By Vincent Liu
Joe Cannon, now that you and the San Jose Earthquakes have won the Major League Soccer championship, what are you doing next?
“Well, I’m not going to Disneyland,” smiled the Earthquakes’ standout goalie, who grew up in Los Altos Hills. “Actually, I’m going to visit my dad (Joe Sr.) in Idaho.”
Few people gave the Earthquakes much of a chance in 2001 after it finished last in the league the previous season. They then pulled off the greatest season-to-season turnaround in the history of MLS by defeating the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-1 for the title in September. The feat even surprised Cannon.
“Frankly, at the start of the season, I didn’t know what to expect,” he said. “Even though I knew we had a better team than last year, to win it all was totally beyond my expectation.”
He said the turning point occurred in early May when his team went on a 12-game unbeaten streak with nine wins and three ties.
“Our confidence just grew and grew and nothing would bother us after that,” he said.
Confidence shone through big time during the championship game when the Earthquakes quickly fell behind 1-0 in the first half.
Previously 0-8-2 when trailing, San Jose didn’t fold this time, rallying to win the MLS Cup in sudden-death overtime.
Reflecting on the championship season, Cannon credited the new ownership for the rags-to-riches turnaround.
“It retained the core players, brought in a new coach, and made some key player moves,” he said. Key acquisitions, in his opinion, included midfielder Manny Lagos, sensational 19-year old striker Landon Donovan, and MLS Defender of the Year Jeff Agoos.
A lot of Cannon’s kudos go to Frank Yallop, the first-year head coach of the Earthquakes.
“Coach Yallop stressed strong fundamental soccer with a balanced approach toward offense and defense,” he said. “He fostered a good team attitude and kept us on an even keel.”
With his contract expiring next year, Cannon expressed his preference to stay with the Earthquakes.
“I’m blessed to be able to play my favorite sport in my home town close to my family and get paid for it,” he said. “Soccer is my life for now and I have a new quest.”
Cannon has trained his sights on the 2002 World Cup, with a personal goal of making the U.S. national team.
“Realistically, my best chance would be in 2006 when I’ll reach my peak,” the 26-year-old said.
His coach agreed. Calling Cannon one of the three top goalkeepers in the country right now, Yallop heaped heavy praise on his own goalie without citing his 2001 season statistics.
“Numbers are not important to me,” Yallop said. “I’m most impressed with his intensity and desire to win, and Joe never had a bad game this year. He’s the complete package.”
And to think, goal keeping was never Cannon’s first love.
Forward had been his favorite position until one day the starting goalie of the Shooting Stars under-12 team left unexpectedly. Cannon tried for it and, as they say, the rest is history.
As he learned his new position, however, his coach Alberto Montoya kept bringing in new players to try out in the goal.
That didn’t sit well with Cannon who worked hard to hone his skills as a goalie and alleviate his coach’s concern.
He succeeded beyond his wildest imagination, helping his club team capture five state cups - including the national title in 1993.
Cannon’s soccer career almost ended prematurely when he suffered a major knee injury (torn ACL) while playing at UC Santa Barbara.
Unexpectedly, he was offered a scholarship from Mitch Murray, Santa Clara University’s soccer coach. He flourished under the tutoring of goalie coach Eric Yamamoto and earned All-America honors in his senior year.
Cannon was honored by his alma mater Nov. 3 at halftime of a Santa Clara soccer game.
He has since dedicated the MLS Cup to his mother, Barbara, a real estate agent.
“She has gone through so much to support me and my brothers,” Cannon said. “She’s always been there for me; she made this all possible.”
