Two weeks ago, Bouna Coundoul walked off the field of the Home Depot Center dejected, having seen his name on the scorerās sheet for an own goal. The 2-0 loss to Chivas USA was the first loss of the season for New York and the first time that the Red Bullsā defense had conceded goals all season.
Fast forward a week to last Saturday nightās game and Coundoul conceded a goal to FC Dallas within the first 10 minutes of the match.
āBouna Time,ā as the keeper likes to call himself, had seemed to strike midnight.
Or not.
All told, Coundoul made seven saves against FC Dallas, many of them in the second half and of the spectacular variety. Head coach Hans Backe conceded after the match that without Coundoulās performance, he doesnāt think the team would get a 2-1 result against FC Dallas.
While fans and pundits doubted Coundoul after the own-goal blunder against Chivas USA, Coundoul never doubted himself.
āI know what I am capable of, and what I can do. I didnāt beat myself up after the [Chivas USA] game and my teammates didnāt either,ā Coundoul told MLSsoccer.com. āI knew I would bounce back.ā
And bounce back Bouna did.
āHe was phenomenal, the way he bounced back from the Chivas game,ā forward Juan Pablo Ćngel said, calling Coundoul the āman of the match.ā
Now, it is up to Coundoul to continue the good feelings from last weekās win and to show up with another steady performance. Before joining New York, Coundoul was the starting goalkeeper for the Colorado Rapids but was often plagued with bad form and inconsistent performances.
Coundoul has taken the burden on himself to steady his way in goal as he is often the first player on the practice field and one of the last ones to leave, working steadily with goalkeeper coach Des McAleenan on his technique and form.
āDes is a world-class goalkeeper coach who wants me to be the best and perform to my best,ā Coundoul said. āIf I want to improve my game, I need to put in the time to make sure I am ready and as good as I can get.ā
Whether Coundoul can perform like he did on Saturday night, a performance Backe called āworld-class,ā remains to be seen but he certainly has the confidence of the club. While Coundoul was talking to MLSsoccer.com and answering a question on his form, Red Bulls sporting director Erik SolĆ©r walked by and interjected, āThere is plenty more where that came fromā with regards to the keeperās ability that was on display against FC Dallas.
It was the smile and grin from SolĆ©r that spoke volumes of how pleased he was with Coundoulās effort last weekend. But after a rest day on Wednesday, Coundoul will return to the field for two days of practice ahead of the Philadelphia derby on Saturday. He will undoubtedly be one of the first ones on the field and one of the last to leave in the practice sessions ahead.
āNow itās just Bouna, but come Saturday, it will be āBouna Timeā again,ā Coundoul said.