THE CONWAY DEBATE

Alright folks, too damn many days have gone by for a recap, and my comp is finally up and running. So lets talk about whats on the lips of all Red Bulls fans: The CONWAY Debacle.

Now, I could have easily gone with “THE OWN GOAL DEBATE” or “THE MENDES OWN GOAL” as the title to this story, but to be honest, its deeper than that.

As the days have gone on, and people have been weighing in, Ives Galarcep of SBI decided to offer up some choice words about our backup goalkeeper, whom many Metro fans have a man crush on, and opened up a nice can of worms debate . . .

THE OWN GOAL

As if we havent seen the replay enough . . . I will exclude it from these pages. It makes me sick.

To all of you Conway apologists – he had more than enough time to compensate for a ball with a little bit of pace kicked into it. Mendes did the right thing, Conway was caught sleeping (at least, that is my theory, since he never spoke after the game . . . but we will get to that later).

It was Conways fault.

THE AFTERMATH

And due to that boneheaded play, we are now further down the Eastern rankings, doing the usual “Metro Summer Dip of Disappointment.” Check it out . . .

team……………w…….l……..t……..pts
New England….12……5…….6……..42
D.C. United……12……6…….3……..39
New York……10…..9……..3…..33
Kansas City…….9……8…….5………32
Columbus……….6…..7……..9………27
Chicago ………..7…..9……..5………26
Toronto FC…….5…..12…….5………20

If you include the West, our losses are in line with the WORST teams in this league, including TORONTO, CHICAGO, LA, RSL and COLORADO. Is that where we should be at this point? Especially after our blazing hot start to the season? That own goal has put us light years behind the pace we need to achieve in order to get into the playoffs, and doing it with momentum and respectability.

THE IVES STORY

Ives reported in his blog entry aptly named “The Own Goal” Jon Conways reaction (or lack there of) after the New England game:

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.

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.

MY TAKE

I am going to attack this on various levels, so bear with me.

1) THE GROWTH OF MLS. MLS is attempting the biggest building project since the Hoover Dam, trying desperately to make MLS one of the top 3 leagues in the United States. Part of this growth includes INTERACTING WITH THE MEDIA. Without the media, there is no outlet to follow the team, no anticipation for the games, no people ignorant to the sport will magically run across the pages of their paper to learn something about RBNY . . . there would just be a stadium, with sparse fans, and 0 interest (just ask the USL).

2) THE AMERICAN MEDIA Some argue that these players have a right not to say a word. And they would be right. . . if the player was an accountant, or a real estate agent . . . but in this country, our pro athletes are EXPECTED to face the music.

This is the American media, and if one wants to cite foreign media relation practices, they may, but ultimately, it means nothing. Some were saying that there are no media rules for EPL, so why must there be any here (which is an argument which I dont even know is true or not).

Personally, I dont care if you can go to the bathroom on a reporters head if you play in the EPL, or if La Liga lets you hack loogies at writers if they speak carelessly . . . . THIS is AMERICA. In the United States, reporters have a culture which dictates that they may receive FULL ACCESS, in and out of the lockerrooms, with the players.

Though we may want to be as big as EPL, it doesnt mean we abandon practices that are distinctly American to do so.

3) THE PROFESSIONALS RESPONSIBILITY. Again, in this country, we expect our sports stars to put their face forward and take the blows. What if Joe Torre decided he would pursue a media blackout after that Red Sox sweep? What if Chad Pennington decided not to speak to the media after last years playoff debacle? What if Isaiah Thomas decided he didnt want to speak on any of his trades last season with the Knicks?

As a pro, you are expected to explain yourself for your actions, with personal abandon, so that the fans may ultimately understand what happened. Which leads me to . . . .

4) WHY A PRO SHOULD SPEAK. The danger of what Conway has decided to do is this:
……..a) We are left to speculate on a million different levels HOW that goal happened, and whom to blame
……..b) The confusion will hang like a cloud over his head, and god forbid that cloud shows up during the Chicago game . . . . Fageddaboutit.
……..c) It makes him look horrible. People like Mendes and Parke stepped up to the plate to take blame, but where was Conway?
……..d) Deterioration of media relations. Lets face it. We dont get enough media attention as is, and now, by spiting everyone on an actual “big” story that they may cover by just walking away will NOT make Conway, the Red Bulls OR MLS any friends in this tri-state area. I truly believe that our sports writers covering the teams truly love the game and want to see it succeed . . . but acts of silent aggression like this one from Conway send a clear image that this league is still too immature to handle the pressures of the limelight.
……..e) It deteriorates our confidence, and possibly the teams confidence, in the D line and its goalkeeper. How? Simply put, the man would not defend, nor fight his actions. He would rather walk away. Thats weak and leaves the rest of the team hanging like a pair of large grapefruits, waiting to be kicked.

—————————————————————————————–

What Conway did was wrong, and Ives Galarcep did the right thing in his blog to report of his post game actions. If we want to be treated professionally, we sure as hell better start acting it. or that respect we have been seeking for over 10 years will never find its way to print.

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