’m ready to go,” Conway said.
The Fire acquired Conway, 33, from Toronto FC in a draft-day trade. The veteran spent the 2010 season with Toronto behind young goalkeeper Stefan Frei, and before that played for Chivas USA and New York Red Bulls after breaking into MLS with San Jose.
“We come in and train and coach puts the names on the board at the end of the week and that’s who plays,” Conway said. “That’s it. That’s the way it is here. That’s the way, the groups I’ve been with, that’s the way it’s always been.”
Just business.
It’s a tough business:Fire midfielder Baggio Husidic played nearly 1,500 minutes in 2010, tallying 5 goals and 3 assists. He#146;s played just 27 minutes so far this season, and the Libertyville High School graduate, still just 23 years old, wasn#146;t among the 18 players made available the past three games.#147;I talked with Baggio,#148; Fire coach Carlos de los Cobos said. #147;When I arrived last season to work with this club, Bagg, he wasn#146;t a star player. But he worked very good last season. But it#146;s normal. He#146;s young. He doesn#146;t have consistency to play. In the preseason he had good moments, not-so-good moments. For that reason he#146;s not starting.#147;When I talk to the guys in training, everybody is important to the team. Everybody needs to stay alert, work hard and stay ready to play.#148;Injury report:Fire central defender Cory Gibbs suffered a hamstring injury late in Sunday#146;s loss to Los Angeles. He did not train with the team Wednesday and seems unlikely to play Saturday against Houston.#147;I want to talk with the doctor and the trainer,#148; coach Carlos de los Cobos said. #147;I hope he#146;s not very seriously injured. It#146;s a shame because Cory is working very good. He#146;s an important player for me, for the team.#148;Veteran Dasan Robinson, who played in place of Josip Mikulic in Seattle and Portland, or newcomer Yamith Cuesta seem likely to get the call in Gibbs#146; absence.oschwarz@dailyherald.comNo Sales30002655Jon Conway, who at 33 is playing for his fourth MLS club, said he tries to get ready to play each week whether heÂ’s named as starter or not.George LeClaire/gleclaire@dailyherald.comNo Sales