MLS Cup 2011: Q and A with USA MNT Goalkeeper Tim Howard

After a couple of international friendlies against France and Slovenia, current Everton and USA men’s national team goalkeeper Tim Howard talked with Bleacher Report’s Jo-Ryan Salazar about the USA’s current situation, as well as Everton and MLS Cup 2011.
 

Tim, tell us about your role as a spokesperson for Allstate and its soccer sponsorship.

Allstate and MLS and the US men’s national team’s first-year partnership has been fantastic. I have been delighted to be a spokesperson for that and lead the charge. We’ve done some innovative things with commercials and charity events, and the partnership has been wonderful so far. Everyone seems to be really excited about it. That’s all I know as a spokesperson.
 

As you know, the USA men’s national team is undergoing a year of transition. First Bob Bradley, now Jurgen Klinsmann. What is your current opinion of Klinsmann? How has his approach to the USMNT differed from that of Bradley's?

We get asked that question quite a lot. And like any other coaching change, it’s somewhat unfair. You know, I think we all liked Bob Bradley a lot and I reckon with the things we accomplished in five years, we should all feel pretty good about [it] because I think for the most part, we had much success.

With Jurgen, he has come in and he has done a fantastic job. Things are great it itself in the fact that [we’re] in the current player fold and adding new players in, and so with anything else, when you come to a new cycle you’ve got to get new players in, integrate them with the old guard and find the right mix and chemistry. And we seem to be doing that. Everyone is excited.

We’re making no bones about the fact we’re going to be playing all game. We’re gonna roll our sleeves up and dig in and sometimes it’s not always pretty, but [when you] couple that with the fact that you figure out a new formation—a new way to play—and understand a new coach, then all of those things blend themselves into some growing pains.

But we’re excited about what the future holds.
 

The USA has had success in turning out world-class goalkeepers. Why is that? Are ball skills learned from basketball/baseball , etc. in American schools part of the reason?

It seems to be the consensus; I’m not exactly sure why. I think it certainly doesn’t hurt, you know. Goalkeeping is all about hand-eye coordination, which is different from any other position on the field. And for the most part, American sports—if you play baseball, basketball, football—those are all hand-eye coordinated sports.

I do believe that it helps to think that as American athletes, one of our greatest powers, no matter what sport you play, is that you’re explosive at athletic movements. And when it comes to goalkeeping, I think that the first thing you have to have.

If you don’t have that explosive athletic ability, then you’re not going to be a very good goalkeeper at that level. So as a foundation—the cornerstone position—American youngsters seem to possess that.

What goes on behind the scenes in the locker room and at practices?  Are things more loose? Strict? More fun? 

A bit of both [strict and fun]. Jurgen [Klinsmann] is quite strict in terms of his diligence and his attention to detail, and he always wants us to be on the ball and be focused.

But at the same time, he is the first one, more often than not, to break out in laughter and kinda motivate us in that way as well. So, it’s just like any other professional locker room. Some guys are horsing around, sometimes they’ll always be serious, and you have to find the balance.

But it’s a little bit of both. We got some jokesters on the team, [and] that keeps everybody loose.

World Cup qualifying begins next year for the USA. Do you believe that this will be the time where the pieces finally fall into place, and the wins start to come?

Well, as far as qualifying goes, I think we have qualified for the last five World Cups, if I’m not mistaken. [NOTE: It was actually six.] So we seem to have that part figured out. It’s never an easy ride. There’s always some bumps in the road, but we usually power through it and persevere and qualify for the World Cup, which is the ultimate goal. It’s not really [about] how you do it, but making sure that you really do it.

We’re looking forward to it. We know there are road trips and away games in CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying. They are very, very difficult. But we feel like we have—as I said before—this nucleus of players both old and young who are focused to get the job done.

So qualifying is about winning your home games, and trying to pick up points anywhere you can on the road. And we’ve seen [that] we’ve been able to do that.  
 

Guys like Steve Cherundolo and Carlos Bocanegra who have been protecting you for years are on their way out. How is it working with these younger guys? What are you teaching them and how have you had to change your game to help them out?

I’ve not had to change anything. I think a lot of people need to be very careful of that phrase “on their way out” because I think Carlos and Steve are solidifying themselves now more than ever at the right back position and central defender position [respectively].  

It’s going to be very tough to tackle that starting jersey away from those guys. They’re in fantastic form; they keep getting better and better. The comfort level that I have with them is [second-to-]none.

And so there are young guys that are coming in that are trying to push for a starting position. But anytime there’s new blood in the back line for a goalkeeper to import, the lines of communication are open, [we] stay positive, encourage those guys. It’s coming along pretty good.
 

Let’s talk EPL. What are your thoughts on the Luis Suarez incident, in which he was accused of racism by the Football Association?

Unfortunately, I know as much as everyone else does. I don’t have much inside information; I’m gonna let the arbitrary courts that are going to hear the case sort that out.

You know, I think that there is no part for racism in football, and there is no part for racism in life. I think as it is, in order to stamp it out you gotta know it all the time and punish the bad men who are racists.
 

Let’s now talk about your current club. Why do you think Everton have struggled this season relative to how well you guys usually perform?

It’s been difficult. I don’t know where to start; as of late we have been at the top in our league and that pushed us to our limit, and unfortunately, we didn’t get the results. You know, this Everton team has always prided itself on having spirit: pushing through the tough times, and I have no doubt we’ll do that again. It’s just that at the moment, it’s time for us to collect some points [in the Premier League], and we’ll do that.
 

Everton have had a lack of spending power, which could explain their lack of success. Do you think a US-style draft system would give the Premier League/La Liga, etc., a more balanced feel?

That will never happen so I’m not sure it even matters, unfortunately. But spending power is key.

You know, soccer has become a huge business. When you can start buying quality players in London [like Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal], then you’re going to push yourself ahead of many other teams. You saw that a lot of teams have done that.

I’m sure that we can have quality, and we’re not going to have depth at every [position], but we’re going to have a lot of quality. Hopefully, as I said, in the end that will win out because that still allows you to believe in the underdog a little bit.
 

You started your career as a goalkeeper in Major League Soccer, highlighted by your time with the MetroStars, who are now the New York Red Bulls. Have you ever considered returning to MLS after your career at Everton reaches its conclusion? Do you have any plans to play for a big club again, one that can challenge for trophies?

Yeah, I would certainly like to return to MLS. It was a very good league when I was there and it’s growing in leaps and bounds, and I think it would be very exciting to go back and play in MLS.

But I‘ve always stated that it has to be the right fit for me. I don’t want to just go back to any old team. I want to be on a club that has a good front office, a top coaching staff, and some really good players who are focused on winning.

As far as big clubs [are concerned], I currently play at a big club [in Everton]. It wasn’t very long ago that we were in the [2009] FA Cup Final at Wembley vs. Chelsea. So we can certainly compete for trophies. It’s becoming more and more difficult, as money spending is abundant all over the [Premier] League, but we’ll get there. I have lofty, golden aspirations that are very difficult to decide what the future’s going to hold right now, but Everton is my club. It’s in my heart. It’s the place that I love.
 

Let’s talk MLS Cup. This is the finale, the big enchilada, if you will. What is so special about this event, from your standpoint?

Anytime you can compete for a trophy, it’s special. It’s the ultimate prize in the league; it makes it the most special. I’m looking forward to this weekend.
 

Finally, a score prediction. Who do you have winning MLS Cup 2011?

I’ve always likened to seeing the underdog win, which I think is Houston, but I also believe that LA will win it, just by a hair, so it will be a very close game.