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Passionate soccer player Joe Cannon makes saves on and off the field
Joe Cannon has a habit of saving things.
He saves shots as the starting goalkeeper for the San Jose Earthquakes pro soccer team. He speaks at elementary schools in an effort to save kids from dropping out of school or taking drugs. And Cannon also likes to save the environment from litter.
“When we go on walks, he picks up garbage along the way,” said Earthquakes head coach Lothar Osiander, who often takes a pre-game stroll with his starting goalie. “He’s an environmentally astute individual. It’s good – I like that.”
So Cannon, a Los Altos Hills resident, isn’t the stereotypical pro athlete. And that’s just fine with him.
“The worst part of (being a pro athlete) is probably the stereotypes people get from reading things in the media about us doing things on the road and not being socially responsible,” Cannon said. “But there are a lot of bright guys in sports who are socially responsible – especially in soccer.”
Cannon seems to fit that description on both counts. After all, they don’t just give away diplomas at Santa Clara University, a place Cannon graduated from in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in political science.
From there, Cannon worked his way to the top of the U.S. soccer ranks: Major League Soccer. But it hasn’t been easy.
Despite earning All-America honors his senior season at Santa Clara, Cannon was snubbed by the MLS on draft day in 1997.
“Not getting drafted was devastating,” Cannon said.
However, the St. Francis High grad didn’t abandon his dream of playing in the league. In 1998, Cannon signed with the San Diego Flash of the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues’ A-League, which is a notch below the MLS.
It didn’t take long for Cannon to make a splash with the Flash. He was named the team’s Most Valuable Player as a rookie, posting a 21-7 record. Cannon allowed less than one goal per game (0.80), led the league in saves (85) and had the second-most shutouts (11).
At the end of the season, the MLS came calling. Brian Quinn, then-head coach of the San Jose Clash (the team changed its name to the Earthquakes this year) asked Cannon to play with his squad in a November exhibition game against Mexican League power Toluca. Cannon played 29 minutes in goal and impressed the coach with his effort.
In January of 1999, the Clash signed Cannon to a three-year contract.
“We think he’s ready for Major League Soccer,” Quinn said at the time, “and we think he can compete for a starting position.”
Quinn was right. Cannon began the year as a backup to veteran David Kramer, but took over the starting job about a month into the season when Kramer went down with a shoulder injury.
Cannon made the most of the opportunity and never relinquished the starting position.
In his debut against D.C. United, he made three saves in regulation and a critical stop in the fourth round of the overtime shootout to help the Clash pull out a 2-1 victory in front of 35,167 fans at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.
“It was like a dream come true out there, playing my first game and in front of so many people,” Cannon said. “But the best part is that we won.”
The Clash wound up winning 19 of their 32 games last year, the most in team history. Cannon played a big part in the club’s success, compiling a 14-10 record and 1.33 goals-against average. He made 95 saves, four of them on penalty kicks, and had a stellar 6-3 record in shootouts.
Cannon played particularly well down the stretch. Living up to his nickname – “The Wall” – he finished the season by recording three straight shutouts to extend his scoreless streak to 325 minutes, second-longest in team history.
Cannon’s performance prompted the Clash to trade Kramer in the offseason.
Although the move made Cannon the projected starter in goal for the 2000 season, he didn’t take the promotion for granted. Instead, he continued the intense offseason training program that helped him get this far. Cannon spent much of the winter practicing at Santa Clara, working out with weights and running.
“At my age, I really don’t see any vacation time,” the 25-year-old said. “My life is mainly soccer – it’s my career and my priority. I’m always looking to improve so I can be the best player I can. If I don’t work at it, someone else is going to.”
So when the season started in March, Cannon was ready. He was named the MLS Player of the Week April 3 for his performance the prior week in a game at the Miami Fusion. Cannon had a career-high nine saves in the match, which ended in a scoreless tie.
“That was nice,” Cannon said of the honor, which is voted on by a panel of journalists from the Professional Soccer Reporters Association. “It’s especially nice for a goalkeeper to be recognized by the league; usually it’s someone on offense.”
A few weeks later, however, Cannon’s season took a turn for the worse. In an April 26 match at the Tampa Bay Mutiny, Cannon bruised one of his left ribs – an injury that forced him to miss two games.
“That really put a damper on things,” Cannon said. “It limited my ability. I wasn’t the same goalkeeper I was in the beginning (of the season).”
Cannon was leading the league in saves prior to the injury, which he described as “very frustrating.” Cannon returned to action in mid-May and said last week that he’s “close to 100 percent.”
This season has been painful in other ways as well for Cannon. The Earthquakes’ slow start – they went into last Saturday’s game against the Colorado Rapids with a 2-6-4 record – has taken its toll on the young goalie.
“It’s been a bittersweet season so far,” Cannon said. “The team is not as good as we want it to be and we’re still winless on the road. We’re trying to find some answers, but it’s frustrating.”
Cannon pointed out that this year’s team is much younger than last year’s group and has “almost a completely different lineup.”
And with youth comes erratic play, according to the Earthquakes’ coach.
“There are good games and bad games,” said Osiander, who replaced Quinn late last season. “We’re struggling a little bit, but I expect better things in the future.”
Osiander is confident the team can still make a run at the playoffs, though, and so does Cannon.
“We have a lot of home games this summer and we need to take advantage of that,” Cannon said. “We need to string together a few wins in a row and feed off of it.”
Another thing on Cannon’s mind, and probably the minds of every player in the MLS, is the future of the league. The Earthquakes aren’t exactly selling out their home games – which are played at San Jose’s Spartan Stadium – nor is any other team in the league.
“I’m a little concerned, but attendance is up a little and the league will be there,” Cannon said, “Soccer is the best sport in the world and the one I love, so I can’t be anything but optimistic.”
If the MLS doesn’t survive, it certainly won’t be Cannon’s fault. He regularly visits schools and speaks to youth groups about soccer.
“I like to be out there selling the sport and being spokesman for it,” he said.
Cannon enjoys speaking to youngsters about other issues as well.
“I think it’s important to be a good role model for kids – they’re willing to listen and you can make a difference in their lives,” Cannon said. “When I go to schools, I talk about soccer and also give positive messages about staying off drugs and staying in school. I’m passionate about all of those things.”
Cannon also finds time to volunteer at Los Altos’ Morgan Center, which caters to autistic children. Even during the season, Cannon said he spends a few afternoons a week there “hanging out with the kids.”
While Osiander described Cannon as “an all-around good guy,” the coach said his goalkeeper shows a different side of his personality once he steps on the field.
“He’s very intense – sometimes too intense,” Osiander said. “Goalkeepers are crazy, so he fits the profile. Sometimes out there, he kicks and rips into people. He gets a little hyper now and then.”
Alberto Montoya, Cannon’s California Youth Soccer Association coach for 10 years, said Cannon “was crazy and wild from the beginning.”
These traits convinced Montoya that Cannon could be a standout goalie.
“To be a goalkeeper, something has to be wrong in your brain,” said Montoya, who first coached Cannon at age 8. “You’re diving on the ground a lot and players are always kicking in front of your face.”
Cannon started out as a forward, but moved to goalie just days before his under-12 team was to play for the state cup.
“Our regular goalkeeper had to go back to France and I didn’t have a back-up, so I decided to give Joe a try,” said Montoya, a Mountain View resident. “He had an excellent game and we won 5-3.”
Cannon said he owes a lot of his success to Montoya.
“He’s a big part of it,” Cannon said. “He introduced me to the game and taught me just about everything I know. He’s like a second father to me and taught me a lot on and off the field.”
Cannon also credits his parents, Barbara and Joe Sr., for what’s he become.
“They’re very supportive,” he said. “My parents love watching us play.”
When Cannon says “us,” he means his four brothers as well. All of them grew up playing sports, and three of them are still involved in athletics.
Joe’s twin brother John is a pitcher in the Chicago Cubs’ minor league system. Cody, 22, plays water polo at the University of the Pacific. Colt, who graduates from Gunn High School this month, is a skateboard champion. Older brother Dave, 34, played sports in high school and is now a computer programmer.
Cannon said his most devoted fans are in his family, which explains why he’s grateful to play so close to home.
“Playing in front of my family is great,” he said. “This is where I’m from and I’m on my favorite team. It’s a great place to live. That’s why I want to stay with this team and see things through. I feel it was my destiny to play here.”
Like any pro athlete, though, Cannon is aware he could be traded at any time.
“That’s the worst part of this job – the uncertainty of where you’ll be,” Cannon said. “I could be traded tomorrow.”
But if Cannon continues developing his skills, the Earthquakes will have little reason to do that.
“He’s a good athlete with good instincts and quick hands,” Osiander said. “And he’s young enough that he can still get better.”
And Cannon plans on playing for some time, noting that goalies don’t reach their peak until about age 30.
“I love my job,” he said. “It’s a good thing I have an agent, because if (the Earthquakes) told me they were going to pay me $20 a game, I’d say OK because I love soccer.”
The Earthquakes’ next home game is scheduled for 7 p.m., June 17, against Miami. For tickets and more information, call (408) 985-GOAL.
