COMMERCE CITY, Colo. – Tim Howard has seven clean sheets and seven MLS Save of the Week nominations to match since making his return to Major League Soccer in early July. He’s also been an integral part to helping the Colorado Rapids achieve their first playoff berth since 2013.
“What Tim has done is bring a leadership role both in and out of the locker room,” Rapids head coach Pablo Mastroeni told MLSsoccer.com this week. “His play has been outstanding and kept us in a lot of games where we were a bit shaky at times and I think his presence overall has been something that has lifted the group.”
Even after helping the Colorado Rapids secure a playoff berth following last Saturday’s 1-0 win over Portland, things are far from “Mission Accomplished” for the Rapids goalkeeper ahead of Saturday's game against the Houston Dynamo (8:30 pm ET, MLS LIVE).
“You want to celebrate these little milestones,” Howard explained after the win. “Not because you think you’ve accomplished anything, but because you want that feeling of coming in after the game, being exhausted and being able to capture that moment. We can do it again by pushing ourselves towards a Supporters' Shield.”
With a brief hiatus from US national team duties, he’ll be able to help the Rapids push towards that milestone as well. Both Howard and Middlesbrough man Brad Guzan were left off of the roster for the USMNT’s upcoming friendlies against Cuba and New Zealand as US manager Jurgen Klinsmann tests out up and coming youth at the goalkeeping position.
Nevertheless, the decision presented a mixed bag of emotions for the USMNT stalwart, who has been in a continued battle with Guzan for the US No. 1 keeper role over the past year.
“That’s the struggle between club and country. It’s never ending,” Howard said. “I want to be here [in Colorado]. I want to help this team be in position for a Supporters' Shield and I also want to play for my country. It’s one of the things in life that makes me happiest.”
Klinsmann will face the unenviable position of having to evaluate and differentiate between the goalkeeping talents of David Bingham, William Yarbrough and Ethan Horvath in the two upcoming US friendlies. For Howard, it was hard to point out a clear cut favorite amongst the three.
“I don’t want to jump to any conclusions, but there’s a lot of potential there,” he said. “Now it’s about fulfilling it.”
In Colorado however, his expectations have been both met and exceeded during his three months with the club.
“I think we have grown as a group,” said Howard. “It’s hard to talk about when I wasn’t here because I didn’t know a whole lot. But from the outside looking in, this group looked together. They looked like they were pulling in the right direction.
“There are moments in the season where you have to sit back and take stock, weather that’s a tough loss or a draw that you should’ve won. You have to re-focus and that’s been the best part of this group so far.”
Spirits were even higher during this week’s training, as the Rapids were injected with the presence of players returning from injury. Veterans Bobby Burling (knee), Jermaine Jones (knee) and Kevin Doyle (ankle) each participated in team drills after spending multiple weeks on the sideline and in the training room.
“We’re fortunate to have all of those guys on the field, albeit a bit limited, but Doyle seems to be making the most progress,” Mastroeni said after Wednesday’s training. “As we stand, he’ll hopefully be able to get some minutes at the weekend [at Houston].”
It was news that was well received by Howard, who remains steadfast in his conviction that Colorado will “fight until the end” when it comes to the Supporters' Shield race.
“It’s tremendous,” Howard said. “To get them back at this stage is a huge boost for us. I don’t think any other team in the league is getting an injection of three players of that caliber this late in the season. It’s lifted the spirits of the group.”
