Former USMNT goalkeeper Tim Howard says the U.S. should win its World Cup group and has the talent to reach the quarterfinals.
Tim Howard is putting a clear marker on the United States men’s national team’s World Cup expectations: win the group first, then prove it can beat a heavyweight on the way to the quarterfinals.
The former USMNT goalkeeper, speaking to Fox News Digital ahead of a World Cup that will end in his home state, said the U.S. has enough quality to make a serious run if its best players hit form at the same time. His comments add to the pressure around a home tournament in which the American team will be judged not only by participation, but by progress.
For Howard, the setting is personal. Raised in central New Jersey and developed as a professional in the state, he will see the World Cup final staged in East Rutherford, roughly 35 miles from where he grew up. The final is scheduled for July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium.
“I heard Dallas, and I love Dallas. Good, good town, but I just said the World Cup final could only really ever be in one place, and it had to be in the New York, New Jersey area,” Howard told Fox News Digital. “I’ve never been to a World Cup final. I have never been around a World Cup final. I’m 47 years old, I’ve only ever seen the World Cup final on TV.”
Howard’s own U.S. teams never reached a World Cup final, and no U.S. men’s team has done so. He is not predicting that this team will, either. But he said the first line between success and disappointment should be straightforward.
“I think we win the group, and we should win the group. So, start there,” Howard said.
The U.S. group also includes Australia, Paraguay and Turkey. The United States is the highest-ranked team in that group, according to the Fox News Digital report, and its opening match against Paraguay is scheduled for June 12.
Howard’s reasoning is tied to the expanded tournament format. If the U.S. finishes first, he said, it should receive a more manageable Round of 32 matchup against a third-place finisher. The tougher measuring stick would come next, when the Americans would likely need to beat what Howard described as a top-10 or top-20 opponent to get to the quarterfinals.
He also cautioned that the path looks cleaner on paper than it will on the field. The question, Howard said, is whether a talented U.S. roster can come together and play its best soccer at the same time.
Even a poor showing would not undo the sport’s growth in the United States, Howard argued. He said disappointment would not erase the money, infrastructure and support already behind American soccer, but would instead leave the program and its fans more eager for a breakthrough.
That leaves the U.S. with a clear early test: handle a group it is expected to win, then show it can turn a home World Cup stage into a deeper knockout run.
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