After loss of goalie, playoff hopes rest on backup Willis
These are not the circumstances in which Joe Willis hoped to regain the Dynamo’s starting goalkeeper spot, but he said he will be ready anyway.
Willis is set to take over in the net for Sunday’s playoff game against the Portland Timbers after Tyler Deric was suspended by the MLS following his arrest for an alleged domestic incident.
The second leg of the Western Conference semifinal series in Portland will be Willis’ first competitive game in four months.
He has spent much of that time knowing he would be the backup every week as Deric ascended to the best form of his career.
On Friday, Willis said he never checked out mentally.
“Whether you’re playing, whether you’re on the bench, whether you’re not dressing; every day you have to have the same mentality — ‘Tomorrow my number could get called,’ ” Willis said. “I’ve been in this league for seven years now, and a lot of crazy situations have happened where I’ve been thrown into situations. You have to be prepared for everything.”
A step into the spotlight
Willis’ first playoff appearance — with D.C. United in 2012 — also came when the starter suddenly was not available. In the 69th minute of the second leg of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Red Bulls, D.C.’s goalkeeper Bill Hamid was sent off after clipping New York’s Kenny Cooper in the penalty area during a breakaway.
Willis subbed in for the ensuing penalty kick, which Cooper converted. Referee Mark Geiger whistled two New York players for encroachment and forced Cooper to take it again. Willis saved the second attempt with a dive low to the left.
D.C. United went on to win the game 1-0 and advanced to the conference final on aggregate 2-1.
It remains to be seen whether Sunday’s game will reach the same chaotic level, but Dynamo coach Wilmer Cabrera said he trusts Willis if he is forced to make another big play.
“If you ask what game he would like to play, any player would say, ‘I would like to play the most important game of the season,’ ” Cabrera said. “This is the most important game. He has a chance. He’s ready. We are all ready, so let’s do it.”
Willis will have the benefit of the most effective
Dynamo defense in nearly a decade. They have registered four consecutive shutouts for the first time since 2009. If on Sunday they go 75 minutes without conceding a goal, they’ll surpass the second-longest shutout streak in team history of 491 minutes.
Shorthanded defense
The Dynamo have done that despite the loss of starting right back A.J. DeLaGarza (knee) for all of the playoffs and the loss of center back Leonardo (hamstring) for much of the knockout round game against Sporting Kansas City and the entirety of the first leg of this series against Portland.
At this point, it is clear the success is more about attitude and depth than it is about Cabrera’s preferred starters. Willis hopes to be part of that success Sunday.
“I’d love it if I don’t face a single shot the entire day,” Willis said. “That’s not the way it always goes. I have confidence in myself, and I have a lot of confidence in the team. We’re going to go in with the mentality to get the win.”