It wasn’t very long ago that Tim Howard was arguably the greatest in the world at what he does.
Today, he’s still among the elite of those who ply their trade as goalkeepers.
Howard is in the twilight of his career now, but during the 2014 World Cup he was the transcendent #1 for the United States Men’s National Team and just a pure national hero that summer. Now playing his club ball with the Colorado Rapids, he was voted into the Fan XI as the starting #1 for the MLS All-Star Game in Chicago.
We had an exclusive interview late Wednesday night after the MLS All-Stars lost a penalty kick shoot-out to Real Madrid. During All-Star week, much of the talk centered around how much football/soccer/futbol is established in the United States and just how far it’s come. A big game-changer was NBC Sports bringing the English Premier League into living rooms every weekend, starting in 2013.
For the first time, a sport originating overseas was now mainstream in the American sporting universe. Tim Howard was a big part of that as he was not just a star for Everton, but also a part time broadcaster for NBC. Although, to be fair this kind of arrangement still seems odd and unorthodox to us. Imagine Tom Brady calling an Indianapolis Colts game this fall or Dwyane Wade calling an L.A. Lakers contest.
The Premier League has a tremendous advantage over the German Bundesliga, the Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A or other competitors because it has no language barrier to entry to overcome.
The USMNT #1 said the Premier League broadcast coverage in the United States helped broaden the brand of not just EPL and MLS as well.
“I think people are paying more attention to world football,” Howard said.
“I think people know what good football looks like now and they have a a standard and expectation they’re looking for from their players. Soccer fans are soccer fans and at the end of the day they’re looking for good football.”
Howard played for Manchester United from 2003-2007, and he was named in the PFA Best XI during his first season at Old Trafford. He won a couple medals (becoming just the second American to do so in the FA Cup) and trophies with the Red Devils, but neither he nor Roy Carroll were ever able to establish themselves as the true #1. When Edwin van der Sar came along, both were deemed expendable.
Tim Howard then went on to Everton where he had the kind of career that could best be summated by how he he said goodbye. Before his final match with the club, Howard made a speech to the home fans, in which he stated: “I will remain an Evertonian for life. This will always be my team, my club.”
We asked Howard what he learned when he was with Man United and Everton competing in the Premier League.
“The tenacity to train and perform everyday,” he responded.
“It’s cutthroat. There are no days off. There’s competition for places with these teams and the fans are knowledgeable and passionate. The intensity that I bring to training is something I learned over there.”
We asked Howard if he’s looking to get into broadcasting once his playing days are over, and he said he’s not sure of his retirement plans yet.
“I don’t know what I’m looking to do yet. Broadcasting I enjoy, and I enjoy getting better yet.
“We’ll see what the future holds when I get closer to that time, or when that times comes, even though I’m creeping closer to that stage.”
The New Jersey native turns 39 in March.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV.
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