Whitecaps to start Rowe in goal again vs. visiting San Jose
VANCOUVER (CP) — Sometimes doing things on short notice can be fun, like when an old friend unexpectedly comes to town or someone offers you concert tickets at the last minute.
Other times, short notice can be a challenge, like if you are a goalkeeper who hasn’t played a Major League Soccer game since October only to learn you are starting the next day’s match.
That’s the position Vancouver’s Brian Rowe found himself in last week when starting goalie Stefan Marinovic suffered a knee sprain in training the day before Friday’s match against the Houston Dynamo.
Rowe took over and played well in a 2-2 draw with the Dynamo. With Marinovic still hobbled, Rowe will start again tonight when the Whitecaps (4-4-2) host the San Jose Earthquakes (2-5-2) at BC Place Stadium.
Adapting to the unexpected is part of a backup goalkeeper’s life, said Rowe, who joined the Whitecaps in December when he was acquired in a trade from the L.A. Galaxy.
“It’s tough when you haven’t played games for a while,” said the 29-year-old from Eugene, Ore. “Nothing else can prepare you for a game than a game itself and getting minutes.
“It felt great going out there, it felt comfortable. It kind of felt like riding a bike. We will keep building on that.”
Rowe, who couldn’t be faulted for either of the goals he gave up against Houston, doesn’t mind the short five-day break before the Whitecaps face San Jose.
“I think it’s good,” he said. “You don’t have too long to think about it.
“Sometimes if you have too long to dwell on a game . . . you can’t get that rhythm. It’s going to be a tough one.”
Whitecaps head coach Carl Robinson said Rowe made a difficult situation look easy.
“The hardest job for me is the backup goalkeeper,” Robinson said. “You can go 34 games without playing a game. You need to be ready mentally as well as physically. It’s a thankless task.”
Prior to Friday, Rowe last appeared in a game on Oct. 22, 2017. His previous start was Aug. 12, 2017. “It’s one of those positions, sometimes you just have to wait your turn,” Rowe said. “Sometimes you just have to be patient, do the right things, and your time will come.”