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For Tim Howard, this year’s World Cup is a full-circle moment.
Raised in central New Jersey and turning pro in his home state, the World Cup final will be held about 55 miles away from where the former U.S. men’s national team goalkeeper grew up.
When the bidding for the finals took place, Howard knew exactly where it was going to be played.
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Tim Howard of the United States makes a save during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 match against Belgium at Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, Brazil on July 1, 2014. (Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)
“I heard Dallas and I love Dallas. Good, good city, but I was just saying that the World Cup final could only really ever be in one place and it had to be in the New York, New Jersey area,” Howard told Pakinomist Digital in a recent interview.
“I’ve never been to a World Cup final. I’ve never been anywhere near a World Cup final. I’m 47 years old, I’ve only ever seen the World Cup final on TV. So, you know, to be in New York during it, it’s kind of crazy to think about. It’s pinching myself in kind of territory.”
Howard has never been to a World Cup final because his US squads never reached one. In fact, no USA team has ever accomplished that. And Howard doesn’t exactly expect this one to make it either.
But there is a mark this year’s team must reach if the WC is not to be considered a failure for the Stars and Stripes.
USA goalkeeper Tim Howard plays during a match against Azerbaijan at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California on May 27, 2014. (Michael Burns/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
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“I think we win the group and we should win the group. So start there,” Howard began. The United States is the highest-ranked team in its group, which also includes Australia, Paraguay and Turkey.
“I think if you win the group and you finish first, in the Round of 32, you’re going to get a third-place team that hopefully, when we start peeling back the layers, shouldn’t be better than any team you just beat in the knockout stages, right?”
From then on, it’s house money, Howard said.
“And then I think if my calculations are right, then in the round of 16 they’re going to have to roll up their sleeves and kind of beat a bully, a top-10 team in the world, right? But that’s the way it should be. And if they can do that, a top-10, top-20 team, they’ll get themselves into the quarterfinals,” he said.
“Now it’s easy on paper. A lot of things have to happen. I think this is a really talented team. Can they come together, all play their best football at the same time? We’ll see. But I think they have the potential to do it.”
Howard obviously hopes this team goes far, which could provide some extra consistent cleaning. Howard knows all about it as a lifelong athlete who continues to live a healthy lifestyle and partnered with Lysol ahead of this year’s World Cup.
“I’m not on the field anymore, but I know that after a long game, practice, practice, whatever it is, my clothes stink. I also know that Lysol Laundry Sanitizer is my absolute go-to,” he said. “It kills 99.9% of the odor-causing bacteria in the laundry. So it’s a natural fit, as you can imagine with all the sweat and exercise that I did.”
If Team USA’s tournament doesn’t go as planned, however, there is a silver lining, Howard said.
United States goalkeeper Tim Howard stands on the pitch before the CONCACAF Gold Cup final against Jamaica at Levi’s Stadium on July 26, 2017. (Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports)
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“If the US men’s national team has a tragic run and they fail and they don’t get out of the group, soccer is not going to go backwards in this country. It’s not,” he said. “People will be disappointed, but the money and the infrastructure and the support will still be there.
“They just get hungrier for success.”
