Underdog stories are always the most exciting aspect of the World Cup and the U.S. goalkeeper tim howard Was definitely the underdog in the 2014 tournament. Despite the United States national team being written off by most experts before the event began, Howard exceeded expectations and delivered a historic performance.
Despite a “man of the match” performance against England at the 2010 World Cup, most people still viewed Howard as a second-rate goalkeeper who would struggle to stop the world’s top strikers. This reputation became even worse when he conceded two goals against Ghana in the knockout stage, sending the United States home.
However, when the US returned to the World Cup in 2014, Howard was determined to prove the critics wrong. Although the team was once again eliminated after making it through the group stage, Howard was once again awarded “Man of the Match” for his record-breaking performance against Belgium.
During the knockout game against Belgium, Howard broke the old record for most saves in a single match. He blocked fifteen shots on goal for the Belgian team, which soon earned him the nickname “Secretary of Defense” in the United States.
Howard ultimately conceded the decisive goal in extra time against Belgium, which meant the United States was once again eliminated after the fourth game of the tournament. When the US failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, Howard retired from international football, making this his final World Cup appearance.
Howard’s record against Belgium has since become one of the most acclaimed and iconic World Cup performances of all time, with Howard finally proving that the United States could feasibly get out of the group stage and actually have a chance at soccer’s biggest tournament.
This history made Team USA’s loss against Belgium at the 2026 World Cup even more disappointing, as the team finally had a chance to prove themselves against the country that had ousted them during their finest hour. Today, Howard remains the United States’ most capped goalkeeper, and is widely considered the greatest American keeper of all time.
