Marcelo Balboa is doing all he can to get Leon into the Mexican league playoffs, but he may have gone too far when he tried playing goalkeeper.
Tigres vs. Leon on April 9 should have marked an encounter between longtime U.S. teammates Tab Ramos and Marcelo Balboa.
Ramos couldn’t play because of a knee injury. Balboa had a different reason:
“I was suspended,” Balboa said. “I got a red card for playing goalkeeper.”
That came three days earlier, in a 4-1 loss against UAT, known as Los Correcaminos (the Roadrunners).
Balboa’s versatility had never been in question. In his 99 games for the U.S., he has played marking back, defensive midfielder, sweeper and, most recently, central defender in the flat back-four zone system.
He has scored 10 goals for the U.S., including a spectacular bicycle kick goal against Trinidad & Tobago in the 1991 Gold Cup, a fine volley against Romania in February of 1994 and several headers.
So why the sudden urge to play keeper?
“The goalkeeper came out for a cross and got caught out in the third minute,” Balboa said. “He got lobbed, and I was running back to the goal. I tried to get it with my foot but couldn’t reach it. After it bounced I reached out, and in sort of a half-dive got to it.”
A good save?
“Yeah,” he said, “and it looked like it was going to work out. They didn’t convert the penalty kick. You don’t think about the red card when it’s happening. I was only thinking about how bad an early goal would be.”
The save marked his first goalkeeping stint since his first year of soccer.
“I started as a goalkeeper,” he said, “but it didn’t take long for me to realize I wasn’t of that special breed.”
His latest attempt at keeping didn’t pan out either. Francisco Gabriel scored a minute later, and UAT had a 4-0 lead by the 47th minute.
“My coach wasn’t mad,” Balboa said. “He said, ‘Good job. You saved a goal. We just played badly today.'”
The loss kept Leon into fourth place in Group 4, behind Atlas, Monterrey and Santos. As Balboa watched, Leon beat Tigres 2-0.
“Any time we win,” Balboa said, “it’s a good win.”
Leon had won only three games in 18 games when Balboa joined the team. It now has nine wins and is only three points behind second-place Monterrey. The top two teams reach the playoffs.
“We still have a chance, but it will be tough,” Balboa said.
With a bye on the penultimate game day of the regular season April 29, Leon has only three games left. After Toros Neza, it meets mighty Chivas of Guadalajara and finishes against Veracruz. Monterrey plays Chivas, Veracruz and formidable Club America.
“Mathematically, the chance is there,” Balboa said, “but we did blow it when we still controlled our destiny.”
Personally, Balboa is pleased with his progress.
“It took a little while to get adjusted,” Balboa said. “I got used to the altitude and heat after three weeks, but it takes longer to adjust to the rhythm. The game is played faster than it looks on TV. I’ve faced tough forwards, like Carlos Hermosillo, Hugo Sanchez and ‘Fantasma’ [Marco Antonio Figueroa].”
Before his suspension, Balboa played in all 11 league games.
“I played all right in the first five games,” Balboa said, “and got decent reviews, but you’re always your toughest critic. I’m happier with my last six games. I’m going forward more, taking shots and feeling good.”
Balboa plays in the central defense next to Sergio Martinez. Both have shoulder-length dark hair and from afar it looks like twins are manning the Leon defense. Once they paired up, Leon’s goals-against average dropped by half a goal a game.
Balboa isn’t sure what he’ll do after the season — besides his obvious plans to get his 100th cap with the U.S. this summer.
“So far, it’s been good down here,” he said, “but time will tell what the futures holds.”
It won’t involve goalkeeping.
“I’ve learned my lesson,” Balboa said.
by Soccer America Senior Editor Mike Woitalla