BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. ā Chicago Fire head coach Carlos de los Cobos explained the 38th-minute substitution of rookie midfielder Corben Bone from Tuesdayās 2-0 loss to Kansas City in his postmatch press conference, saying that the teamās first round draft pick ā who was making his first career MLS start ā didnāt have the right mentality while on the field.
āHe showed very little in the time he was on the field,ā de los Cobos said through a translator. āI understand that heās a young player, but when this opportunity presents itself to players, they need to understand that they have the right attitude, and I just didnāt see that attitude in Corben. I wish he couldāve played all 90 minutes, but I just saw a very passive player.ā
Bone, who hasnāt received significant minutes in any competition since July, told MLSsoccer.com that de los Cobos never told him why he was removed.
āHe didnāt say anything when he brought me off,ā said Bone, who was replaced by Patrick Nyarko. āIt wasnāt my best performance and heās the coach, so itās his decision.ā
The move couldnāt have done much for Boneās confidence, especially considering that the Fire ā who were eliminated from the playoffs last Saturday night ā didnāt have anything to lose by playing him Tuesday.
āGot to take it for what itās worth,ā Bone said. āI got to keep my head up and keep doing what Iāve been doing and keep moving forward. Itās the past now, so I canāt really do anything about it.
āI think Iāve been training really well,ā he added. āI havenāt played much in a game since SuperLiga three or four months ago, so itās difficult. But Iāve been training well and Iām going to keep doing that, and hopefully and the next time I get a start Iāll get a little bit more minutes.ā
Sam Stejskal covers the Chicago Fire for MLSsoccer.com. Email him at sam.h.stejskal@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @samstejskal.