Charlie Lyon waits for the phone to ring.
Sometimes it does. Most often, it doesn't. The frustration seems unbearable. Lyon, however, keeps going.
Being a pool keeper in MLS is a tough gig.
He is there as a back-up for all 24 teams. A contracted league employee ready to down tools in an instant, the sought-after band-aid in the midst of an injury crisis.
If two keepers go down, call the pool keeper.
Lyon, who's currently based in Portland, Oregon, and trains with the Timbers, is an outsider floating on the edge, enviously peeking over the wall at those more fortunate.