Scott Goodwin returned to the sidelines Saturday wearing his neon yellow Louisville City FC goalkeeper jersey, something the recent soccer retiree called “one more great experience” with his teammates.
For Tim Dobrowolski, a 1-0 win at FC Montreal marked a memorable first experience. The Loyola-Chicago product went the full 90 minutes in goal during his professional debut, and LouCity ultimately didn’t need to turn to its backup for the afternoon, Goodwin, called in as an emergency keeper when Greg Ranjitsingh left for international duty.
“Tim’s worked really hard,” said Goodwin, who trained with Dobrowolski for a month before departing for Harvard Medical School in July. “He deserved that every step of the way. When you’re having a solid performance like that, he deserved to see it all the way through to the end. I was just happy to support him.”
Happy to be there, too.
Goodwin and his wife made the drive to Montreal from Boston on Friday to join LouCity. In the 24 hours Goodwin spent with the club, coach James O’Connor noticed a difference.
“Scott has great leadership, and obviously that’s something we knew we were going to miss when he left,” O’Connor said. “We fully understand his decision, but when you lose a guy who has that kind of leadership — that kind of mentality — it’s tough.
“So it’s been great to have him back with the lads, having him back around — and for him to help Tim is nice.”
Dobrowolski looked every bit of a two-time Missouri Valley Conference Goalkeeper of the Year. Aside from a first half FC Montreal cross that rolled dangerously — but harmlessly — through the six-yard box, he stopped everything that came the keeper’s way.
Goodwin, meanwhile, soaked in the opportunity. LouCity’s starting keeper during its inaugural season said he’d be open to doing it again should O’Connor ever need help.
Ranjitsingh, who in May took over between the posts for Louisville, earned LouCity’s first full international call up to play for his father’s native country, Trinidad and Tobago. He made the lineup card but did not appear in Friday’s victory over Guatemala. Ranjitsingh has one more game left with T&T, Tuesday’s showdown with the United States in Jacksonville.
Other chances could await Ranjitsingh. T&T, which leads its World Cup qualifying group, already has earned enough points to advance through to the next stage.
“If it’s feasible for me, I’m always going to be there to help the team whenever I can,” Goodwin said.
Dobrowolski’s performance left LouCity confident in the keeper even if Goodwin has a conflict.
“Tim did excellent,” said captain Aodhan Quinn, who headed in a 59th-minute game-winner Saturday. “He was super confident back there and gave us a lot of confidence moving forward. He made a huge save in the first half, so we’re really proud of Tim and happy he’s with us.”
Added O’Connor: “With Tim stepping in, like we’ve said before, we have tremendous belief in him.”
