U.S. Goalie Howard May Have Broken Ribs, Still Expected To Play
Goalie Tim Howard was the most animated player on the field all day when the U.S. and England played to a 1-1 draw this past Saturday. About the only time he wasn't yelling, pointing, jumping up and down or making an impressive save was when he took a foot to the sternum in the 29th minute of the match courtesy of England's Emile Heskey. Howard was down for a while but remained in the game, playing through the pain.
No official word yet but he might have been playing through broken ribs, according to U.S. coach Bob Bradley.
“He’ll be evaluated later today and then a decision will be made as to whether he’ll need further tests,” Bradley said Sunday. “Obviously he was sore — did a great job of taking a tough hit, and staying in it and playing really well. But we’ll assess him later today and figure out then what we need to do from there.”
Bradley did add that, regardless of the test results, he expects Howard in net on Friday when the Americans face Slovenia.
“At this time I think there’s no answer,” he said. “But when you see the way Timmy handled himself after the collision last night, you’d certainly expect he’ll be on the field again.”
Keep an eye on the Daily Soccer Fix for any updates or opinions.
