Goalkeeper Jon Conway will make his second straight start for Chicago next Sunday against Houston, Fire head coach Carlos de los Cobos told reporters on Sunday.
Conway, 33, made his first start of the season against the LA Galaxy on Sunday, coming in for benched regular Sean Johnson. The veteran 'keeper made one save and was not at fault for either Galaxy goal in a 2-1 defeat.
De los Cobos said he started the 12-year pro because of Johnson’s string of poor early-season performances. After a strong rookie campaign, the second-year 'keeper has allowed nine goals and has made just five saves in four games this year.
“Sean isn’t living a good moment,” de los Cobos said. “I don’t want to be specific about what happened in each game, but he is not having a good moment and for that reason I made the decision to play Jon Conway.”
De los Cobos added that one of the reasons the Fire traded for Conway this offseason was for insurance should the 21-year-old Johnson experience a sophomore slump.
“Before the start of the season, we think about this possible situation,” de los Cobos said. “When you have a good young player, it’s possible to have some problems in the game. For that reason, we brought in Conway. I think it’s very good [to have him], even for Sean, because he is a veteran player, positive guy and he is helping Sean learn.”
Sam Stejskal covers the Chicago Fire for MLSsoccer.com. Email him at sam.h.stejskal@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @samstejskal.
