Howard's back in net

[AreliusII]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/writers/grant_wahl/05/17/howard/index.html

Howard's back in net
American goalie talks about Man U, his new deal
Posted: Tuesday May 17, 2005 6:48PM; Updated: Tuesday May 17, 2005 8:10PM

Named 2003-04 Premier League goalkeeper of the year in his first season for Man U, Tim Howard is now one of the highest-paid American soccer players.
Bob Martin/SI

When U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howardsigned a new contract with Manchester United this week, he put himself among the highest-salaried players in the history of American soccer. The numbers aren't available yet, but the seven-figure annual deal (which runs through June 2009) ranks in the same league as those of Brad Friedel (Blackburn Rovers) and ClaudioReyna (Manchester City).

Thanks to features on Howard in Sports Illustrated and on 60 Minutes, the North Brunswick, N.J., native's story is well-known. Howard has overcome Tourette's syndrome to play on Europe's biggest stage, and in his first season abroad he was named the 2003-04 Premier League goalkeeper of the year.

This season in the Manchester United pressure-cooker has been more difficult for Howard, who has been in and out of the starting lineup while playing 30 games overall (including 12 Premiership starts). Though he's not expected to start in Saturday's FA Cup final against Arsenal, his new contract certainly has provided a confidence boost.

Howard gave SI.com an exclusive interview on Tuesday, and spoke about his future at Man U, his continued learning curve, his take on Malcolm Glazer's takeover and why he won't be playing for the U.S. national team this summer:

SI.com: What's your reaction to signing the new contract?

Howard: I'm excited about it. I kind of have the same feeling I had when I signed with the club two years ago. I really enjoy being at the club, so it's a nice feeling.

SI.com: You're now one of the highest-salaried U.S. soccer players ever. Did you ever dream you'd make this much money playing soccer?

Howard: I never thought about anything like that. I dreamed of playing professionally first, and then playing abroad. I always thought the higher the level, the more money you would make -- but truth be told, my last contract with MLS was more money than I thought I'd ever make in my life. The money is really good, but the security and just being here at a big club is awesome.

SI.com: How are you a different keeper now than when you left the MetroStars in 2003?

Howard: I think in my latter stages with the MetroStars there wasn't a lot of coaching going on from a goalkeeping standpoint. I don't mean any disrespect. It was kind of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants thing, almost trying to figure it out on my own. When I got to United, we have a goalkeepers coach named Tony Coton. He's a fantastic coach who was a good goalkeeper himself. I've learned a lot more about the position as opposed to just being an athlete. I've learned the ins and outs of the position, the angles and starting positions. It was all stuff I'd learned in the past from a foundational standpoint, but now I've really put it into play.






SI.com: In which areas have you progressed at United, and in which areas do they feel you need to progress more?

Howard: My starting positions have certainly improved -- my angle play, too. As goalkeepers get older, they do a better job with their angles. From a shot-stopping standpoint, that's always been my forte with my athleticism. One thing you learn very quickly in England is the aerial game is a big deal, whether it's crosses coming in from wide areas or getting dumped into the box. For me, that's something that I really look forward to mastering, because athletically, the tools are there. I need to grab the bull by the horns and be aggressive with it, because that's my nature.



What makes the EPL so exciting is the up-and-down, the back-and-forth, balls getting thrown into the box, shots everywhere. It's like a tennis match. That's the biggest thing right now.

SI.com: You've got the FA Cup final on Saturday against Arsenal. How important is it for Manchester United to get some silverware this season?

Howard: It's a huge deal for us. We're really looking forward to it. It's sad: The media here has completely dumbed it down. You're damned if you do and damned if you don't. If we win the FA Cup, it's, well, you were supposed to, and even then that's only the third-best thing going. And if we don't, it's like a "failure again" kind of thing. And that's sad, because the FA Cup is unbelievably prestigious. You and I know that, but the press over here has really diluted it. But that hasn't affected the players. For us it's a massive game, and the biggest game is coming on the last day of the season against our arch rival. It's going to be incredible.

SI.com: People were surprised when Manchester United bought you from the MetroStars, and then you went and won the Premier League goalkeeper of the year award. Did that raise expectations to an unhealthy level for a guy who's still starting his career over there?

Howard: I wouldn't change it or wish I'd kept the bar lower last year, but I think that's pretty accurate. I was 24 when I got thrown into the mix over here, and that's young for any goalkeeper, but particularly in Europe on one of the biggest teams. Whether I'd had an amazing or terrible season last year, I was still going to have a lot to learn and look forward to, because the learning curve wasn't going to stop after 12 months. Was it unhealthy? I don't think so. But what I need to do after a year like this year -- when I've played 30 games with some ups and downs -- is keep that in perspective and not lose my head over that. I was always going to have to learn and improve and pick myself up from my lows and keep myself from riding too high. As long as I keep things in perspective, that's the most important thing.

SI.com: You mentioned ups and downs. How would you describe your year?

Howard: I would like to have done better in the sense that I'm always looking to improve. But I also know it could have been a heck of a lot worse, and there are people far worse off than me in this game. It's a decent year. Is decent good enough? No, not by my own standards, but it by no means was a failure.

[AreliusII]

(Cont.)

SI.com: In United's press release announcing your new contract, manager Alex Ferguson called you "a young gifted goalkeeper who is progressing all the time and needs experience playing in our league." With the word that United will probably buy another goalkeeper this offseason, what are the chances that you'll get that experience at United?

Howard: I think it's fairly good. To be honest with you, that's completely down to me. I know the things I need to do. I know what the manager expects of me. It's for me to sort out. I think coming back from this weekend's game and looking forward to the preseason and next year, if I put things right then there's no question I can get that experience in those games at United. I'm not talking out of turn, I think that's the truth. If they go into the transfer market, they go into the transfer market. I've signed a new contract, and that's a big plus, but one of the downs of being at such a massive club is they are capable of going into the transfer market any given year and picking and choosing what they want. But you accept that as part of the business of being at such a big club.






SI.com: Have they spoken to you about what kind of opportunity they see you getting this next season?

Howard: As far as I know, I have been told I'll get as fair a shot as anyone else coming in when we return for camp. There's no question about that. My aim is to always be on the field. I didn't sign this new deal with the intent of saying, "I can't wait to be a No. 2." Had the writing been on the wall and they said, "You're not our guy, but you're a decent backup goalkeeper," I never would have put pen to paper. That would be just silly. It's not about the money or whatever, it's about me being able to compete at a high level. That in itself tells you all you need to know. We wouldn't be talking about a new contract had that been the case.

SI.com: Is there any chance you might be loaned somewhere else next season, and would you be open to that if United brought it up?

Howard: When you're talking about Sir Alex Ferguson, the manager knows best. He's been in the game such a long time, and he's such an intelligent manager. I don't think that's the case, but if that were brought up and that was something he thought was necessary, I'd completely trust his judgment. But I don't think that's the case at this point in time. The club and I are well aware that as long as I put things right, we'll go forward and I can be where I want to be.

SI.com: Switching gears to the U.S. national team, what's your status these days, and have you spoken recently to head coach Bruce Arena?

Howard: I'm certainly in the mix, battling and competing. Bruce and I have spoken about my current situation. I've been dealing with some shoulder injuries. Predominantly my left shoulder, but it's actually both. I saw a specialist, and there's bone rubbing on bone causing pain. So much so that I've had trouble sleeping, and it causes pain in training and matches. So I need to get those rested and sorted out, because if not then I'll need surgery, and that's the last thing I want. We're going to try rest and maybe an anti-inflammatory injection, so that puts me out of the next three U.S. matches [a friendly against England on May 28 and upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Costa Rica and Panama].

Otherwise I would have been involved for those three matches. In terms of my status as a starter or not, I don't know. I know for certain I'd be involved. Then going forward to the Gold Cup [July 7-24], we are back in preseason training with Man United on June 25. So that puts me out of the Gold Cup.

SI.com: And qualifiers after that are a wait-and-see issue?

Howard: At this point it's tough to say. I'm part of the [U.S.] team and I'm involved, but club-versus-country is a difficult thing to manage, especially being at such a massive club. It's going to be an effort on all our parts, the managers and myself, to get it sorted out. Because my passion is to succeed at United and on the international level. Going forward, I'm hoping to be involved after the summer. My situation isn't much different from a lot of players who need to recover and get their injuries squared away, but also have to return early for preseason training. It's a difficult task, really. We go to Portugal and on a tour of Asia, and someone told me we play 12 full matches before we kick off the season.

SI.com: I know you want to be the No. 1 U.S. 'keeper at the World Cup one year from now. Hypothetically, what would need to happen between now and then in your mind to get in that position?

Howard: When it comes to positions with the national team, particularly in the World Cup, it's about who's playing on a regular basis and who's in form. I hope that that's the way it plays out -- because politics does play a part, and there's no sense in hiding that. Yet I'm hopeful politics won't play a part and the best goalkeeper playing at the time will play. But I don't make the decisions, I just try and help them along.

SI.com: As the most prominent U.S. player at Manchester United, what's your reaction to the American Malcolm Glazer taking control of the club this week?

Howard: Fortunately or unfortunately, it's a done deal. I don't have much of an opinion only because I'm not very educated on the subject. I've learned a long time ago, if you're not educated on something just shut your mouth. As it's been more in the press, I've tried to gain more information, but I still don't know all the background. It's basically a done deal and he more or less has control. I just play. That's the best way for players to go about it. I know some players speak out in favor of this or that, but that's a slippery slope.

SI.com: Because Glazer is an American, have other players asked you about him?

Howard: Naturally, there's a connection. Had he been French, I'm sure they would have asked the French players. I follow the NFL and I'm a New York Giants fan, so that doesn't help at all. [Glazer owns the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.] They asked me about it, and all I can say is I don't really know. He is American, but America is a huge country and he doesn't own the team I support. I probably know as much as the other players.

SI.com: What are your offseason plans?

Howard: I'll be at my home in Memphis, hanging out with my wife and the dog, barbecuing and putting my feet up, trying to get away. That way no one can find me. I'll be chilling out. That's my vacation.