Cannon still has a ball tending net
Chatty goalie has plenty to say off the pitch; on it, he’s drawing lots of blanks
The gift of the gab — some professional athletes have it, others do not.
Vancouver Whitecaps 37- year- old goalkeeper Joe Cannon, a regular guest on the Team 1040 afternoon show with longtime local broadcasters Barry Macdonald and Don Taylor, possesses the aforementioned quality. Rarely at a loss for words, Cannon admits he’s always been rather chatty, but maybe a little too much at times.
“Because I’m kind of long- winded, it has caused some problems in the past,” said Cannon on Wednesday, following training at the Burnaby Lake Sports Complex West.
“I enjoy that part. I think for me, the connections with the fans is easy because I started — before my career — as a fan of Major League Soccer. I think, more than anything, you appreciate honesty and good effort and people that can express that tend to relate better to fans.”
Given his age, it’s safe to suggest Cannon is entering the twilight of his career, although you wouldn’t think so by the numbers he’s putting up.
Cannon has already started pondering “Plan B” for when playing soccer no longer becomes viable. With his guest appearances on sports talk radio and natural ability to open up to the audience, a position in the media may be his calling.
“You don’t really want to rule anything out,” he said, adding he thinks about his post- playing plans almost daily.
“Fact of the matter is opportunities to stay in the game are limited when you stop playing. I think I want to stay with the league.
“I want to give back to the community that I’m in and help younger goalies. I don’t know how I’m going to do that. It’s still up in the air, but you have to leave every door open. It would be dumb to shut that one, but it wouldn’t be my priority to do that.
“For me, I’m trying to look at a place and be a little bit more stable, and kind of enjoy being home because that’s what means the most to me is my family.”
Cannon, an MLS veteran of 15 seasons, will, in time, make those decisions. But there is no denying his current worth to the Whitecaps.
Eric Hassli’s recent heroics — see his beautiful volley for a goal against Toronto FC back on May 16 in the first leg of the Amway Canadian Championship — have, rightfully so, garnered a great deal of the spotlight, as has his Las Vegas wedding this past weekend.
But Cannon’s play in goal is one of the reasons Vancouver is, right now at least, challenging for a playoff spot, following a dreadful 6- 18- 10 inaugural campaign in 2011.
Aside from his 4- 3- 4 record, Cannon has five shutouts so far in 2012. His career high is 10, which he achieved in 2004 with the Colorado Rapids. With 22 games remaining for the Whitecaps, there’s a good chance he surpasses that mark.
“He’s been fantastic. He’s won many games for us with the saves he’s made,” said head coach Martin Rennie.
“He’s got a great presence, a great communicator, adds a lot to the locker- room, so we’re really happy with how he’s doing.”
As fascinating as a discussion about the future and the past is, with the Whitecaps in the midst of a lengthy break between matches, the next immediate challenge is an intriguing match with the Houston Dynamo on Sunday afternoon.
The match is the first of three in a row at BC Place Stadium, with the Whitecaps entering this portion of their schedule with a 5- 3- 4 record and the fifth seed — also the final playoff position — in the Western Conference.
The Dynamo, last year’s MLS Cup finalists, are seventh in the league’s Eastern Conference and unbeaten in their last four games.
However, they will be without defenders Geoff Cameron, Andre Hainault and Jermaine Taylor, all because of international duties.
“They went on the road last year and proved in the playoffs that they’re a team that has a lot of mettle, grit, and it’s really up to us to take the game to them,” said Cannon.
“We’re at home and I’m looking forward to seeing how we come out, especially after this break.”