Squad Number: 1
Position: Goalkeeper
Age: 31
Birth Date: Mar 6, 1979
Birth Place: North Brunswick, USA
Height: 6 ' 3" (1.91m)
Weight: 210 lbs (95.3 kg)
Club: Everton (England)
International Caps: 50
Club History
Manchester United (ENG): 2003-2006
New York Metro Stars (Red Bulls) (USA): 1998-2003
from Wikipedia (full wiki >>)
Howard started for the United States national team in the 1999 World Youth Championship in Nigeria and was a backup to Brad Friedel at the 2000 Summer Olympics. On March 10, 2002, he received his first senior cap, against Ecuador. On May 2, 2006, Howard was named as one of three goalkeepers on the U.S. roster for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, but served as a backup to Kasey Keller. Howard has become the team's first choice keeper under Bob Bradley and started in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup final, a 2–1 win over Mexico.
He was the starting keeper for the 2009 Confederations Cup, including the semifinal in which the U.S. upset Spain, then the number one-ranked team in the world. Howard's eight saves earned him his first clean sheet of the tournament and the first shutout of the Spanish side since 2007. Following the United States' second place finish in the tournament, Howard was awarded the Golden Glove award for best goalkeeper.
from from ESPN SoccerNet
This New Jersey-born stopper had options when he decided on his international future as his mother hails from Hungary, but he was delighted to make his debut for Team USA when the call came in 2002.
A huge basketball fan, Howard showed some potential in that particular sport in his youth, but his fine ball-handling skills always gave him the option to become a top-class keeper and he has confirmed his class between the sticks since moving from the MLS to the English Premier League in 2003. After failing to make a breakthrough at Manchester United, he has been a fine performer for Everton since 2006, with his agility and reliability impressing all observers.
A star turn in the 2010 World Cup qualifying push, Howard played in 13 games on the road to South Africa and he will start this tournament as first-choice keeper for USA coach Bob Bradley.
from FIFA.com
Firmly entrenched as the USA's number-one goalkeeper, Tim Howard is following in the footsteps of such former greats as Tony Meola, Kasey Keller and Brad Friedel. Currently minding the nets for English Premier League outfit Everton, Howard's rise to the top tier of European club football and for the US national team has been nothing short of meteoric.
Howard showed an aptitude for football early on, and coupled with his penchant for basketball, the goalkeeper position seemed a perfect fit for the athletic youngster. After a short career in the USA's lower leagues in his native New Jersey, Howard was snapped up by the MetroStars (now the New York Red Bulls) of Major League Soccer in 1998.
Almost at once, he became a crucial member of the side, earning fan-favourite status for his incredible athleticism and shot-stopping ability. He earned further plaudits in 2001 when, at 22, he became the youngest ever winner of MLS's goalkeeper of the year award. Not only had the net-minder's exploits caught the attention of the decision-makers at the helm of United States national team, but Sir Alex Ferguson, one of world football's managerial icons, was watching as well. In 2003 Howard was off to Manchester United, were he stepped in for Fabien Barthez in the United goal.
His abilities, honed in MLS, made Howard an instant hit with his new manager, and he looked to have found a long-term home at one of the world's biggest clubs playing in front of 60,000-plus fans week in and week out. He won an FA Cup with United in 2004, becoming the first American to the do so, but his much-publicised mistake in the UEFA Champions League against Porto that same year seemed to damage his confidence and Ferguson opted to relegate the American to the bench despite being selected to the PFA best eleven in his first season.
At the end of the 2005-2006 campaign it appeared that Howard was in line to take over the number-one spot again, but the arrival of Edwin van .bitious Premier League outfit Everton. Here, at Goodison Park, Howard truly shined, making the number-one spot his from the outset and earning the respect and faith of manager David Moyes.
Howard's arrival as the USA's first-choice goalkeeper was a long road to hoe, up against such standouts as Keller and Friedel. However, he made his first appearance for the senior team - after standout performances at youth level - in 2002 in a friendly against Ecuador. After backing up Friedel at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Howard got his chance on the big stage as a member of the USA's side at the FIFA World Cup Germany 2006™. He started every game for the USA on their way to winning the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup and was instrumental in the States reaching the final of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.
United States National Team World Cup 2010 Scarf
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment