Deric’s season a bad dream so far
The 2016 season began with the highest of hopes for Tyler Deric. But more than two months into the schedule, the Dynamo goalkeeper just wants to wake up from a nightmare.
Deric showed a flair for dramatic saves while starting 31 of the club’s 34 Major League Soccer matches last season and began this year’s training camp as the incumbent starter. Due to a preseason abdominal injury and two red cards, however, the Klein High School graduate has appeared in only three of 11 matches.
The Dynamo (3-6-2) travel to Chicago on Saturday, and it is fair to ask if a healthy and available Deric remains the team’s top choice to man the net.
“It has been frustrating,” Deric said. “I put in a lot of work in the offseason and during the season to get ready. It is frustrating stepping in there and not getting that consistent run that I crave so much. It’s a disappointing time right now.”
Not much has been more disappointing than his first appearance on April 15 in Columbus, Ohio. Early in
the first half, Deric came off his line to challenge Federico Higuain at the edge of the penalty box but missed on his first swipe and then tripped him.
The referee gave Deric a red card, sending him off just 18 minutes into his debut.
Deric’s next start came two weeks later in a 2-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City. He hoped to build on the clean sheet with another strong performance against San Jose last week, but the team conceded three goals before Deric received another red card during the 3-1 loss.
He ran outside the box and slid in an attempt to kick away a through ball intended for Simon Dawkins. Deric barely made contact with the ball, and Dawkins tried to gain control of it. Deric reached back and swiped at Dawkins with his arms, knocking him down.
Deric saw the referee and never argued. He put his head in his jersey and wandered around a bit before leaving the pitch.
“There is a lot of stuff you wish you could go back and change,” he said. “In the world we live in, you can’t do that. You have to learn from it and move on.”
If the Dynamo move on from Deric as their unquestioned starter, that role will go to Joe Willis. A starter for eight games this season, Willis has improved on his ability to make the phenomenal save.
Early in the Dynamo’s March game against the New York Red Bulls, Willis saw a crossing pass directly in front and took a step to his left to deny a low shot by Bradley WrightPhillips.
“The more games I play, the more consistent I have been getting and the more my confidence is growing,” Willis said. “Being sharp on a day-to-day basis is something I need to focus on.”
The dynamic between Willis and Deric is a friendly but competitive one. They both want to play and push one another during practice. Willis said Deric has done well in the face of adversity and has fought hard to get back from in- jury and to shake off his on-field mistakes.
The next chance he gets on the field, Deric hopes to show that despite everything that has happened, he still is in the right place mentally.
“We always say don’t get too high and don’t get too low,” Deric said. “It’s real easy to not get too high on yourself because you try to stay humble. But when you make a mistake, you have to remember to have the same mentality for those moments.”