10 Top Facts about Tim Howard

Tim Howard by Ray Terrill – Wikimedia Commons

10 Top Facts about Tim Howard

Tim Howard was born on 6 March 1979 in North Brunswick, New Jersey. He is an American former professional football player. He played as a goalkeeper. Tim lastly played for Memphis 901 FC in the USL Championship, where he also serves as sporting director and a minority owner.

He also represents his old club Everton as an international ambassador in the US. Howard won the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Glove and was nominated to the 2003–04 PFA Premier League Team of the Year. Howard began his career with the North Jersey Imperials before moving to Metro Stars. English club Manchester United then signed him in 2003.

Howard joined Everton on loan after United signed Edwin Van Dar Sar to get play some more first-team football. He is the most-capped goalkeeper of all time for the United States men’s national team.

He had 121 caps from 2002 until his international retirement in 2017 to his name. On January 22, 2019, he declared that his final year as a professional player would be the 2019 Major League Soccer season.

Now let’s look at 10 top facts about Tim Howard.

1. Born in North Brunswick, New Jersey

Howard was born on 6 March 1979 in North Brunswick, New Jersey. He is the son of African-American truck driver Matthew Howard and his Hungarian wife Ester. His mother worked for a container packing distributor.

His father moved out while he was still young and his parents divorced when he was aged three. Howard then moved in with his mother. In the sixth grade, Howard received a diagnosis of OCD and Tourette syndrome.

Howard attended North Brunswick Township High School. Howard not only excelled in soccer as a midfield but also on the basketball court. He averaged 15 points per game and in his senior year, he helped his team to the state finals. He played for Central Jersey Cosmos in high school.

2. Played His First Professional Game with North Jersey Imperials

Goalkeeper by Phillip Kofler from Pixabay

In 1997, Mulqueen was hired to coach the North Jersey Imperials of the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues (USISL). He served as the goalkeeping coach for the Major League Soccer (MLS)’s MetroStars. Mulqueen gave Howard some consideration as a potential Imperials member. Before graduating from high school, Howard signed with the Imperials and participated in his first professional game. With the North Jersey Imperials, he made six appearances.

3. Howard Was Brought Up to The Metrostars by Mulqueen

Mulqueen, MetroStar’s goalkeeping coach at the time, introduced Howard to MetroStars. On August 18, 1998, Howard won his first MLS game with the MetroStars. In a 4-1 victory over Colorado at Giants Stadium, he recorded five saves (his only appearance of the year).

Howard made eight starts in nine games for the MetroStars in the 1999 MLS season. Howard’s GAA was 1.58. In 2000, Howard divided time between the MetroStars and the American Olympic squad, posting a 5-2-2 record with a 1.59 GAA.

After making 146 saves, finishing the year with a 1.33 GAA, four shutouts, and a 13-10-3 record, Howard was named the 2001 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. Additionally, he was given the MLS Humanitarian of the Year Award.

For the MetroStars in 2002, Howard participated in 27 of the team’s 28 regular-season games and recorded four shutouts. He was selected for the second consecutive year to the MLS Best XI. He played in thirteen games and recorded three clean sheets for the MetroStars before leaving in 2003.

4. Signed by Manchester United for A Fee of Us$4 Million

Howard was signed by Manchester United in the middle of the 2003 Major League Soccer season for a transfer fee of $4 million. He took up Fabien Barthez’s position as the club’s starting goalkeeper. Howard got off to a great start at Manchester United, saving the crucial penalty against Arsenal in the Community Shield.

In his first season at Manchester United, He was named in the PFA Best XI. In the 2004-05 season, Howard started poorly, making several errors, and was replaced by Carroll. Carroll also made several mistakes, which led to Howard regaining the starting spot.

However, due to Howard’s unconvincing performances, Carroll eventually took Carroll’s place once more and participated in the FA Cup final loss to Arsenal. Howard signed a new contract after the 2004–05 season that was set to last until 2009.

5. In 2007 He Signed a Permanent Deal with Everton for Around £3 Million

Howard playing for Everton against Chelsea by @cfcunofficial (Chelsea Debs) – Wikimedia Commons

For the 2006–07 campaign, Howard moved to Everton on loan. On the first day of the Premier League campaign, he made his club debut against Watford. In February 2007, he permanently signed to the team on a long-term contract for an estimated fee of £3 million.

Howard established a club record for the most league match clean sheets in a season during the 2008–09 Premier League season. In a 2-1 loss to Bolton Wanderers during the 2011–12 Premier League season, Howard scored his first goal as a professional soccer player.

He became just the fourth goalkeeper since the Premier League’s inception in 1992 to score in a game with his wind-assisted 101-yard clearance at Goodison Park.

 Howard agreed to a new contract in March 2012 that would keep him with the team through the summer of 2016. Everton extended Howard’s contract by two years, to 2018, in April 2014.

6. In 2016, Howard Signed With The Colorado Rapids

On March 20, 2016, it was revealed that Howard would join the Colorado Rapids on a three-and-a-half-year contract, marking his return to Major League Soccer. He would become available when the MLS transfer window opens on July 4. On June 28, he was given the number 1 Jersey.

Howard announced the 2019 Major League Soccer Season to be his final season as a professional player on January 22, 2019. He retired in October 2019.

7. Most Capped Goalkeeper in USMNT’s History

Tim Howard in action during training with the USMNT by United States Navy – Wikimedia Commons

He was given his first senior cap against Ecuador on March 10, 2002. Howard was one of three goalkeepers named to the United States team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany on May 2. Howard was however Kasey Keller’s backup.

Bob Bradley made Howard the team’s first-choice goalkeeper. He started in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup in the 2-1 win over Mexico. For the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, Howard started in goal. Howard won the Golden Glove for the best goalkeeper following the United States’ finish in second place in the competition.

Howard took in the 2010 World Cup,2011 Gold Cup, and 2014 World Cup. In the run-up to the 2014 World Cup, on June 7, 2014, Howard won his 100th cap for the United States in a 2-1 victory against Nigeria. After the 2014 World cup, Howard asked U.S. men’s national team coach Jürgen Klinsmann to take a break from international soccer until September 2015. He was unable to attend the 2015 Gold Cup as a result.

Howard was a member of the 2017 Gold Cup-winning team. The U.S. men’s national team failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup later that year after a defeat to Trinidad and Tobago on October 10. Unfortunately, Howard was no longer capped at the international level. He is the American men’s national team goalkeeper with the most appearances (121), in total.

8. Howard Is Born to A Hungarian Mother

Howard’s mother is Hungarian and he holds a Hungarian passport. He has two kids with Laura Cianciola Howard, from whom he is divorced. He is a devout Christian. In 2001, Howard was recognized as the MLS Humanitarian of the Year for his work with children who have Tourette syndrome. In the same year, he was also added to the board of directors of the New Jersey Tourette Syndrome Association.

9. His Autobiography Was Published In 2014

Tim Howard by Steindy – Wikimedia Commons

The Keeper: A Life of Saving Goals and Achieving Them, Howard’s autobiography, was written in collaboration with Ali Benjamin and released in 2014. It details his career and daily struggles with OCD and Tourette syndrome.

10. Part-Owner of Both Dagenham & Redbridge and Memphis 901

In September 2018, Howard acquired a stake in the second-tier American team Memphis 901 and the fifth-tier English club Dagenham & Redbridge. In December 2019, news broke that Howard had taken over as Memphis 901’s sporting director and was already in charge of the team’s roster management. Additionally, it was revealed in October 2019 that Howard would serve as former club Everton’s first foreign ambassador in the United States.