United and the USA's No. 1 goalkeeper spot at this summer's biggest tournament.
Esther Howard remembers when her son would come in from playing outside and each time walk through the house touching certain pieces of furniture in the same, deliberate order. Other times, when Tim had something to tell her, he insisted on tapping her on the shoulder a certain number of times before speaking. That was when he was in sixth grade, just after doctors diagnosed him with Tourette Syndrome.
''That was a devastating time because what little we knew about this was what we had seen on an episode of St. Elsewhere or L.A. Law,'' Esther says. ''It was scary.''
Esther Howard immediately began researching the topic and helping her son under-stand exactly what he had.
She learned that it is ''an inherited, neurological disorder characterized by repeated and involuntary body movements (tics) and uncontrollable vocal sounds,'' according to the national Tourettes Syndrome Association. She learned that its symptoms do not worsen, but may vary, over time. She learned that it is three to four times more common in boys than girls. She learned that those with TS sometimes also suffer from hyperactivity, attention deficit and obsessive, compulsive disorder, like Tim. She learned that the socially inappropriate vocalizations frequently portrayed by prime-time television occur in fewer than 15 percent of cases. And that thankfully, her son was not one of those.
As she passed along this information carefully to Tim, she had little trouble teaching him how to deal with it.
''From the beginning, he seemed to understand that this is just a reality of life and to incorporate it into whatever he wanted to do,'' Esther says.
Tim Howard quietly coped, but the confluence of acronyms affecting his young mind – TS, ADHD, OCD – made school very difficult. Some teachers considered him a disruption, some students poked fun.
''Now that I'm a grown man, you can call me all the names in the book and I won't blink an eye, but at the time, when I was young, it hurt,'' Howard says. ''It's a trying time for a kid, especially coming into adolescence and high school. That's a tough time anyway, let alone having to deal with TS.''
Although his parents divorced when Tim was young, his father, Matthew Howard, had taught his two boys the principles of sportsmanship. Tim's older brother Chris was an accomplished baseball pitcher and played football until a bad knee injury sidetracked his athletic career in high school.
''I brought a baseball glove, a football and a soccer ball to the delivery room for both my sons,'' says Matthew. ''But they always wanted to do it. … Tim is a workaholic and he had his mind made up to be a pro. I was just the proud parent in the stands.''
Tim played baseball, but his two favorite sports were soccer and basketball. He split time between field positions and goalkeeper in soccer until it became evident that he had a better chance at making the state team as the latter.
The arena of competition provided Tim with a place to forget he had TS.
''Especially in high school, sports was my sanctuary because even if I had tics on the field or on the court, I knew people cared more about me making a save or getting a rebound than anything else.''
QUIET RISE. Howard credits Tim Mulqueen, now goalkeeper coach for the Kansas City Wizards, with facilitating his maturation as a player and a person. Howard was 12 when he met Mulqueen at a goalkeeper camp in New Jersey and later played club ball for him. Mulqueen nagged Howard about his studies, insisted on proper field etiquette and held him to higher standards than other players.
''One of the things I learned at an early age was how to respect and how to earn respect,'' Howard said. ''That's something I feel that some players, particularly young players, have all wrong. It's like they feel they're deserving of something because they think paying their dues is playing one year in MLS. That's not paying your dues. I've always tried to work hard and listen more than I spoke.''
Mulqueen left the New Jersey Knights to become head coach of the D3 New Jersey Imperials and brought Howard in to be his starting keeper as a graduating high school senior. Passing up college eligibility by joining the Imperials was an easy choice for Howard and his parents at the time, although he hopes to earn a degree some day.
When Mulqueen moved on to become the MetroStars goalkeeper coach, he convinced management not only to sign Howard as a Project-40 player, but to make him the No. 2 man behind Tony Meola in 1998. During that first season, Howard's open ears served him well.
''I was 18 and I was awestruck alongside [Meola],'' Howard says. ''I was nervous as heck. The thing about Tony was that it was his territory and he made that known straight away. But the guy put me under his wing, always had me over for dinner, his family treated me like gold. He showed me the ropes a lot my rookie year. … I look at the guys who have gone in front of me – Kasey, Brad and Tony – they've been consistent over a long period of time. It's not like they've come and gone in four years. These guys have been doing it for 12-plus years at the top level. … I just admire those guys for what they've done. They're just so good.''
Howard's natural qualities – light-switch reflexes, long arms and bounding leaps – added to his learning curve to make him an increasingly enticing prospect.
Paul Grafer, the MetroStars' backup goalkeeper for the past two seasons, says that consistency is Howard's greatest asset.
''What has always impressed me is the mental side of Tim's game,'' Grafer said. ''He's always staying fresh, even with all the games he plays. As a goalkeeper, the key is not allowing poor performances or your team's poor performance get you into a funk. He's always been able to overcome those little valleys.''
After patiently waiting his turn, Howard changed little once he became a starter. He kept going about his business without fanfare.
''Because goalkeepers are so often in the shadows, there are so many out there who try to do something to show off or draw attention to themselves,'' Howard said. ''I'm not saying that's right or wrong, but I didn't want to be that way.''
FAME BECKONS. Howard was right. He didn't need flashy gear, dyed hair, or a nickname to draw attention. Leading MLS in saves and being named its top goalkeeper for each of his first two seasons as a starter in the pros was enough.
After just five appearances in friendlies for the U.S. national team, Manchester United sent its goalkeeper coach, Tony Coton, to scout Howard. The verdict was ''buy'' according to sources and several published reports had the storied club paying MLS a transfer fee of about $2.5 million.
Although the sides agreed to terms, the deal was not complete until Howard was granted a work permit, which sources said United expected to receive in late June. Neither Howard, nor his agent, Dan Segal, would comment specifically about Manchester United.
''I think anyone's dream is to test their limits,'' Howard says. ''This is a good league, a difficult league, but there are other options out there and sometimes you want to go abroad and test yourself. That's not to say I wouldn't want to come back and finish my career back in New York, but if this opportunity comes now, I'll look at it like any other opportunity I've had.''
Mulqueen believes that Howard will do well in England despite the leap onto the biggest stage with the brightest lights.
''He knows that it's a big situation, but I don't think he feels the weight of the world on his shoulders,'' Mulqueen says. ''He's aware that there will be a significant learning process with both the national team and Manchester United. He approaches everything as a process and he's going to work incredibly hard.''
Already the British press has taken liberties when writing about Howard's condition. One article bore the headline, ''Swearing Savior.'' Another presumed that he might encounter trouble with referees, unaware that Howard's tics include clearing his throat and sniffling, not cursing. Howard merely views this as a chance to educate more people.
SPEED BUMPS. Two years ago, Howard decided to publicize his disorder and he became a spokesperson for Tourette Syndrome Association of New Jersey. A documentary about Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, a successful NBA player with TS, helped inspire Howard to become a professional athlete and he hopes to provide similar incentive to other children with TS.
''For kids that don't have it, it's just like anything else, whether it's a stutter, or acne or something else, everybody's got little speed bumps in their life and you just have to treat everybody the same because nobody's perfect,'' Howard says. ''I just always tell kids with TS to stay focused on their goals, because it's never going to hold you back. It's never going to be an excuse for anything. If you don't make the national team, it's not because of TS. If you don't get your doctorate degree, it's not because of TS. The precedent has been set by lots of people, people more amazing than me in what they have overcome and what they've accomplished.''
by Soccer America Senior Editor Will Kuhns