Veteran Conway gets call

Fire coach Carlos de los Cobos apparently has scrapped his plan to let young goalkeepers grow on the job.

Jon Conway — at 33 the club's oldest player — is expected to make his second consecutive start tonight when the Fire (1-3-1) plays the Houston Dynamo (2-1-2) at Toyota Park.

The Fire made a controversial move less than a week before de los Cobos' first game on the job last season in releasing popular veteran netminder Jon Busch. The Fire was left with untested Andrew Dykstra and Sean Johnson in goal, and the result was a disappointing 9-12-9 finish and no playoff berth for only the second time in the Fire's 13-year history.

Dykstra, then 23, started the first half of the season before Johnson, 21, replaced him. Johnson had his moments, and he made an appearance with the U.S. national team prior to the start of the MLS training camps. But now, five games into the season, he is the backup and Conway is the starter for a team that's still struggling.

The Fire was 1-2-1 with Johnson in goal to start the season. De los Cobos turned to the 6-6 Conway in Sunday's 2-1 home loss to the Los Angeles Galaxy. Conway learned of the goalkeeper change the day before the game, the Fire's third in eight days.

"Sean is having a difficult time,'' de los Cobos said. "Young players will struggle, and they need to learn from the situation and become consistent.

"I don't want to go into details of every game, but we brought Conway in because we wanted to have a veteran to help the younger players. He's very good for Sean. He's a veteran player, a positive guy, and that's the reason he's playing.''

Conway, rarely a starter since entering MLS in 2001, welcomes the opportunity.

"This is what you prepare for,'' said Conway, who had brief stints with New York, Chivas USA and Toronto after starting his career with four seasons in San Jose. "There's ups and downs with anything. My mind-set has always been to train hard, then it's the coach's decision who plays.''

Conway is the only Fire player to own an MLS championship ring, having won two while with San Jose. One, in 2003, came after the Earthquakes defeated the Fire 4-2 in the MLS Cup final.

"The Fire was a dynasty for years, and the pieces are in place for us to get back to that,'' Conway said.

The Fire takes a three-game losing streak into tonight's match — but "you've got to look at where we've played,'' Conway said, referring to a 2-1 loss in Seattle, a 4-2 defeat in Portland and then the home defeat against the Galaxy.

Defender Cory Gibbs is doubtful for tonight's match because of a strained left hamstring, and midfielder Marko Maric is hobbled by a sprained left ankle.

Jon Conway is the only Fire player with an MLS championship ring. He won two with the Earthquakes. | Abelimages~Getty ImagesAbelimages