Tim Howard | Soccerstop.com Blog

The United States Men’s National team has been something of an enigma in recent years. Glimmers of hope have emerged like the 2009 Confederations Cup, where the USA stunned Spain and reached the final match where they lost a close heartbreaker 3-2 to Brazil. But then there are more saddening and maddening displays like the U-23 squad’s failure to qualify for the 2012 Olympics, or the alarming 2-1 loss to Jamaica this past September which threw America’s 2014 World Cup Qualification hopes in limbo. The team is clearly dealing with consistency issues, but among those worries the one part of the team that has been resoundingly strong in recent times is goalkeeper. Tim Howard is near the world’s best at the position, and the depth and future for American goalkeepers is bright. Will this crucial position be enough to help America finally compete on the global stage?

Tim Howard has been one of the few Americans to establish a successful career in the English Premier League. After impressing at the New York Metrostars, he was awarded a daring move to Manchester United. Still young and under the weight of immense pressure at such a powerful club, Howard failed to impress and was eventually moved on to Everton, still a respectable Premier League club. Since then he has flourished and developed into one of the finest keepers in the world. He now holds the Everton club record for most clean sheets in league matches in a season, and has rightfully earned the starting spot on the American National team. At age 33, he is at the prime age of goalkeepers and has the maturity and ability to lead the team. How far America goes in the next World Cup will be largely up to how well Howard performs, but with him between the sticks, America will have a chance to win every match.

But what makes the American situation so special with their goalies is the depth and future at the position. Two other Americans currently play in the EPL in Brad Friedal and Brad Guzan. Friedal was a former star for America but retired from the National team in 2005. Remarkably he is still performing well for Tottenham at the age of 41. With the signing of Hugo Lloris, a highly rated French international, Friedal may be on the outs soon, but his longevity has been impressive.

Brad Guzan has made a name for himself at Aston Villa. After struggling to break into the starter’s role for roughly five years, Guzan is now the starter at the club at age 28. Although he has performed well, Aston Villa has endured a rough season and Guzan has been called into action far too often. Nevertheless, he is competing at the highest level of the game and is a strong number two keeper behind Tim Howard.

The future of American goalies looks very bright. Two goalies of note include Sean Johnson and Bill Hamid. Both start for MLS clubs and have enjoyed recent call-ups to the national team. Johnson is just 23, and though he was the goat in the unfortunate U-23 Olympic failure by allowing a weak shot to bumble past him in injury time, he has been a force playing at the Chicago Fire. Johnson has been scouted by Manchester United and Everton and could possibly move abroad in the near future.

Bill Hamid plays for D.C. United and has also enjoyed several National team opportunities. A successful product of the D.C. United youth academy, Hamid has been linked to both Celtic and West Bromwich Albion. Only 22, the goalie has fantastic potential and could well become a successor to the American shot-stopper.

Hopefully Johnson and Hamid will both continue to develop and eventually duel it out for the American goalie position. At the moment however, Tim Howard is well entrenched in the side and should remain for the foreseeable future. That future for American soccer does look to be bright, at least in the keeper department.

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With CONCACAF qualification going on hiatus for the next several months, the American National Soccer team will have some time to determine who will take part in the next set of important qualification matches for the 2014 World Cup. With a rather sketchy progression in the 3^rd round, the margins will be slimmer for the USA in the final round where America will need to play at their best to beat the likes of Mexico, Honduras, and Costa Rica. Here are in my opinion the five most important players for the team heading into these games ranked in order:

5. Eddie Johnson – It is a bit of an odd choice given that he has been largely absent from the squad the past few years, but when given a chance this month in the matches against Antigua and Barbuda and Guatemala, Johnson came through in amazing fashion scoring two goals and one assist in the games. His 90^th minute winner in the first match was simply clutch. This is the type of player that Jurgen Klinsmann will want in his side in Brazil, and I fully expect him to be in the squad for the remainder of qualification and could become one of the team’s best scoring threats.

4. Michael Bradley – The central midfield player provides physical stability in the middle of the park and dominates the opposition. He has excellent scoring capabilities as well, evidenced by his 10 goals for the USA team. Playing for Roma in Italy, Bradley now has an opportunity to learn from some of the world’s best midfield players like Daniele de Rossi and Miralem Pjanic. At just 25 years of age, the best is likely to come from Michael Bradley and he should become a key figure for the national team by 2014.

3. Tim Howard – The goalie is often the most important player on a team, especially for those considered underdogs when they play against the major soccer nations like Germany and Argentina. Tim Howard has the ability to keep America in games in which they struggle, and that is a vital weapon for the team going forward. Especially considering the defensive deficiencies of this team (Notice how not one defender made this list!), the Everton star goalkeeper is vital to American success, and at age 33 is the veteran leader that the nation needs at the back.

2. Landon Donovan – After having been the most exciting player in America for a full decade and featuring in three World Cups, its incredible to realize that Donovan is just 30 years old. His drive and quick work-rate make him one of the team’s most dangerous weapons, and I attribute much of the struggles that the USA has dealt with in recent qualification games to his absence from the team due to injury. Although he has been quoted to be contemplating retirement after next year, I think that those words come from frustrations of a player who has been injured for more than a few crucial games this season. Once he recovers, he will probably start loving life again and be a key ingredient in leading America to glory.

1. Clint Dempsey –Far and away the most vital player to this team, Dempsey has been the creative force and leader of the offense for America. One of the few players to enjoy sustained success in the English Premier League, Dempsey now plays for Tottenham where he recently scored a game-winning goal against Manchester United. Playing against the world’s best week in and week out should keep Dempsey producing for the American team, and he will be the vital player in American soccer in the final qualification round of CONCACAF.

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