Tim Howard is a name that simply needs no introduction in American soccer. He was of course in MLS during its original years, playing for the New York/New Jersey MetroStars from 1998-2003. Howard made the move to England to play for Manchester United for a few years, but really made his name in world football at Everton from 2007-2016. Once Howard's time in England expired, he decided to return to the league that gave him his start. On March 20th, 2016, Howard joined the Colorado Rapids on a 3.5 year deal. Since the transfer window was closed, he was not able to join the team until July of 2016. He made his Rapids debut on July 4th, in a match against the Portland Timbers. His name was certainly enough to fill the seats at Dick's Sporting Goods Park, and he did not let the crowd down as he posted a clean sheet. The attack was disappointing, though, the match finished 0-0. Howard made his first save in a one-on-one situation with Darren Mattocks.
On July 30th, Howard was welcomed back to the league by a hungry NYCFC attack. NYCFC shelled the Rapids' defense, slotting five goals past Howard, though none really his fault. He was in disbelief at the back line in front of him. On September 10th, Howard posted a much more Tim Howard-esque performance. Howard made seven saves in a clean sheet and 1-0 victory over FC Dallas, including a beautiful kick save on Atiba Harris. He registered another clean sheet in the following match against San Jose. With Howard between the pipes, Colorado finished second in the Western Conference. After playing in the first playoff series against LA Galaxy, Howard got injured on international duty. While taking a goal kick against Mexico, he fractured his right adductor in the upper groin, ending his season. Seattle beat Colorado in the WCF.
Howard returned better than ever in March of 2017, matching his Rapids single game save record with seven in his first game back. Despite his efforts, Colorado lost 1-0 at Red Bull Arena. Some of his best saves in the match included a signature kick save denial against Bradley Wright-Phillips, another incredible stonewall against BWP, as well as, yes, another save on Wright-Phillips, On June 24th against Atlanta United, Howard hit the seven save mark for the third time in his Colorado career. He was simply a denier of the league's best strikers, this time Josef Martinez. Josef had a shot caught by Howard, a point blank shot from a tough angle pushed away, as well as an audacious bicycle kick that Howard got his big left paw on. Colorado once again lost 1-0, giving Howard no attacking support for his heroic saves. On October 15th against Real Salt Lake, the Rapids finally rewarded a seven save performance from their goalkeeper. His best save of the match was a denial of Albert Rusnák on a long distance strike, helping Colorado win 1-0 this time around. Howard was named a 2017 MLS All-Star. The Rapids, though, missed the playoffs by a wide margin.
In 2018, Howard had his best statistical season in Colorado. He made 3.64 saves per game, along with six clean sheets. In just the second match of the campaign, he was forced to make seven saves for the fifth time in his Rapids career, but still had not hit the eight-save mark. On July 1st, he played far and away his best game in burgundy. Skipping multiple save milestones, Howard saved all ten of the shots he faced on target against Vancouver. Quite late in the match, he made an acrobatic save on a Jordon Mutch rocket from 40 yards out. The match was exactly four years removed to the day from the USA vs. Belgium World Cup fixture, in which Howard made a whopping 16 saves. He made eight saves in a loss at Columbus in mid-September. By the end of the season, his efforts went to waste as Colorado finished 11th in the West and missed out on the playoffs again.
At 40 years old, Howard decided to run it back for one last season in Colorado. In January of 2019, he announced that the upcoming season would be his last. His final campaign was statistically his worst in Colorado, making under three saves per game for the first time across the four years. It was hardly his fault at all, as the Rapids defense did not do him any favors for his entire time there. His only playoff appearance with the team was in 2016, when he was injured. His best performance of his final MLS season took place on May 19th, in a 1-0 victory over the LA Galaxy. He saved all six shots he faced. On October 10th, 2019, Howard played his final MLS match, conceding three times to Carlos Vela on a day in which he set the record for most goals in an MLS season.
Tim Howard retired right after the match, ending his career, briefly. He returned to play in the USL for Memphis 901. He made six appearances there, before ending his career once again. He now serves as a minority owner and sporting director for the club. Howard also works for NBC Sports as an analyst during Premier League coverage. He finished with 121 total caps for the United States. Clearly, Howard is one of the greatest players ever to grace Major League Soccer, but he comes in at #82 based on his years with the Colorado Rapids.
YEAR | CLUB | MINUTES | CS | SAVES/PG |
2019 | COL | 2,160 | 5 | 2.92 |
2018 | COL | 2,900 | 6 | 3.64 |
2017 | COL | 2,250 | 5 | 3.36 |
2016 | COL | 1,530 | 7 | 3.18 |
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