United States Secretary of Defense, Tim Howard, recently announced he does plan to put his name back in the ring for national team selection. The goalkeeper took a year long hiatus after the U.S. team’s exit from the 2014 World Cup for family related reasons and he could re-join USMNT as early as the September fourth friendly against Peru. Tim Howard should be the number one goalkeeper for USMNT.
The Everton keeper gained fame and earned his nickname after a record breaking 15 saves in the World Cup Round of 16 against Belgium. Howard’s saves weren’t enough to keep the USMNT in the tournament, but they were enough to cement his name in soccer history.
Brad Guzan, 30-year-old American International, has stepped into the number one GK spot since Howard’s leave, and many would argue that he deserves to keep it. While Guzan’s performance in the third place Gold Cup match was perhaps the only one without criticism, and he did end up winning the tournament’s golden glove, it could also be said that he’s the reason the USMNT didn’t advance to the finals.
Guzan was justly called for a handball outside his 18 yard box, giving Jamaica a penalty kick that would end up as the game winning goal. This mistake, as well as a sub-par performance from the rest of the team, sent the U.S. to the third place game, which they eventually lost to Panama. It’s not entirely Guzan’s fault the U.S. failed to medal for only the second time in 13 tournaments, but it does beg the question: How would Howard have fared?
There are 18 years of experience under Howard’s belt overall, with 16 of them spent with the national team, to Guzan’s eleven and nine, respectively. This experience in goal and organizing a back line could have been useful in the Gold Cup. Howard could have helped the young and inexperienced center backs Klinsmann brought to the tournament defend set pieces more successfully. Defense against set pieces was an area the team severely struggled with over the course of the Gold Cup.
36-year-old Howard has always been considered one the most consistent goalkeepers in the English Premier League. In the 2013/14 season, he had three clean sheets before getting injured on December 26th. When Howard came back six weeks later, he wasn’t at his usual level of talent. Everton were in danger of joining the relegation battle, but the whole team carries blame in that, not just Howard’s injury.
While Howard missed club matches this past season due to a calf injury, Guzan missed club matches due to losing his starting spot at Aston Villa to 39-year-old Shay Given. Guzan is a talented keeper, but easily replaced. There are other, younger options for U.S. goalkeeper, but they would all be better off with a few more years of learning from Howard.
After a full summer of training, Howard has been starting for Everton during the preseason tours. USMNT coach Jurgen Klinsmann has said that Howard isn’t guaranteed to reclaim the number one spot. Howard has more national team caps than Guzan, as well as more shutouts. He’s expected to back at his best when Everton’s season starts in August.
Howard has been nothing short of a hero for U.S. soccer, even being labeled so by President Barack Obama. Leaving him out of the squad for the upcoming friendlies, Confederations Cup playoffs, and World Cup qualifiers would be adding another mistake to Klinsmann’s ever growing list.
SALVADOR, BRAZIL – JULY 01: Tim Howard of the United States in action during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Round of 16 match between Belgium and the United States at Arena Fonte Nova on July 1, 2014 in Salvador, Brazil. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
