To be completely honest there have been very few US born field players that have actually had above average careers, particularly in European leagues. Landon Donovan’s career in Europe was more or less underwhelming. Then there’s Clint Dempsey who had a few good years, as did Claudio Reyna. The future looks bright for US field players for sure though, but the fact remains that most of them haven’t really been able to craft out an outstanding career in Europe. That’s part of the reason why there’s so much hype around Christian Pulisic. US born goalkeepers on the other hand have actually crafted very well-rounded careers in European soccer. Tim Howard is just one in a decent list of names. There’s an argument to be made that the former Manchester United, and Everton goalkeeper is the best of the bunch.
Kasey Keller, and Brad Friedel are two of the names that come to mind as potential rivals to Tim Howard for the crown of the best US born goalkeeper of all time. Both of these two are also kind of forgotten to history, at least in American soccer which is really a shame. In both cases, these men essentially were able to make a jump from a semi-pro American league, (they played in the pre MLS era) to decent teams in Europe. Yet, their journeys are essentially not as celebrated by the American media who preferred to glorify Landon Donovan excessively for years until he was replaced by Christian Pulisic. With all three of the aforementioned goalkeepers having much more impressive careers.
Why Does Tim Howard Beat Out His Contemporaries?
I’ve already mentioned the contemporaries that I’m going to be talking about. Again, what I don’t want to do is diminish what either of the two did. In doing some research for this article I found out that Brad Friedel had a really tough time getting a workers permit to be able to play in the UK. Even though he was given the green light by the club he wasn’t able to participate with a team for like 3 years running. Again this was before the MLS so he had a real tough time finding a team to play with. Kasey Keller on the other hand also came from the amateur ranks to start in tough leagues and top flight teams like Galatasaray. From there he went on to have a heck of a career starting for teams in multiple European leagues.
Why do they fall short when compared to Tim Howard? In a sense they paved the way for him, and he was brought in from MLS to start at Manchester United. I was really young when that happened, and living in the US the media really didn’t give the story the coverage that it deserved. His first year at United was good, from there he maybe wasn’t able to hold a spot at the elite club of that time. A lot of people hold that against Timmy, but there’s no shame in losing your spot to Edwin Van Der Sar. From there he was the best player for years on end at both Everton and the US national team. Keller, and Friedel both had their moments with the national team as well, but Tim Howard was like the 2.0 version of them.
What Was The Best Part About Tim Howard’s Game?
The reach was just out of the ordinary. There are taller goalkeepers out there that don’t have that reach or that sense for the ball. We see it today with Courtois with the Belgian keeper being a bit taller than Tim Howard. That’s my point, he was able to really leverage his own height without necessarily being the tallest goalkeeper out there to have great reach and that led to some amazing reactions between the sticks. Another thing that I really liked about his game, and that I feel he was able to develop later in his career was how we remained alive in 1v1 situations. He’s a big guy, but he was able to get low and cut off angles without having to give himself up in 1v1 situations.
He had plenty of these 1v1 saves in that famous World Cup match against Belgium where he had the 16 saves. As is the case with most goalkeepers I feel that he was really at his best at that point in his career. Keep in mind that this World Cup took place 10 years after he had been signed by Manchester United. When he played at United he was kind of a tall skinny kid. At that point in 2014 playing for Everton he was a big body goalkeeper that was tremendously athletic for his age. As it happens to many keepers it took him a while to kind of find his playing weight and agility.
The Improbable Journey Towards Manchester United
Tim Howard had actually been playing for a while for the Metro Stars when he got the call from Manchester United. As I’ve talked about in the cases of some of the other American goalkeepers the MLS wasn’t as well known as it is now. It was 2003 when Howard made the move to Manchester United. The fact that guys like Keller, and Friedel had worked for European clubs I do think played a role in him getting signed by United. Although the league was not as well known, and quite frankly players were not making the type of jump Howard made to top clubs from MLS at the time American goalkeepers had worked in the big leagues.
When I talk about the type of jump that he made I’m referencing those early months at United. Here’s a 24 year old American kid with no experience playing in Europe winning the starting role at Manchester United. He left none other than World Cup winning goalkeeper Fabien Barthez on the bench! If you’ve read through some of my other articles you may know that I was never a fan of the Frenchmen, but what Howard did was certainly impressive. He wouldn’t be able to find the consistency needed to stay as the number one option at Manchester United. This is something that a lot of Americans want to hold against him, but I feel it’s just nonsense.
The Consolidation Years At Everton
Since Manchester United brought in the experienced Edwin Van de Sar to be the number one option at goalkeeper the team began looking for suitors for Howard. Everton stepped up and requested a loan of the American goalkeeper. He performed well enough in the 2006-2007 season where he played a total of 25 games for the team to buy him from United the following year. What followed were 9 seasons as Everton’s official number one choice goalkeeper. It’s 10 in total when you count the season that he was with the team on loan. As previously mentioned this “downgrade” is one that certain people want to hold against him. The man spent 10 years holding down the fort for a high to middle level team in the Premier League.
Had he been able to stay on at United he may have gone on to star in Champions League finals and win plenty of league trophies. Those years happened to be the last golden age if you will for Manchester United. The goal was held down by Edwin Van Der Sar for a good chunk of those years. Then he was relieved by David de Gea. All the while Timmy stayed at Everton. At Everton he was voted as the best player for the club on multiple occasions, and he was part of arguably the clubs’ most consistent run in decades. These years really made him into a household name and allowed him to usually be the starting keeper for the US national team.
Who Was A Better Goalkeeper For The National Team?
There was that record-breaking game against Belgium that could see Howard be considered the best goalkeeper for the US national team. I think there’s an argument to be made that Howard was the best player for the team in the 2014 World Cup. They got as far as they did because of him. He was also a part of the stinker that was the failed Russia 2018 campaign. So that plays against quite a bit. I have no clue who was the goalkeeper for the US 1930 which actually marks the best World Cup for the Americans. Brad Friedel was starting in 2002 when the team went on to beat Mexico and reach the quarterfinals. Capping off the best performance for a USMNT team in the modern era.
Keller for his part was in that disastrous 1998 campaign, and he did beat out Howard in 2006 when Howard had already made the move to United, and everything. That could be an indicator of what was going on at the time. Again I do think that in style of play and overall career Howard tops both of his contemporaries. It’s an interesting side note that Keller beat him out in 2006. I never saw Keller really put the team on his back like Howard did in 2014. That year Tim Howard really came into his own with a combination of experience and great physical skill. He was one of the best goalkeepers at the tournament. I just don’t feel the same can be said about the other 2.
Are Any Current American Goalkeepers In Route To Passing Tim Howard?
The short answer is no. At least not the current goalkeepers that are in the USMNT radar. Zack Steffen, “played” Manchester City, he had to get a loan out to the Premiership to find regular action. To my surprise he’s already 27! If he was a bit younger I may have said he’s got a chance to maybe build a career that would match Howard’s. Ethan Horvath is on the same boat with Steffen and he may be even lower down the pecking order because he hasn’t been a regular in the Premiership, and he doesn’t necessarily have big club experience either. So out of the current guys on the national team radar I would say it’s a hard no.
That doesn’t mean that there can’t be another Tim Howard out there somewhere. I do have to say though, when you compare how Howard, Keller, and Friedel got to the big leagues to what we have today you have to take your hats off to the old guard. These guys were coming from literally amateur leagues, and in Howard’s case a very weak MLS to the big leagues, and starting! Today whether it’s a talent difference or even just luck US born goalkeepers are not reaching the level of the old guard. I do feel that’s an issue that US Soccer may want to look into.
Tim Howard – The Best US Goalkeeper of All Time Conclusion
In doing the research for this article I found out the career paths of both Brad Friedel and Kasey Keller. In both instances I was just in awe of what they were able to do coming from the amateur ranks. In Keller’s case he didn’t just make the team he started for a Turkish Super League side that I have a lot of respect for. To think that he did that coming from the amateur ranks basically is amazing. They definitely paved the way for Tim. There’s no way that Tim Howard gets to Manchester United without them in my opinion.
When it’s all set and done, in spite of this I think even they would agree that Tim Howard is in fact the best US Goalkeeper of all time. When he reached that mature level of play he was truly one of the top goalkeepers in the Premier League. The range that he had was amazing. That’s why there are so many PK saves in his highlights. For me the 1v1 saves is what I remember most though. He had that ability to cut off angles and stay alive on the play that’s really innate because it’s usually poorly trained across the board!