Ethan Horvath had a moment to forget in his side’s 5-0 defeat to Burnley on Saturday as he committed a horrendous own goal.
The Cardiff City goalkeeper was inside the six-yard box early in the first half when team-mate Dimitrios Goutas played a pass back to him.
But the American lost his concentration as he failed to successfully catch the ball with the sole of his foot and it went into the net behind him despite his sliding attempt to avoid it.
Horvath looked mortified after the mistake as Goutas approached to console him.
Former US goalkeeper Tony Meola said in CBS Sports that ‘everything was wrong at that moment’ for Horvath and criticised him for not trying to catch the ball with the inside of his foot.
Ethan Horvath reacts after his own goal against Burnley in Cardiff City’s 5-0 defeat on Saturday
Horvath slid toward the ball and tried to keep it out of his net, but couldn’t do so.
Cardiff’s afternoon would get much worse after Horvath’s error in the ninth minute, as Luca Koleosho, Josh Brownhill, Zeki Amdouni and Johann Berg Gudmundsson added to the lead.
The move comes days after Mauricio Pochettino reportedly agreed to become coach of the U.S. men’s national team, for which Horvath has made 10 appearances.
He’ll want to impress the Argentine, but in recent years he’s found himself largely buried behind No. 1 Matt Turner on the U.S. depth chart.
Turner played 17 times for Nottingham Forest last season after joining Arsenal in the summer but struggled at times and now looks a long way from the starting lineup.
Mauricio Pochettino has agreed to become the new head coach of the United States Men’s National Team
He was not on the bench for Forest’s 1-1 draw with Bournemouth on Saturday.
Horvath, meanwhile, has been bouncing around the Championship since joining Forest in 2021.
He spent the following season on loan at Luton Town, starting 44 games, and then moved to Cardiff last year before making his move permanent last winter.
