Tim Howard
American goalkeeper Tim Howard plays for the USA national team as well as for the English club Everton. He has had a reputation for playing, without hesitation till the end despite incurring an injury, in most of the matches he plays. Very prone to accidents, Tim has established his name both as an extraordinary soccer player, a humanitarian, as well as a well known celebrity in his nation.
Timothy Matthew Howard was born on 6th March, 1979 to an African American father and a Hungarian mother who separated when he was three. Having being brought up in New Jersey, USA, his father maintained his presence in his and his brother’s life and inspired them into sports. Form a small age, Tim showed considerable interest in basketball and soccer. When he was in the sixth grade, he was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome and before being a teenager, was spotted by the coach of US men’s national under-17 soccer team at a soccer camp which led to taking Tim under his wing.
After proving his versatility both as a good soccer player, as a midfielder and as a basketball player as well, it was however noted that Tim was better at soccer and that too as a goalkeeper. His high school education started with the Montclair Kimberly Academy which he left in his junior year before graduating from the North Brunswick Township High School. At the tender age of 15, Tim was a youth national team player and debuted internationally against Honduras in the under 17 squad.
Tim’s first club indulgence was into the North Jersey Imperials, for which he played in six matches before being sent into the MetroStars by Coach Tim Mulqueen. Howard’s debut with the MetroStars on August 18, 1998 was an impressive one, with five saves leading to a win against Colorado. During the 1999 MLS season, Tim made eight starts in nine contests for the MetroStars. He had a 1.58 GAA and won one match while the team as a whole won seven games in the season.
On 2000, Tim posted a 5-2-2 record with 1.59 GAA and played the season by splitting his time between the MetroStars and the U.S Olympic Team. He won three U.S Open Cup starts the same year and became the youngest player to win the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award in the upcoming year. Another of his achievement was the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award after having played in every single minute of all matches in the league with 146 saves, 1.33 GAA and a 13-03 record.
Tim Howard played 27 of the 28 regular season matches in 2002, with four shutouts for the MetroStars. As of 2003, he appeared in thirteen games with three clean sheets before leaving the club. A transfer fee of 4 million dollars led to the transfer of this young player into Manchester United as the club’s first choice goalkeeper. His start went off well after saving the decisive penalty by Arsenal and a home FA Cup tie victory over Manchester City. Having handed a last minute goal to FC Porto was what shattered his confidence as United was eliminated from the UEFA Champions League. Due to this, he was replaced by Roy Carroll and later reclaimed his starting position after a period of rest. Tim obtained the winner’s medal in the 2004 FA Final, and became the second American player to do so. The same year, he was named as one of the PFA Best XI.
Tim’s second season with Manchester United did not fare off well and he was replaced with Carroll several times after not being able to impress with his performance. Carroll, not Tim, played in the final FA Cup defeat to Arsenal. The end of the 2004-05 season led to the signing of a new contract to run through 2009, with Manchester United.
Howard joined his current team Everton as a loan for the 2006-07 season and debuted against Watford. A permanent deal was signed for a salary of 3 million Euros, on February 2007. The lack of appearance on Tim’s part on a game against Manchester United led to many speculations about a clause in his loan contract to do so. But the Football Association looked up the matter and no such clause or breaking of rules had been done in the matter. Tim’s 100th appearance for Everton was against West Ham United on November 8, 2008. On the 2009 FA Cup semi final, Howard saved two penalties against his former club Manchester United thus leading Everton to reach the finals against Chelsea. 2008-09 season was the record breaking season for the most league match clean sheets in a season for Howard. His 2009-10 season started with four consecutive clean sheets, including a match in Portsmouth which led to a win, and won him the Man of the Match award. He captained his team for the first time in a 3-3 draw against Chelsea on December 12, 2009 at Stamford Bridge.
In the 2011-12 season, Tim scored his first goal as a goalkeeper in a 2-1 defeat against Bolton Wanderers after a 102-yard clearance at Goodison Park. This made him the fourth goalkeeper to score a Premier League match, but he considered this incident to be cruel and not celebratory.
A new contract, to retain Howard in the team till 2016 was signed on March 2012. On March 2, 2013, his 210 consecutive Premier League appearances came to an end after he missed a game against Reading due to a finger injury. On May, 2013, Howard kept his 100th clean sheet for Everton in a draw against Liverpool. In April, 24, Howard’s contract to remain in Everton was extended until 2018.
Tim Howard’s international career started at a very tender age as a youth national soccer player in the U.S National Team in the 1999 World Youth Championship held in Nigeria. He also participated in the 2000 Summer Olympics. He obtained his first senior cap against Ecuador on March 10, 2002. Howard was named in the U.S roster for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany on May 2, 2006 along with two other goalkeepers. He became the team’s first choice in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup final in a 2-1 win over Mexico. As for the 2009 Confederations Cup, Howard was the starting goalkeeper. His eight saves against Spain in the semifinals earned him his first clean sheet and the first shutout of the Spanish side in the tournament. The U.S finished second thus Howard being honored the Golden Glove award for best goalkeeper.
In the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Tim was the starting goalkeeper and was given the Man of the Match Award for his performance against England. After the 2011 Gold Cup Final, his controversial statement that the post-match ceremony being held in Spanish despite the tournament being held in USA was a disgrace came out in the news.
Howard has created an impact as a talented goalkeeper in the USA. This guy with a famous beard, a humanitarian approach to children with Tourette’s syndrome and perseverance in his goalkeeping is well known and images of him are searched and well circulated around the internet. His height is 6 feet 3 inches and is weight is 95 kg. His spouse is Laura Howard, and they have two children. Tim’s annual salary is 2.6 million dollars per year and his net worth is 6 million dollars.