TORONTO – The look on Alex Bono’s face was one of slight discomfort and angst.
Shortly after Toronto FC’s 4-0 home win over the San Jose Earthquakes last weekend, Bono was surrounded by a crowd of eager reporters near his stall in the Reds’ locker-room. The Reds’ starting goalkeeper didn’t have much to do on the evening against the ‘Quakes, but there was the small matter of the milestone to discuss, even though it was the last thing he wanted to address.
It didn’t take long for the question to come, the one about Bono tying Stefan Frei’s club record for most shutouts (eight) in a single Major League Soccer season by a goalkeeper. It’s no small feat for a goalkeeper of Bono’s age and inexperience – the 23-year-old shot stopper only made his MLS debut last June after spending the previous season with Toronto’s farm club, TFC 2, in the lower division United Soccer League.
He was polite in answering the question, but he went to great lengths to downplay the achievement, explaining that it was silly that goalkeepers should be credited with shutouts.
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Having already surpassed Frei’s mark for most career MLS wins by a TFC goalkeeper earlier this season, Bono can beat Frei’s shutout record should the Reds blank the L.A. Galaxy in Saturday night’s contest in Carson, California. It doesn’t interest him in the least, though.
“I guess they have to put the stat on someone, but to put a stat that requires more than one person on one guy doesn’t make any sense to me. The fact they give the shutout stat to a goalkeeper in a game, like last week’s game where I didn’t have anything to do at all, is crazy to me,” Bono told Sportsnet ahead of Saturday’s match vs. L.A.
“The team deserves the credit for that shutout; I deserved hardly any credit for that game. All 11 guys and the three subs that come in contribute to keeping the other team off the scoreboard, so to me it’s just ridiculous that goalkeeper’s get the credit for shutouts and wins. It’s a team stat.”
With only 26 goals against this campaign, Toronto boasts the second-best defensive record in MLS. The play of the back three – any number of combinations involving Drew Moor, Eriq Zavaleta, Chris Mavinga and Nick Hagglund – is the foundation upon which TFC’s defensive prowess has been built.
Bono has also been a key contributor, making timely and important saves throughout the campaign when called upon, and playing with a level of consistency that has allowed him to win and keep the starting goalkeeping job ahead of the more experienced Clint Irwin.
Still, there’s no denying Bono has benefitted from playing behind such a defensively stout back line led by Moor.
“Drew’s been very helpful for me and my development. Just being on the field with him and learning form him, seeing the things he does, seeing the way he leads from the back, it’s something I admire and something I take for myself. People say that goalkeepers need to be the most vocal leaders at the back, and that’s part of growing as a young player, and Drew has been helpful in teaching me that,” Bono said.
Coach Greg Vanney agrees that Toronto’s defence has played a major role in Bono’s development over the past year.
“I think a lot of it helps when the team in front of you is a good team and minimizes some of the things that [goalkeepers] have to do and makes things a little bit clearer. It allows you to mature. If you’re pulling the ball out of your net because the team in front of you is having a hard time, it can erode your confidence,” Vanney offered.
A first-round pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft out of Syracuse, Bono has undergone a baptism of fire since making his MLS debut last summer when he came in for an injured Irwin during a road game against Orlando City. He’s had to grow up very quickly, and learn to become a more authoritative figure on the pitch.
“Lately, I’ve grown more comfortable with being able to give guys directions. When you first come in like I did, you just want to make sure you’re doing your job first, and once you’re settled then it’s time to have more of a voice and personality on the field,” Bono explained.
It hasn’t been all smooth sailing for Bono. There have been some mistakes along the way. A poor outing in a road loss to nine-man San Jose last summer had many TFC fans calling for his head.
To Vanney’s credit, though, he kept the faith with Bono, who has rewarded his coach’s faith.
“When he was thrown into the fire … his first game out he made a couple of little mistakes and everybody wanted to question where he was. I think he’s been very mature in his growth since,” Vanney stated.
“Hopefully he can continue to grow. That’s important – he’s still young and has a lot to learn, and as we keep adding things to his game, then he can keep progressing. You don’t ever want a young goalkeeper to become stagnate, so it’s important for us to keep challenging him and challenging facets of his game that he can improve.”
NOTES: Forwards Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore, who between them have 28 goals this season, did not make the trip to L.A. due to minor injuries… Toronto (17-3-8, 59 points) is cruising and sits comfortably atop the overall league standings, and is unbeaten in 10 games (with seven wins)… L.A. (7-14-6, 27 points) sits ninth in the Western Conference, 10 points and three spots out of a playoff berth. The Galaxy are coming off a 1-1 draw against the Seattle Sounders and have just one win in their last 12 matches, with nine losses… TFC is trying to eclipse the record for the most points in a single MLS season, set by the Galaxy in 1998 (68 points). Including Saturday, Toronto has six games to beat L.A.’s mark… The Reds return to action next week with a home game against the Montreal Impact, and a visit to the New England Revolution.
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