The United States was unable to knock off Belgium in the 2014 World Cup on Tuesday afternoon, falling 2-1 in extra time. Their loss can't be pinned on goalkeeper Tim Howard though, who became an American icon with a historic performance in which he recorded a whopping 16 saves in the defeat.
Howard was under duress from start to finish, staring down 27 shots on goal, almost double the amount of total shots attempted by the Americans. His 16 saves quadrupled the amount that Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois recorded, and he earned the respect of the entire world with his showing.
"They were all on their limit," United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann said. "[Howard] had an absolutely amazing match." Even Howard, despite having the match of his life, knew that the onslaught he and the American defense were under would eventually be too much to handle. "The levee is going to break at some point," Howard said.
Overall, the Belgians fired off 38 shots in total while the United States managed just 14. The possession numbers favored the Americans, but to the naked eye the disparity between the two sides was plain.
Howard's dominance wasn't limited to this one sterling performance however. According to FiveThirtyEight.com, Howard was statistically the second best goalkeeper in the entire tournament up to this point, behind only Colombia's David Ospina. Howard's 28 saves lead the field, and he's allowed six goals with an "expected goal" total of 8.5, leaving him plus-2.5 in the net goals saved category.
Ospina, on the other hand, is plus-three in terms of net goals saved. He's allowed two goals while saving 18 shots with an expected goal total of five. Against Belgium though Howard did record the single best performance from a goalkeeper of the entire World Cup.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
