CARSON, Calif. – Clement Diop took full responsibility for the LA Galaxy’s 2-1 defeat against Sporting Kansas City on Saturday.
The 23-year-old goalkeeper suffered a cruel error in the 22nd minute as he parried a speculative shot by Roger Espinoza into the back of the net for the visitor's first goal. Less than 15 minutes later, Kansas City doubled the lead as Ike Opara’s brilliant bicycle finish caught the Galaxy’s defense out of position to give Sporting the winner.
Following the match, Diop put the brunt of the result on his shoulders, going as far as saying “tonight we didn’t have a keeper” in his postgame statement.
“I made a mistake. I want to apologize to everyone tonight. Even if we didn’t play our best half, tonight we lost because of me,” Diop told reporters. “I’m really sorry for the fans and for the coaches because I think right now, I’m at the place in my life and my career where I’m not performing well. I’m too inconsistent, and I have to come back stronger to perform well."
Although Diop blamed himself for the defeat, captain Jelle Van Damme stuck up for the goalkeeper after the match.
“The first goal was the whole team. OK, Diop missed his save, but first of all, we knew that [Espinoza] had a good shot. We should have stopped it earlier,” said Van Damme. “He misjudged it. Everyone makes mistakes. It happens in life. That’s not the worst thing.”
As the Galaxy look ahead to two matches this week which will likely see Diop split duties with backup Jon Kempin, defender Ashley Cole told reporters that it’s vital that the ‘keeper keep his head up as he seeks to put the Sporting performance behind him.
“It happens. I’ve seen it happen to the best goalkeepers in the world. It’s a difficult position. Even as defenders, we make mistakes and you kind of get punished, and it’s even worse for a goalkeeper,” Cole said. “He needs to keep his head up. He’s made some important saves for us this season and last season. It’s one of those things where he knows he has to do better. All of us have to be better. We just have to carry on and look forward to the next game.”
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at www.LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.