TUKWILA, Wash. – By any account, Seattle Sounders FC backup goalkeeper Terry Boss had a forgettable game last Sunday in the Cascadia Summit. So he has done exactly that – forgotten about it.
Against Vancouver, Boss allowed three goals, two of which could be directly attributed to goalkeeper mistakes. Rather than dwell on the errors, the Puerto Rican national-teamer has vowed to bounce back.
“Obviously I didn’t feel like I played very well,” Boss said. “I made two or three mistakes and I’m disappointed; I really let my teammates down. Obviously that’s frustrating, but it’s part of the game. I’d like to be the first goalkeeper ever who played with without making a mistake, but unfortunately that happens.”
During a full-field exercise at training on Tuesday, Boss assumed his regular spot with the second unit. As the primary backup to Kasey Keller, it’s very likely Boss will be called upon during the course of the season.
In all competitions, the 29-year-old played in five games (four starts) in 2010, his first full season as Keller’s primary backup. In those 405 minutes, he recorded 17 saves and allowed six goals, good for a 1.33 goals-against average. Boss also recorded two shutouts.
With Keller playing his last season, the No. 1 spot should be available in 2012. Boss is one option for that role, while Seattle have two other goalkeepers in camp, draft picks Josh Ford and Bryan Meredith.
Regardless of Sunday’s events, Boss recognized that it was a preseason match and has put it out of his mind.
“What you do from there forward is what matters most,” Boss said. “I thought about it that night, thought about what I could have done better, evaluated the situation and watched [the game] again. You have to learn from it. I put it behind me and I’m playing as if it didn’t happen.”
Notebook:
The Sounders close out their preparations with a final preseason match Wednesday night, the Community Shield against the defending MLS Cup champions Colorado Rapids. Asked what he wanted to see from his team, Sigi Schmid responded, “Goals. Goals, goals and more goals.”
Meanwhile, good news for Sounders fans on the injury front. Mike Fucito, who went down during the Whitecaps game, should only be out for three to six weeks, according to Schmid. The injury turned out to be a moderate adductor strain, not an abductor strain, as was previously reported.
The two other players mentioned by Schmid were Mike Seamon, who should resume training later this week after recovering from an illness, and Pat Noonan, who also received good news as a blow to the top of the foot turned out to be only a bruise.
