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CHULA VISTA -- San Diego Flash goalkeeper Joe Cannon had two punts in the first half of last night's A-League game against the Vancouver 86ers. Both were horrible.
"They kind of came off the side of my foot," Cannon said. "The Vancouver players were probably thinking, 'This guy can't punt.'"
In the second half, this happened:
Cannon boomed a 75-yarder over everybody.
A streaking Carlos "Chile" Farias corralled the ball at the top of the Vancouver penalty area, spun around a defender and scored on a curling shot from 18 yards. The goal gave the Flash a 1-0 victory before an announced crowd of 2,892 at Southwestern College and about 2,892 volts of confidence entering a crucial five-game home stand.
Assist, Cannon. The goalkeeper.
"I think," he said, "I kind of lured them in with those bad kicks in the first half."
It was a spectacular goal in an otherwise ho-hum game, a clash of shin guards more than a display of elegant ball skills. But the Flash (4-4) remained organized on defense and was patient on offense, waiting for its chances instead of forcing them.
One came in the 67th minute, after a Vancouver free kick bounced off a San Diego wall of defenders and the 86ers chipped the ball into the penalty box.
Cannon rushed to meet the ball. Caught it. Kicked it.
The 86ers craned their necks as it sailed over their heads.
The smallest player on the team (Farias is 5-foot-6, 145 pounds) retrieved the pass from the biggest player (Cannon is 6-2, 190) and worked his magic. He faked right, spun left and shot.
"A great goal," Vancouver player/coach Carl Valentine admitted.
Two minutes later, 86ers forward Dominic Mobilio -- a former member of the Canadian national team -- bumped Flash midfielder Kevin Legg on his way to collect a ball for a throw-in. Referee Joshua Patlak pulled out the yellow card.
It was Mobilio's second yellow, which translates to one red, which translates to: See ya. With 10 men, the 86ers (4-3) never mounted another serious threat.
"A win like this is going to help us step up a little more," said Farias, who scored his team-leading third goal. "Now is the time to make our move with these next four home games."
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