July 20, 2008 3:27 PM
Bouna giveth, and Bouna taketh away
Rapids goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul makes a save Saturday at Dallas.
(MATT SLOCUM/ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Ah, the contradictions.
Bouna Coundoul's reckless wandering led to two Dallas goals as the Colorado Rapids tied the Hoops 2-2 on Saturday. But, when he did stay on his line, he recorded seven big saves that helped his team pick up a point in the standings.
So do we praise the Bouna who made an amazing leaping save in the 86th minute off a rocket by Juan Toja? The Bouna who dove to his left in the 88th minute to stop a free kick that was headed into the far, lower corner of the goal?
Or do we scold the Bouna who cost his team two goals by straying too far from home?
Or do we praise the Bouna whose aggressive play in roaming the penalty area prevents countless opportunities to the opposition? The Bouna who, after Facundo Erpen's clearance attempt in the ninth minute went more up than out, rushed off his line and headed the ball from trouble at the edge of the penalty box?
The answer is not simple. The Rapids have to accept all elements of their goalkeeper's when they put him on the pitch.
When Bouna lines up, it's almost a given that he will make some unbelievable saves, will commit some unbelievable boner and will show unbelievable range.
Am I being too hard on him for FC Dallas' two goals?
No.
On the play that led to the penalty kick and Dallas' first goal, Bouna displayed a shameless lack of confidence in his defense.
A long pass up the left wing found the relentless Kenny Cooper rushing forward at full speed.
But Ugo Ihemelu was hot in pursuit, and Ugo's pace was more than enough to put a lid on any Dallas scoring attempt. But the only thing keeping Ihemelu from catching up to Cooper was Bouna, who actually obstructed his defender on the play.
Cooper managed to send a prayer of a cross into the box, where Erpen fouled Dominic Oduro to keep him from sending the ball into an empty net. (I'm not going to get into Oduro's embellishment of the foul or the penalty call itself.)
On the second Hoops goal, Bouna simply traveled too far from his line on looping service from the right flank. Cooper got to the ball first, headed past Bouna to the middle of the box, where Toja tapped it into the empty net with his left foot.
Bouna should use the lessons he learned Saturday to develop some respect for his defenders. The back line of Pablo Mastroeni, Erpen and Ihemelu is the best combination the Rapids have used this year.
Bouna must be able to discern when it's time for him to intervene and when it's time for the defense to do its job.
SPEAKING OF THAT BACK LINE: Using three at the back allows the Rapids more flexibility in their midfield and forward combinations. And on Saturday, it allowed coach Fernando Clavijo the opportunity to start Terry Cooke, Christian Gomez and Mehdi Ballouchy. I enjoy seeing the three offensive-minded players in the lineup at the same time, and I would welcome more of it. The combination produced two road goals Saturday, and that's a good thing.
SEPARATED AT BIRTH: A shorn Herculez Gomez looks an awful lot like Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. There really is nothing like a shorn Herculez ... it's breathtaking. I highly suggest you try it ...
HERCULEZ'S GOAL: Herculez demonstrated a high level of skill on the Rapids' opening goal. Ballouchy's long pass had a little bit of bounce to it, and Herc hit it on the apex of the bounce. And he smartly struck the ball down, sending it past Dallas goalkeeper Dario Sala on one hop. Many players would've gone for a glory shot into the upper netting, only to send the ball a dozen rows into the crowd. But Herculez kept his wits about him and scored a goal that was more difficult that it looked.
THE BEAUTIFUL SECOND GOAL: The three players involved in this goal should find themselves in the hunt for goal of the week. Cooke intercepted a Dallas pass, wrong-footed a Dallas defender and, with a flick, freed Christian Gomez alone deep in the Dallas penalty area. Christian touched the ball only once: He tapped the ball over the defense, directly to Conor Casey. Then the striker, falling to one side and totally in the air, headed the ball into the corner of the netting. Fantastic stuff.
SCORING ON THE GOAL: On the Altitude broadcast, Cooke was not credited with an assist initially. Had that judgment stood, it would've been a horrible mistake. Cooke was as much responsible for the tying goal as Gomez and as Casey.
A SEASON OF HIGHLIGHTS: We have been fortunate to see some wonderful goals by the Rapids this season. Jacob Peterson's screamer of a one-timer on the assist from Christian Gomez ... Tom McManus' rocket into the side netting past Chivas USA's Brad Guzan ... and now this one. I'd say those are the three goals of the year for the team this season ... so far ...
CORY LOPEZ, IN THE PLUS COLUMN: Altitude announcer Cory Lopez, flying solo on Saturday, astutely pointed out that Rapids midfielder Colin Clark is more successful running at defender than he is trying to work with his back to goal. He also noted that having Ballouchy in the lineup gives the Rapids a playmaker who has room to operate (because Christian Gomez usually ties up one or two defenders by himself).
CORY LOPEZ, IN THE MINUS COLUMN: Lopez did not know who Nick LaBrocca was through much of the game. He called him, alternately, "Mehdi Ballouchy," "Mehdi" and "Nick Ballouchy." At one point, "Mehdi" even passed the ball to Ballouchy. Will the real Ballouchy please stand up? Please stand up? Please stand up? On a long run up the right wing, Lopez also confused Cooke with Clark ... three times.
MAN OF THE MATCH: It probably won't be a popular decision, but my pick is Cooper. He played better than anyone on the field Saturday. His head's-up cross burned Bouna and led to Dallas' first goal, which he scored on the PK. And the key moment on Dallas' second goal was when Cooper got to the looping cross before Bouna and headed it to Toja. Cooper was outstanding. In the seventh minute, Cooper got a taste of goal with a blast from nearly 30 yards out. He made Bouna dive to his left, and Toja almost put in the rebound. But Cooper saw the rebound and made note. He would test Bouna at least two more times from distance, and the Rapids goalkeeper, true to form for the day, gave up rebounds. That type of observation and follow-through was the sort of match savvy that an elite player has in spades.
July 21, 2008
9:43 AM
Mike writes:
Drew Litton (the clown) had a funny 'toon a few years back about Patrick Roy doing the same thing as Bouna -- it was a picture of Roy with a chain around his ankle, attatched to the goal. Funny cartoon.
July 22, 2008
11:07 PM
Allen writes:
I disagree on the 2nd goal. Cooper was wide open. Ugo was too far in la-la land to catch up to Cooper. KC would've had wide open shot on goal from 7 yards out if Bouna doesn't come out. Instead Bouna comes out and stirs things up forcing Cooper to chicken out and play the ball back to Toja. Most nights that header back is off the mark or Toja's shot gets messed up. Ugo's had a few games in a row where he's shown serious lapses in concentration. It's time for him to ride the pine.