KEEPING THE FAITH
TFC ’keeper Alex Bono appears to have restored Reds’ confidence in his abilities,
After a costly goalkeeping gaffe against the San Jose Earthquakes two games ago, many questioned whether Alex Bono would be back in net for the Reds come kickoff against D.C. United on Saturday night.
Reds coach Greg Vanney wasn’t one of them.
Asked following the Reds’ 4-1 win over United if he was close to swapping the young netminder for backup Quillan Roberts, Vanney made it clear benching Bono was never in the cards.
“To me, if I take him out and put him at the end of the bench after making one mistake, when he has made some good plays for us and helped us win (the Canadian Championship), then what am I saying to the rest of the group or anybody when they get a chance?” he said.
Bono is replacing regular No. 1Clint Irwin, who is out with a quadricep injury. The 26-year-old was back to running and handling the ball last week, but is not yet kicking or diving; he is not expected back until midAugust at the earliest.
In the meantime, the competition for goalkeeper is between Bono, 22, who now has six Major League Soccer appearances to his name, and the even greener Roberts, 21, who has yet to play in a league game.
Young ’keepers are going to make mistakes, Vanney said, and they deserve the opportunity to rectify them.
“I would do the same for (Roberts) if he was in goal. I would give him the same respect and the chance to rebound from something. I believe it’s important that they get that.”
And rebound Bono most certainly did.
It’s a process that started earlier in the week, when he accepted responsibility for misjudging a shot from Earthquakes’ Simon Dawkins.
“It’s my job as a goalkeeper to bounce back and show (Vanney) he’s making the right decision.” REDS’ ALEX BONO
The ensuing goal, which put nineman San Jose up 2-1, was the gamewinner.
It was a save any goalkeeper at this level should make, Bono conceded last Tuesday. But he wasn’t about to dwell on it.
“It’s just how you come back from that setback and how you go back to the way that it was before and keep progressing on as a goalkeeper,” he said, resolving to spend the week training as if he was starting against United.
His return to the team sheet Saturday was a product of that resolve.
Vanney — who as usual didn’t publicly reveal his team until an hour before the match — was impressed by, and rewarded, Bono’s work rate following the mistake.
“As long as he was going to show me during the week he could put it behind him and perform during the week, then he was going to get a chance,” the coach said.
Bono rose to the occasion when necessary against United, whose attack had a relatively quiet night.
He allowed one goal, a much more palatable concession that can be blamed on a collective defensive breakdown rather than individual error, and made one big save.
Vanney’s backing bolstered the goalkeeper’s confidence ahead of his improved performance.
“It’s my job as a goalkeeper to bounce back and show (Vanney) he’s making the right decision,” Bono said following the match. “I don’t think he’ll have any complaints about the game today.”