Regular maintenance keeps Cannon blast- ready
At 37, Whitecaps goalkeeper credits all- season fitness regime for keeping him in the game
When you’re 37 years old and about to start your 14th season in Major League Soccer, you make sacrifices to stay sharp. Just ask Joe Cannon. The Vancouver Whitecaps goalkeeper said there’s really no off- season when you reach his age.
“I took about a week off after the November [ post- season] camp and then got into yoga and working out all the time,” Cannon said. “It’s not as fun as it used to be, let’s just say that. If I don’t get to bed by 11 or midnight, I’m in trouble.”
The two- time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year — in 2002 and 2004 — said he typically arrives about 90 minutes before a team practice to get himself ready for the intense workout he gets from goalkeeping coach Marius Rovde.
His pre- training ritual involves the use of a cross- resistance training apparatus and working with trainers to ensure everything is fine — including an ankle he broke in training 18 months ago when he was with the San Jose Earthquakes.
“I can’t just walk out of my car and suit up and go play 10 minutes later any more,” Cannon said. “You have to get your body ready — especially as a goalie. It’s not just your legs. It’s your arms too. You need to make sure everything is okay, especially when you play on turf.”
He cites 40- year- old U. S.- born Tottenham goalkeeper Brad Friedel as a great example of how hard work can keep you at the top of your game late in your playing career.
Cannon was expected to be the No. 1 goalkeeper in Vancouver after the Whitecaps acquired him in the MLS expansion draft in late 2010. But he spent most of the first 12 games last season backing up Jay Nolly, who was favoured by former coach Teitur Thordarson.
Cannon got the starting job after Thordarson was fired and he played 20 MLS games for the Caps, clearly showing enough to convince new coach Martin Rennie to keep him in Vancouver.
[ Cannon and Caps midfielder John Thorrington both negotiated new contracts with Vancouver this year, presumably deals that will bring them less than the $ 200,000 they each made last season, according to the MLS Players Union.]
Nolly, who now plays for Chicago, was considered stronger in the air than Cannon but Cannon was seen as a better shotstopper with outstanding reflexes.
Former Carolina Railhawks goalkeeper Brad Knighton — who played for Rennie last season — will challenge Cannon for the starting job this year.
Cannon regrets a couple of goals he let in last season but feels he played well in most games and said the new coaches in Vancouver don’t want him to do anything radically different.
“A goalie is pretty much cut and dry,” he said. “You either want them because they can save goals or not. They’re just looking for me to be solid, to lead the team and organize players and to come up with a big save every now and then.”
Cannon likes the fact the new coaches are big believers in psychology.
“They just want me to play with confidence again,” he said. “That’s what I need to bring — that confidence that has made me so successful at times last year and throughout my career.”
Rennie likes Cannon’s MLS experience and leadership skills and isn’t worried about his age.
“He has the enthusiasm and the desire to finish his career strongly and that motivation is important,” he said. “Goalkeepers can play a little bit longer than other guys and as they play, they learn little things about angles and positioning and decision- making.
“Sometimes goalkeepers do become better with age and fitnesswise, he still looks pretty good.”
Rennie said Cannon looks to be his starting goalkeeper right now.
“If he does well, then he’ll keep it,” he said. “If Brad overtakes him, then he’ll get it. If [ number three ‘ keeper] Brian Sylvestre overtakes either of them, then he’ll get it. There has to be competition.”
SIDE KICKS: The Montreal Impact surprised some observers Tuesday by signing 38- yearold striker Eddie Sebrango to an MLS contract. The Cubanborn former Vancouver Whitecaps player, who turns 39 in April, is the 10th all- time leading scorer for Vancouver — with 45 goals in 95 appearances with the Caps from 2006 through 2008.