Tim Howard

Timothy Matthew Howard (born March 6, 1979) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. Nicknamed the "Secretary of Defense", Howard is regarded as one of the greatest American players of all time. Howard began his career with the North Jersey Imperials, before making a move to the MetroStars. He was signed by English club Manchester United in 2003, replacing Fabian Barthez as the team's first-choice keeper.

In his second season at the club, Howard competed for the first-choice spot with Roy Carroll. Howard enjoyed relative success with the club, as they won the 2003 FA Community Shield, the 2003–04 FA Cup and the 2005–06 League Cup. He was listed on the PFA Team of the Year for the 2003–04 season. After United signed goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar in 2005, Howard would only play once more for United before going on loan to Everton in 2006 and eventually signing permanently with them in February 2007.

On January 4, 2012, Howard scored against Bolton Wanderers, making him only the fourth goalkeeper to score a goal in the Premier League. In 2016, Howard made his return to MLS, signing for the Colorado Rapids. He played for three years for the Rapids before hanging up his gloves in October 2019. He became the sporting director of Memphis 901 in January 2020, and came out of retirement to play briefly for the USL Championship side in March 2020.

Howard is the most capped goalkeeper of all-time for the United States men's national team, with 121 appearances from 2002 until his international retirement in 2017.