Howard's Injury Leaves Questions To USA's Most Vital Position

After USA's 1-1 tie against England yesterday, one thing was for sure.

Without the play of keeper Tim Howard in goal, the United States most likely loses to England and, today, we would be sitting here talking about how the US would have to win games against Slovenia and Algeria.

Howard's post-game comments were filled with joy and emotions describing how his team came out and competed. Howard smiled and said, "I hope all the Americans in all the bars and all the homes felt the same way. My phone's been vibrating constantly since the end of the game. It was ... it was a great night for the game, and for us.''

Now, the questions remain concerning a rib injury that Howard sustained when he was cleated by the spikes of England forward Emile Heskey in the 36th minute.  This occurred with the Englishmen sprinting towards the goal and Howard sprinting dove straight out, knocking the ball away.  Yet, at the same time, Heskey's cleat managed to stretch out into Howard's upper rib area.

A painful injury that clearly left Howard on the ground for a few minutes in agony while at the time his team remained down 1-0.  He managed to get back up and finish out the game playing flawless in net.

The more impressive part of this sequence was that there was a strong chance that Heskey would have been able to score a goal if it wasn't for the toughness and tenacious instinct of Howard to come charging out of goal.

It was, by far, a game-saving moment that was the difference-maker in the outcome of the game. 

Tim Howard was injected with pain killers to help subside the pain and discomfort in his rib area.  He went on to make five saves in the game that ended in a crucial draw.

Now, it is uncertain if the Everton goalie will be ready and healthy come Friday when USA takes on Slovenia in a game that will be a must-win if the United States expects to advance out of the group stages.

Coach Bradley assessed the injury by saying, "At this time, I think there's no answer. But when you see the way Timmy handled himself after the collision last night, you'd certainly expect he'll be on the field again."

There is no doubt the resiliency surrounding around this goalkeeper and his teammates.  After the disappointing efforts in 2006, 2010 is the stage where team USA takes full advantage of its chances to show they can play with big-time soccer countries.

Tim Howard is the biggest difference-maker that Team USA has and, without him, it will be extremely difficult to play at the high level that they are capable of.

He comes up with big saves, is able to call out to the defense, and is looked to as a leader on this team.  He needs to be between the posts for USA to make a run in this World Cup.

I expect Howard to continue to play at a high level the rest of this tournament.  Broken ribs or not, he is a true competitor and nothing is going to stop him from performing on this stage.

It only comes once every four years.  USA needs the stellar play of Howard to remain competitive, now more than ever.