By Dylan Butler
His Major League Soccer career had consisted of 16 minutes to that point, but on Saturday former St. John’s goalkeeper Dan Popik was thrust into action after Los Angeles Galaxy starting keeper Kevin Hartman left the game at half-time with a deep thigh bruise.
And in front of friends and family among the 14,371 at Giants Stadium, the Syosset, L.I. native did well despite his team’s 2-1 loss to the MetroStars.
“Fortunately my friends were here and my family and the ones who weren’t here could watch it on TV,” Popik said. “From that aspect this is definitely the place I’d want to get an opportunity to play.”
Following a successful three-year career with the Milwaukee Rampage of the A-League, Popik signed with the Galaxy on March 13, 2003 and has served as an apprentice of sorts to Hartman, one of the top keepers in MLS.
But Hartman, who has started the last 42 matches for the Galaxy and played all but 16 minutes — the last 16 minutes of a 3-0 win over San Jose that saw Popik make his debut last year — left the game following a collision in the 42nd minute.
Hartman came off his line to challenge Mike Magee’s corner kick but ended up with a bruised left quadriceps after Kenny Arena, son of U.S. National Team coach Bruce Arena, somehow headed the ball into the goal through traffic.
“I came out and felt like I kind of came through somebody and when I got up I could barely stand up,” Hartman said. “I told Danny to kind of ready because I wasn’t sure if I could go the next half, and I started to jog around a bit but it would kind of give on me every once in a while.”
As the rest of his team retreated to the locker rooms, Popik used the half-time break to warm up.
“I was glad Kevin told me early on and didn’t let me sit in the locker room the whole half time,” Popik said. “I got out there early enough to get in pretty much a whole pregame warm-up, which definitely helped.”
Popik, who was a standout at St. John’s in 1998 and 1999 after transferring from North Carolina, was tested almost immediately. Three minutes after Galaxy midfielder Andreas Herzog tied the game at 1 with a controversial penalty kick, Popik dived to his left to push away Gilberto’s dipping shot from 35 yards out.
In the 63rd minute Popik again came up big, diving off his line to tap away Chris Leitch’s low, hard shot.
“He came in and he was solid. He was composed and he made some great saves,” said Galaxy assistant coach Martin Vasquez, filling in for head coach Sigi Schmid, who was in Los Angeles to attend his son’s graduation from UCLA. “It’s difficult to come in, especially in that situation. … I think that he dealt with it very well.”
But Popik would give up his first MLS goal in the 90th minute when Magee ran onto Gilberto’s ball, beat Galaxy defender Chris Albright to it and headed it into the net from 6 yards out.
“Gilberto was hitting good free kicks, (and) the whole second half he was finding the target and this one Magee got onto it and put it right into the corner,” Popik said.
With the two teams meeting again in a game scheduled for Wednesday in Carson, Calif., there’s a good chance Popik could start. “I thought I did OK,” Popik said. “It’s my first time out there and you can’t really complain. I wish we could have at least got the tie.”
Reach Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 143.
