The Own Goal

If you're still in shock from this weekend's Red Bulls-Revolution match you aren't alone. The game-deciding own goal left many speechless and left the Red Bulls wondering why they are so cursed at Gillette Stadium.

If you actually missed the own goal when it originally happened you are not alone. Not only did I not see the ball go in the net (I was typing away before hearing the loud roar from the crowd) but Carlos Mendes didn't see it go in the net either. He turned around to run upfield after delivering one of the best own goals in MLS history.

Was it Mendes' fault? Not really. Yes, he put some pace on the long pass back to Jon Conway but Conway should have gotten to the ball.

Does this mean Conway is a bad goalkeeper? Not at all. He's enjoyed a very solid season but a mistake like that does give Bruce Arena more reason to believe that he's better off playing a veteran like Ronald Waterreus even if Waterreus still isn't 100 percent from his early-season ankle injury. Then again, maybe Conway uses the own goal to motivate him down the stretch. It remains to be seen whether he'll actually have another chance to prove himself.

On a disappointing side note, Conway was the first Red Bulls player out of the locker room after Saturday's loss. He is usually one of the last to leave but on Saturday he was in a rush to beat the traffic apparently. Actually it is a safe bet that he didn't want to have to answer questions about the own goal. Someone should tell him that facing the music is part of being a pro athlete and running away from that responsibility isn't exactly the way to go.

Conway would have been better off facing the questions and offering up his side of the story (maybe even accepting blame for the play). That would have gone a long way in winning him some points in the court of public opinion. He doesn't owe it to the media, he owes it to Red Bulls fans to hear his side, particularly the fans that made the trek up to Gillette Stadium to cheer the team on.

Instead of an explanation from Conway, we are left to wonder what really happened. I originally wrote that Conway may have been distracted by other plays coming in on the play but replays show that there were no Revs players anywhere in sight. Conway simply reacted too late to the pass, or he lost sight of the pass.

Whatever actually happened, it cost the Red Bulls a vital point that has become even more important now that Chicago and Colorado have decided to wake up and make the playoff race interesting.

What did you think of the own goal and the game as a whole? Share your thoughts on this weekend's Red Bulls-Revs game below.

Comments

[Uncle Dave]

Wow he ran out? I will have to cite this bad boy . . .

Weak. And weak game. Pace or no pace, NO ONE should blame Mendes for this .. . . ..

[Frank the Frowner]

(Bad) move to leave the locker room ASAP. The OG is all on Conway, what a pathetic play. This debacle and the Chivas USA blunder prove he's nothing more then a backup.

[Dannyc58]

Personally, Conway talking to the Media has no affect on that play at all. Whats the point of talking? To hear cliche bullcrap? The entitlement that the media has disturbs me though, so I'm pretty biased in that way.

[Ives]

Are you serious Danny?

Who said Conway talking had an affect on the play?

And the point of talking is to address it publicly. People want to hear his side. Maybe you don't, but I'm pretty sure others do.

Not sure what you're even talking about as far as the media's sense of entitlement. Sounds personal. Conway not talking isn't any skin off my back. It just makes him look bad, and not just to me.

You don't think his teammates found it a bit of a cop-out that he runs off while they're left to face the questions he should be answering? If you don't then you're wrong.

[ag nigrin]

I am a little worried that the psyche of the Bulls keepers has become fragile. 1st the Walrus and now Mr. Pants... I know GKeepers are a bit wacko but this is ridiculous. That said I still feel Conway/Mr. Pants is the Bulls best option in goal. So the Curse of Caricola struck again Sat. night against the Revs... and Chicago beat KC 2-0 thanks to Blanco...so the Bulls next game will have playoff implications. 45 points pretty much guarantees a playoff spot IMHO. The Bulls currently have 33 points with 8 games (4H/4A) remaining...so the BUlls really need to win 4 of the remaining games. Which is very do-able. The Bulls last 8 games include:
9/1 Chicago
9/9 at Chivas
9/15 at Chicago
9/22 NE
9/29 RSL
10/4 at TFC
10/13 KC
10/18 at LA

RSL, TFC and LA are no longer in playoff contention so these games should be wins for the Bulls and I think the Bulls will pay back NE and KC at home and beat Chicago at home as well so that means 6 wins..I have a feeling there will be at least 20K for Blanco and Wanchope's debut...plus the weather so far for next Saturday looks perfect again...here is the forecast Saturday-9/1 = Abundant sunshine. Highs in the upper 70s and lows in the low 60s.

[Dannyc58]

Ives,

I don't mean it personally, but I've never understood this "obligation" to talk to the media. Maybe he talked or will talk to his teammates behind closed doors. Maybe he was furious with himself and will discuss it today. To me its a non-issue...

[Dannyc58]

What I mean to say is that, it was pathetic either way. Talking/not talking to the media doesn't affect anything for me, personally. I think it was pretty clear it was his fault, and I'm sure he realizes that...

[Jon G]

The replays on MSG of the OG did not show Conway. Rather, it just followed the ball. So us viewers who watched the game on TV don't what really happened -- did he lose his footing or just misjudge the trajectory of the ball?

[Paul Lorinczi]

Ives,

He lost concentration. It is that simple.

He zoned out for a moment and it cost he and his team the game.

In his reaction, it looks like his foot got caught in the turf too. If he had been positioned to provide support in the first place he would have anticipated the back pass.

[Ives]

I hear you Danny.

As I stated in the original post, athletes need to talk to the media after the game because fans want to hear their take on the game. Choosing not to talk is basically them saying they don't owe anyone an explanation and that just isn't the case.

This is why other leagues have policies in place that force players to talk to the media. They realize the importance of it.

Conway's dash stood out for me for multiple reasons. First, because I could think of so many cases where athletes who made similar mistakes have stepped up and shouldered the game (I seem to recall Tony Meola doing just that last year, though I could be wrong). Secondly, seeing Conway's teammates step up and face the media even though it wasn't exactly what they wanted to be doing either made Conway's no-show look worse.

Facing the music is just the smart thing to do. Look at Tony Romo of the Cowboys, who stuck around and answered every question and took all the blame when he fumbled the field goal hold in last year's playoffs.

[BigJake]

Perhaps Conway is as unhappy to face criticism as is the reporter who writes a poor column or who reports or reports a rumor!
I heard that he was on his way to the pressbox to question the commentators about their mistakes, only to find out that they were watching the game from a monitor in a studio! :D

[Adam Spangler]

RBNY is in trouble when Watterus is your best option in goal.

[Jeff]

I just checked and it not up for MLS goal of the week.

[Dannyc58]

Ives, I definitely understand that point of view, and think its fair. Its just that human nature, factor that I think its hard. It is part of his job, so he should have stayed, sometimes i just think its unfair that its part of the Job.

And Tony Romo is a perfect example of why I hate it...since he did stay and answer questions some of the biased writers made allusions to the ball looking slipppery. Give me an effing break!

God i hate the cowboys.

[Puhe]

Conway was just embarassed, I don't see how he owes an explanation anyway.

Sure maybe from a leadership development perspective he *should* have said something, but oh well.

[Justin]

I've never really cared too much one way or the other when athletes don't speak with the media. It's not as if they are public officials. Whether he was distracted by something on the field, thinking about his post game meal or checking out woman in the stands, the problem was a lapse in concentration. No probing questions from the media needed in this case. All the answers anyone could possibly need are already abundantly clear. That he doesn't make a habit of avoiding the media makes it even less of an issue to me.

[Ives]

Guys, I never said it was an easy situation for Conway to deal with, but we're not talking about a 21-year-old rookie. He's a veteran and he should have faced the media after the match. I'm sure he'll handle it better next time.

And BigJake, I appreciate your attempt at being cute but it didn't really work. If you don't think he needed to speak then that's your opinion. I think it's pretty clear that you're in the minority on believing that one.

[J1m]

I think he needs to say something. If not right after that game, at least before the next game. And he owes Carlos Mendes a steak dinner at a fancy restaurant for giving him the own goal.

But is this individual error a big deal? Not really. A bigger concern to me is seeing the Red Bulls play great soccer for 10 or 15 minutes a game, then all of a sudden, turn off. They almost seem to loose interest, and they certainly loose focus. That is where all the giveaways and defensive lapse come from, a lack of focus on the game and the players around them.

WTF is going on?

[Braden]

Let's just say that Conway doesn't owe the media an explanation, but then he also shouldn't be surprised that people like me (a fan) say things like:

1) This is just another in a long series of mental errors that Conway appears to make in tight games.

2) He is, and always will be, a back-up goalkeeper because he lacks the leadership to effectively organize the defense.

3) If Waterreus can't become healthy for next season, Bruce should once again look for a replacement.

So no, Conway doesn't owe me or the media an explanation, but then he shouldn't be surprised when the fans want to see him retire into investment banking (although that might be a tad bit too high-pressure for him).

[CD]

I have been a fan of a lot of teams over a lot of years and I really don't care what players have to say.

He messed up. There you go said it for him.

Since he didn't talk that gives you another interesting story line. Next story about him can be what he said about why he didn't talk. If I am Conway I come back with some story about I felt like I let the fans, the team and the organization down so much that I didn't feel I was worthy of talking to the media at that time. I rushed home and worked on my technique and watched goalie motivational videos.

[Dannyc58]

Braden eloquently said what I meant to say...didn't mean to come off as anti-media as I did at first, Ives.

I wouldn't read your blog every 5 seconds if I had something against the media!

[MetroFlip73]

I am actually wondering why 90% of the players DID NOT clap their travel support off the field.

Only Vide and Parke.

Some leadership on the team...

[Pat]

No where in any pro atheletes contract does it say they HAVE to talk to the media after the game. It's a courtesy they pay the media if they want. Conway has no responsibility to talk to anyone if he dosent want to, and no other athelete does either. I dont know where the media gets this "its their responsibility" stuff. If they want to talk to the media, they can, and the media members they talk to should be grateful.

[Ives]

I hear you Danny, I know you're a regular, which is why I found the tone of your first post a bit odd.

I really don't get how people think I was somehow upset at Conway for not talking. I can understand his desire to just get out of the stadium but I also think he could have handled that situation better. That's all.

He'll learn from it and hopefully handle the situation better next time.

[Ives]

Actually, some pro leagues and teams have policies in place that make their athletes speak to the media. They face fines when they don't. Why do you think this is? It happens because it is part of the job, not some gift athletes are giving the media. That suggestion is ridiculous.

Now, in this case, you are right that Conway didn't have to talk (there are no MLS polcies in place regarding players speaking to the media (yet). I didn't say he HAD TO speak to the media. I said he SHOULD HAVE stuck around to answer questions.