After more than 13 years playing club soccer abroad, Tim Howard is nearing a deal that will send the keeper back to MLS.
According to ESPN FC, the 36-year-old goalkeeper is reportedly close to finalizing a deal that will see him join the Colorado Rapids in July. Howard’s transfer fee is reported as being between $600,000 and $750,000, while the U.S. Men’s National Team veteran would receive an annual salary of $2 million.
The salary would make him the highest paid goalkeeper in MLS, and the contract will reportedly extend until 2019. The Rapids currently hold the league’s No. 1 allocation position, meaning they are entitled to offer Howard a deal first.
Howard has made 23 starts for Everton in the English Premier League this season, but he has recently lost his starting spot to Joel Robles. His last appearance came on Jan. 24.
What do you think of the reported move? How do you think Howard will do in MLS? Think he deserves an annual salary of $2 million?
Share your thoughts below.
My thoughts are mixed. As a coach, I always wanted a top class goalkeeper, even arranging for private training from USMNT goal keepers. The dividends were evident, especially in organization of the defense, and defending set pieces. Still I see Bruce Arena winning championships with good but not great goal keepers. He was a goalkeeper himself and he chooses to spend money elsewhere.
Yeah, but sometimes it backfired. Carlos Cudicini came to the Galaxy after a pretty good career with Chelsea and then Tottenham and played for the Galaxy, not for a fixed salary, but whatever they had under their salary cap with a 100K minimum. You might think it was not a bad deal, but when Beckham left he started getting around 500K+ a season (Dp plus allocation) and it turned out his best days were way behind him and was awful. The same was with Ricketts, The Galaxy gave him up the first time because of salary cap limitations while he was in his prime, but injuries slowed down his reflexes and agility and was let go after a series of gaffes that lost key games.. Don’t forget he was picked as a replacement for Jamie Penedo, probably the best keeper on the Galaxy roster since Hartman, and was let go for having the audacity to ask for a longer term contract, forgetting that GK’s under Arena ARE usually an afterthought in the whole DP/salary cap ballet the Galaxy go through each year.
The Galaxy have Kennedy now and while he looks solid, the keeper for the future, though, is Clement Diop, formerly on the French U19;s got a bad rep and was blackballed for arguing with the French coaches. Young (22),Big, agile and athletic, he lead Los Dos to the USL Championship and got rewarded with an MLS contract this year, if the Galaxy can keep him, he is the future,
And the sound you hear is Zac MacMath’s palm hitting his forehead as he yells “what the f@$k, again!?!”
Retirement
It Tim’s committed to play, he’s committed to playing his best. Respect.
For those of you saying that 2 million is too much to spend on a goalie, you are looking at it all wrong. The amount a DP makes is irrelevant. Let me explain why. These owners are very rich, especially Kroenke, and they are protected by a ridiculously low salary cap. The salary cap hit by a DP is the same amount no matter how much the DP is getting paid. So when you look at it like that, why are some of you getting hung up in how much Howard will be getting paid?
You could argue that it is a waste of a DP spot, but who else out there that is DP worthy has shown interest in going to Colorado? At least they are getting someone. Hopefully there will be other DPs on the way.
If I was a young American center-back, I’d want to play in front of him.
Noone asked these questions when Keller moved to MLS…
That is because Keller was on about $250-300K/ year not $2million. If Timmy came here for $400k/year, no one would be asking these questions. Clearly, he can still play in the MLS.
Another important thing I see is if you are a player, why stay in MLS. Go abroad, hopefully establish yourself as a USMNT regular and come back to MLS at a premium salary. I like Dempsey a lot, but he is not a $6-7 million/year player, neither is Jozy or Bradley. Is Timmy a $2million/year player on the MLS scale -> no. I think he is probably in the $500-700K range on the MLS scale. The 2 best paid keepers (Rimando and Hamid) are on$370K and $405K, respectively. MLS knew that they had to pay that because Timmy could easily earn over a million as a back-up in the premiership.
As was stated above, a player who can single-handedly keep your team in games and greatly increase your odds of going far in the playoffs is worth that kind of money. On top of that you have name recognition. Howard is probably the best GK the U.S. has ever had. This move makes sense.
Goalies are not worth 2 Million in MLS. Nobody buys a ticket to see an aging goalie.
Except my buddy, who bought a season ticket yesterday solely because of Tim Howard.
Tim Howard is awesome, but spending 2 million dollars on a goalkeeper seems wasteful.
DP’s re not just about position, or just the overall ability of the player. DP’s can also offer that “put butts on seats” or “eyes on this” factor. Remember when Blanco went to Chicago? He was as much a success off the field, as he was on, even after his best days were over. The Rapids need someone to anchor a team that sometimes seems to have lost it’s way, even despite having an owner who owns some of the most iconic teams in their sport.
July feels light years away.
No, I didn’t forget: http://sbisoccer.com/2016/01/report-tim-howard-might-join-rapids-mls-in-may
What an amazing off-season. See here, they’ve positioned themselves see! Ha what a joke! Howard will never be a Rapid and you will eat your words New School!” “Eric”
Never saw your name before on SBI and I doubt we’ll see it again. If you are lurking around on SBI step up and eat some crow or as you said it: eat your words.
Seriously? Who cares?
Obvi that New School cares. Come on, its the small victories in life!
Are we in kindergarten? Jesus Christ.
“Told you so!”
Call it petty. Call it whatever you’d like, but you do have to call it Old School was right. Eric, are you going to hide under the troll bridge or eat crow?
http://sbisoccer.com/2016/01/report-tim-howard-might-join-rapids-mls-in-may
http://sbisoccer.com/2016/01/report-rapids-attempting-to-acquire-tim-howard
What an amazing off-season. See here, they’ve positioned themselves see! Ha what a joke! Howard will never be a Rapid and you will eat your words New School!
Whoops! Eric, never saw your name on SBI before this story and I haven’t seen it since. Let’s hope it remains that way.
Ha! Rapids will still suck. But hopefully this raises their profile in their homestate cause as of now seems that they draw d*ck. Look out New School! Here come the might Rapids!
As a Rapids fan, I’m ecstatic about the fact that Kroenke is finally spending real DP money, and that Tim is coming to Colorado. I know many feel that a GK is not worth spending DP money on, but I think this is a great deal for the Rapids. A good GK keeps teams in games that they have no business being in, and Tim has shown that he’s a proven leader who makes his team better. Plus I think he’ll put some extra butts in seats.
I was listening to an interview with a soccer analytics guy who works with premier league teams as well as MLS teams and he made the case that spending money on a world class goalkeeper was the best way to increase a team’s point total. He sold me on the idea of having a goalkeeper as a DP.
Maybe, if you are going from a poor keeper to a great one that would improve your team alot. But going from an above average GK to a slightly more above average but aging GK isn’t that much of an improvement.
This seems to have been on the radar for a while now. I believe that his family is now back in the US, and has been for a few years. I wonder if the Everton move to make Robles the starter was in recognition that Howard wasn’t going to be with the team in the future.
Rapids needed a name or something to generate some excitement so I think Howard checks that mark. He also brings value in how he commands a back line and keeps them organized. He’s a leader and Colorado need one, so at 2 million, that’s actually not a bad deal. If they will actually be any good, who knows.
agree. I just feel like it’s a cash grab in that he’ t-ho. he’s way too good to come back to MLS and especially the Rapids. I could see the nyrb. I’d trade Robles any day to t ho. being t ho home.
In an EA sports analogy this would be upgrading your team’s GK from a 65 to a 68 while leaving the rest of your team in the low 60’s.