For the better part of a month, Red Bulls goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul has been observing the Muslim holiday of Ramadan, fasting from sunup to sundown every day. The Bronx native faces fatigue, hunger and the risk of dehydration _ but nobody said penance was supposed to be easy.
During Ramadan _ which started Aug. 22 and runs 29 or 30 days, depending on whether the moon is visible _ Muslims can’t eat, drink or do anything in excess during the day, praying for guidance and asking forgiveness for their sins. And Coundoul _ who may start tonight vs. New England _ has been observing it at the highest level.
“As far as playing, it’s not affecting me because during gamedays I don’t fast. I’m not showing any sign of weakness, but I’m showing signs of fatigue. Mentally I prepare for it,’’ said the 6-foot-2 Coundoul, who has seen his weight drop from between 195 and 197 lbs. down to 183.
“When I get up in the morning like 4:30 I just eat a couple of dates and drink milk, Gatorade, and water. That’s going to hold me. If I eat something heavy, that’s when I really feel it if I come to training.’’
Training is when the fast takes its toll. Players generally hydrate during practice, and that is even more important in warm weather. But Coundoul doesn’t drink water, Gatorade or anything else at training; and there’s a lot more activity for a keeper in a two-hour practice than a game.
“If you look at it, practice is harder than gamedsay. In gameday I can play the whole 90 minutes without touching the ball,’’ said Coundoul. “So far I’m handling it. The first two weeks were tough, because the weather was s lot hotter than now. It’s cooler, so I’ve been able to (handle it easier).’’
With his metabolism slowed, the 27-year-old Coundoul generally only eats at sandwich or an omelet for dinner to break his fast around 7:15 or 8 p.m.
Only twice in the past month has the Martin Luther King Jr. High School grad eaten during the day, and those came when he started in goal for the Red Bulls. He may well start tonight vs. the Revolution, and despite his fast, the he’s rounding into as good a form as he ever had in Colorado.
“I can say I’m even more comfortable now, with the way I’m able to kick left and right, distribution and reading the ball, judgment; it’s getting a lot better,’’ said Coundoul. “In Colorado, I was still young, inexperienced everything was hyped. Now, having a lot more games under my belt, (I’m) more calm and my distribution is better.
“I can still do those acrobatic saves but now with the right positioning I can probably do less of those. Once in awhile you may get caught and you need to do the acrobatic save to keep the ball out of the net; but so far I see improvement mentally. I’m more mature than when I was in Colorado.’’
That bodes well for the Red Bulls. He had a 1.16 goals-against-average in 52 appearances for the Rapids, the second-best in MLS history at the time. And even after a rough return to New York _ a 1.75 GAA _ he’s starting to regain the form that saw him called into Senegal’s National Team.
He’s made four starts for Red Bull, including getting shelled 4-0 by his former club in his July 25 debut. But after Danny Cepero started in interim coach Richie Williams’ first game, Coundoul has been in goal for the past two games, and been outstanding in both.
He shut out reigning MLS Cup champion Columbus on Aug. 30 _ the Red Bulls’ first shutout in months _ and then played well in a 1-0 loss to Kansas City. He made a great play to come off his line and rob Claudio Lopez on a breakaway, but the Red Bulls fell asleep and let Josh Wolff beat them to the rebound. Other than that, Coundoul smothered the Wizards.
“Not good enough. I said to myself hey you can do a lot better than that. When I look at it, if it happens again I would do it a little but different and I may be able to save it,’’ Coundoul said.
“I think Bouna’s done a good job,’’ Williams said. “He had the shutout against (Columbus), and played well against (Kansas City). He didn’t face a ton of shots but I liked the way he was in the box with a lot of crosses and high balls that he came out (on). He was aggressive coming out and catching and punching the ball. I thought he was pretty good again this past weekend.
“He didn’t have a whole lot of opportunities, and the goal they did score, he did great on. He made a great save and we kind of fell asleep with Josh Wolff following up…I was disappointed. He made a great save there and he made a couple other good saves during the game. He was good coming out for crosses and aggressive in the box. I’ve been happy with Bouna.’’
So is Des McAleenan, whom Coundoul touts as the best goalkeeping coach he’s ever worked with. McAleenan has him playing with enough confidence that Senegal called him in for a recent friendly _ he declined _ and he might get a call-up during the next FIFA window from Oct. 10-14.
“Having Des means a lot, because he’s the best goalkeeper coach I’ve worked with…by far. When I first got here, I was frustrated (trying) to get in shape quick, but he told me you’re going to be fine. I’m getting there. Richie’s given me the chance, Des has given me the chance. Everybody has trusted in me and knows what I’m capable of doing.’’
