The Galaxy Keeper Conundrum

So we sold Joe Cannon. We waived Lance Friesz. We lost draft pick Matt Allen. Where does that leave us?

Steve Cronin is the heir apparent. The Portland Timbers’ Josh Wicks is on trial (despite having just signed a contract extension with Portland. I’m still waiting for an explanation on that one. Anybody?) And supplemental draft pick Charles Alamo was the third keeper to make the trip to Hawaii.

Last night we got to see two out of three. Cronin did the first half, Wicks did the second half. What did you think?

My opinion, for what it’s worth?

First, I’d like to stress that the two halves weren’t really comparable. The first half defense kind of sucked. They were slow and flat-footed. Cronin got stuck with a whole bunch of one-on-one situations that never should have happened. He had to make a lot of split-second “should I charge off the line or stay put?” decisions. The Galaxy in the first half was outshot 14-1.

Wicks had an easier time of it. Julian Valentin was a big improvement over Greg Vanney, and Troy Roberts played a much better second half. It’s a lot easier to be a goalkeeper when your back line is doing its job. Gamba had fewer shots second half, and most of them were from distance, under defensive pressure.

That said, though? It was easier to breathe with Josh Wicks in goal. He seemed much more sure of himself, and his positioning was almost always right on target. Cronin didn’t play badly, particularly given what he faced, but seemed a bit hesitant and uncertain too much of the time, and made more than one decision that turned out not to be the best one.

That’s probably not surprising, is it? Wicks played week in, week out last year for Portland, and the USL competition is a lot strongeer than a lot of MLS fans like to it give credit for. Cronin, on the other hand, really hasn’t played all the much in the past year. He had that one fantastic RBNY Open Cup game early last year, but other than that didn’t see much action.

If he really is Cannon’s heir apparent, I’m hoping that much of what we saw last night was just first game jitters, with maybe a little backup keeper rustiness thrown in. If that’s the case, it will go away with time.

But…wow. Wicks looked really good.

P.S. I also still have high hopes for Charles Alamo. I have to admit that I have violated my own Supplemental Draftee rule here, which is: Until they are signed, treat them like chickens. Do NOT give them names, because then you get all attached. It’s not healthy. I’m hoping we get the opportunity to see him play soon, and that he kicks butt.)

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