Five months after captivating the American soccer public with a record-setting performance in the World Cup, Tim Howard was named the U.S. Soccer Male Athlete of the Year on Thursday for the second time in his career.
Howard - who also won the award in 2008 - received 64 percent of the votes cast. He easily beat out midfielders Jermaine Jones (19 percent) and Kyle Beckerman (11 percent) in this year’s poll, capping an impressive year that saw him anchor the team’s effort to reach the Knockout Round of the World Cup in Brazil.
Howard started all four games for the Americans this summer, but was most impressive in the team’s Knockout Round match against Belgium. Despite the US team’s 2-1 loss in extra time, Howard was named the Man of the Match after making 15 saves, the most of any player in the World Cup since they began recording keeping records in 1966.
“It’s an honor. I know the winners on the list who have come before me, so it’s special to have my name up there with the greats,” Howard said on ESPN’s SportsCenter. “The whole ride with the team for about a month and a half, when we got together for training camp and we flew down to Brazil, we had a really good time and that made 2014 so special to me.”
Howard also became the US’ all-time leader in career wins with 55 (breaking Kasey Keller’s record of 53) and goalkeeper appearances with 104 (breaking Keller’s record of 102).
Howard is the fifth player to win Male Athlete of the Year on multiple occasions, joining defender Marcelo Balboa (1992, 1994), fellow goalkeeper Keller (1997, 1999 and 2005), forward Landon Donovan (2003, 2004, 2009 and 2010) and forward Clint Dempsey (2007, 2011 and 2012).
