Along with Brad Friedel and Kasey Keller, the USA No1 shaped the perception of American goalkeeping into something positive
Not many US soccer musicians receive telephone calls from the president, but Tim Howards performance in the USA against Belgium in the second round of the World Cup two years ago earned him and Clint Dempsey an audience with Obama.
Howards enthusiasm on the call is clear, and charming. Hello Mr President, he giggles in amusingly un-chill manner as the president offers his congratulations. Dempsey is more composed, but the pairs quiet dignity is unmistakable.
For several days that July, Howards 15 saves in video games originally tallied at 16 but afterwards rounded down by Fifa built him an American hero. USA lost 2-1, and Howards task was built easier by some remarkably careless Belgian complete, but for a short time Howard became a major talking phase, the purposes of the internets cheesiest memes. US soccer devotees fell in love with him: they petitioned Reagan Airport in Washington to be renamed in his honor, and wanted those great gloved hands to protect the entire country. Even Chuck Hagel, the real secretary of defense, played along.
That steamy afternoon in Salvador arguably represented the high point in a successful professional career that took in Europe, a job worth reflecting on now that Howard, 37, is back where he started with MLS all those years ago. Howard will join the Colorado Rapids this summer on a three-and-a-half year bargain that they are able to pay him almost$ 3m annually. Talk had surfaced in January that Colorado were interested; Sundays announcement merely showed one of soccers worst-kept secrets.
Looking back, that World Cup would have been the perfect day for Howard to leave Everton and return to MLS, which last knew him as a promising kid with a goofy smile and a shock of mane. But he chose to continue in the Premier League, and his form dipped. In hindsight, he probably remained too long.
Howards Everton performances declined markedly after 2014, and the goodwill that went his route beforehand has been largely absent since then, as evidenced by a growing conflict between the player and a section of the Goodison support. He was below par in 2014 -1 5, and after a number of faults this campaign a flapping at Arsenal here, a penalty or two acknowledged there Roberto Martnez finally installed the Spaniard Joel Robles as Everton No1. Howard hasnt played since Januarys 2-1 home overcome by Swansea in which he acknowledged a sloppy penalty. He knew his time in the Premier League was up.
Howard will leave Everton with the supporting a number of former colleagues. Tim Cahill described the American as a great keeper and Phil Neville supposed him one of the best in the business. David Moyes, a administrator known for his loyalty to established musicians, built him his No1 for almost seven seasons, and was keen to praise Howards influence off the field as much for his deeds on it. He is very conscientious about his operate and how he goes about it, Moyes said in 2012. He has helped us in so many games, and hes a big part of “what were doing”. Hes a big voice in the dressing room as well.
His statistics are not to be sniffed at, either. He built more than 400 appearances for Everton; among goalkeepers, merely Ted Sagar, Gordon West and Neville Southall, championship winners all of them, have more. His best years came in a stodgy but solid Moyes team that hovered all over the sixth-place marking, and he rebuilt his job at Goodison in commendable manner after a bumpy spell at Manchester United that reached a low phase in 2004 with the Porto debacle in the Champions League.
With a minute remaining and United set to sneak through to the quarter-finals on away goals, Howard fumbled Benni McCarthys routine free kick, Costinha stabbed home the rebound, and Porto went on to lift the trophy. Remember Portos suave young tutor sprinting along the Old Trafford touchline in manic manner as his squad scored their equalizer? Howards unwitting role in Jos Mourinhos rise should not be understated
The missing parts for Howard are the trophies. His resum is pretty good, and includes numerous individual awards in Concacaf and MLS, but in 10 seasons with Everton, he oversaw only one final appearances and no silverware. He did lift the FA Cup and the League Cup with United, but the distrust remains that he should have won more. Howard perhaps epitomised Everton under Moyes and now Martnez: admirable, competent and generally well-liked, but only short of the quality required to be considered truly upper-class. On the rare occasions that Everton have sniffed a trophy in recent years, theyve seldom performed. Take the 2009 FA Cup final: Howard let a Frank Lampard wobbler from 25 yards to get away from him, and Chelsea accumulated the glory.
And perhaps goalkeeping has changed from when Howard first started. Howard, at 6ft 3in and more than 200 lbs, has impressive biceps and pectorals, and has been known to feature in countless mens fitness magazines, but he looks out of place among the slim, lithe keepers of today. Compare the American with De Gea, Lloris, and Courtois, arguably the Premier Leagues premier goalkeeping trio. Each have springtime and elasticity; Howard, as age has caught up with him, lost his some time ago. Hes essentially an old-fashioned keeper: comfy inside his six-yard box, content for his team to defend deep, happiest when tall centre-backs are there to head the ball away. The modern sweeper-keeper, best exemplified by Manuel Neuer, has to play with his feet, and Howard was never ultra capable with them, hence the frequent supporters rumblings as another clearance was clonked into row Z.
But we should give him his due. Along with Brad Friedel and Kasey Keller, Howard shaped the perception of US goalkeeping into something positive. USA might be deficient in other areas, but their maintaining is solid, and Howard has much to do with that. Ten years in the upper reaches of the Premier League, including a spell of 210 consecutive appearances for his club; 106 caps and counting for the US national squad plus one famous wind-assisted goal against Bolton: thats not half bad. Howard can be more than satisfied with his lot, and if he sees Colorado to his penchant, he had been able to yet be going to his fourth World Cup in Russia. You never know: another call from Obama might be on its way.
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