Two of the greatest goalkeepers in MLS history played the final regular-season home matches of their illustrious careers on Sunday, as Real Salt Lake's Nick Rimando manned the nets at Rio Tinto Stadium one last time and Tim Howard made his DSG Park swan song with the Colorado Rapids.
For Rimando, a 2-1 win over the Houston Dynamo marked his 513th MLS regular-season game, an incredible run for a 'keeper who overcame doubts about his size and strength early in his professional career, adding up to more than 46,000 minutes played, more than any other individual in league history.
Watch his postgame send-off:
After stops in Miami and D.C., Rimando joined RSL in 2007 via a trade and made Utah his home, helping the club win MLS Cup 2009 and becoming a Salt Lake icon along the way. Rimando could yet have another game at the Rio Tinto, with RSL still in contention to claim a home playoff game. Still, on Sunday the home faithful paid tribute to their longtime netminder by unfurling a tifo in his honor at the RioT.
Howard, meanwhile, called time on his home MLS career with a dominant shutout. A 3-0 win over FC Dallas was the 99th regular-season Rapids appearance for Howard, who joined Colorado in 2016 after a storied stint in Europe with Manchester United and Everton. A longtime US men's national team standout, particularly during the 2014 World Cup, the former MetroStar was feted by a star-studded array of friends and former teammates:
