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Tim Howard has been a staple of the U.S. Mens National Team for so long that its hard to imagine a major tournament without the bearded bouncer in frame.

Hes had historic moments, inspirational messages and phone calls with the President, but it hasnt always been this way. Before Howards rise to international stardom, there was another big man on campus Kasey Keller.

The debate has long raged as to which is the more decorated U.S. keeper, but a lead may now becoming more clear.

Howard and Kellers respective club paths have some remarkable parallels. As youths, both honed their skills in leagues close to their homes. Keller, born in Washington state in 1969, played his first season of professional ball in 1989 with the Western Soccer League side Portland Timbers. Howard, born in 1979 in North Brunswick, New Jersey, started in 1998 in MLS with the New York MetroStars (who would go on to become the New York Red Bulls).

Then, both were recruited by English clubs to take their game to the next level. Howard famously joined one of the most recognizable and profitable clubs in the world in Manchester United, whereas Keller joined the London-based club Millwall. After proving himself for four years at Millwall, Keller seized his opportunity to make it into the Premier League and was transferred to Leicester City, which had just been promoted to the top-flight league in England. In his first season with Manchester United, Howard was named to the Professional Footballers Association Team of the Year along with the likes of Thierry Henry, Frank Lampard, John Terry, Steven Gerrard and current NYCFC head coach Patrick Vieira. The award is one in which the best players in their positions from the top four flights of English football are honored, a feat which Keller was never able to accomplish.

Another area that Howard has the edge on Keller in club play is that Howard has played in the UEFA Champions League. Howard played with Manchester United in the 2003-04 competition and made it all the way to the knockout round before being ousted by the eventual champions FC Porto. The highest European international club competition that Keller has played in is the Europa Cup, which he played in once with Leicester City and twice with Rayo Vallecano in the Spanish top flight league La Liga.

Both Howard and Keller played the bulk of their careers in the best leagues in the world. Howard played the entirety of his European club career in the Premier League, heading to Everton after his time with Manchester United was finished. Keller played in arguably the best three leagues in the world: the Premier League, La Liga and eventually the top-flight German league, the Bundesliga, with Borussia Monchengladbach. However, Howard played more consistently during those times. In his 13 years he appeared in 399 games abroad, while Keller played 330 in his 12 years.

Howards teams also consistently finished in better positions than Kellers. The best season result for any of Kellers teams in the top-flight leagues in Europe was his first year with Leicester City in which the Foxes finished ninth in the Premier League. Though Howard never won the Premier League title in his time, he finished third with Manchester United twice and finished as high as fifth while with Everton. The worst finish Everton ever had with Howard in the net was the 2015-16 season in which Everton finished in 11th place.

Oh, and Howard has more goals than Keller with one (if you havent seen it, I highly suggest you check it out).

Keller wrapped up his playing career in MLS, where his biggest achievement is winning a U.S. Open Cup three-peat from 2009-11. Howard is one year in to his his second round MLS service, and in his first season led the Rapids, who finished the previous season with the worst record in MLS, to the Conference Finals, further than Keller was ever able to get in his three-year MLS stint.

On the club side, Howard has had the more illustrious career in one of the best leagues in the world, and he is still in the process of writing his MLS legacy. Keller had an amazing club career, but he didnt do enough to elevate himself above Howards status.

On the international side, Kellers stats are impressive. He has the second-most caps in U.S. Mens National Team history (behind Howard), the second most wins (again behind Howard) and the most shutouts with 47. This is the biggest stat for Keller. He has more shutouts in fewer matches with the senior USMNT, so in essence he gets shutouts at a higher rate than Howard. Does this mean hes a more effective keeper?

Lets look at the results. Keller has been on the wrong side of history during his World Cup appearances for the USMNT. He was first on the U.S. World Cup squad in 1990 as a backup to Tony Meola. After not being selected in 1994, Keller was in net for two of the teams three group games in 1998, all of which were losses. The team understandably lost to Germany in the first match, but followed that game up with a 2-1 loss to Iran. Keller was replaced for the third game by Brad Friedel, who he spent much of his career battling for the U.S. keeper position, but the U.S. lost that match 1-0 to Yugoslavia and finished last in their group.

Keller backed up Friedel for the duration of the 2002 World Cup in which the U.S. advanced all the way to the quarterfinals, but got his final opportunity on the biggest of stages in 2006. That year, however, would turn out to be a disastrous World Cup for the U.S. They finished last in their group behind Italy, Ghana and the Czech Republic. Their only result in the competition came, surprisingly, in a 1-1 tie with eventual champions Italy. Howard usurped Kellers role in 2010 and hasnt relinquished it since.

In Howards subsequent World Cups, the U.S. was never eliminated in the group stage. In 2010, Howard led the U.S. to an impressive group win over England, but the team ultimately lost their first knockout game to Ghana. In 2014, the U.S. advanced to the knockout stage in impressive fashion after being paired with tough teams. They finished second behind Germany in a group that also included Portugal and Ghana. The U.S. was again bounced in the first knockout game, this time by Belgium.

If the USMNT is able to secure a berth in the 2018 World Cup, Howard will have an opportunity to cement his status as the best goalkeeper the U.S. has ever produced. His accolades from the Premier League, MLS and the USMNT all speak for themselves, and though Keller should be thought of as one the the best the U.S. has ever fielded, Howard clearly has the superior track record. If you havent been out to Dicks Sporting Goods Park to witness him play live, do yourself a favor. A generational talent like his does not come very often.

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Who's the most decorated US keeper: Tim Howard or Kasey Keller? - Mile High Sports

By Ridge Mahoney (@ridgemax)

Four months ago in a 6-0 stomping of Honduras that restored equilibrium to the U.S. Hexagonal campaign, Clint Dempsey hit a hat trick that included a sneaky free kick over the keeper to the far post.

On Saturday in a Gold Cup semifinal against Costa Rica, Dempsey eyed a free kick from somewhat familiar angle and range -- about 25 yards out in the right channel -- and once again noticed a defensive defect.

In his first go round as U.S. national team head coach, Bruce Arena had famously said of Dempsey, "He tries sh--." Last weekend, Dempsey reminded everyone that he sees sh-- as well.

In March, Dempsey exploited a positioning error by Honduran keeper Donis Escober,who stationed himself too close to the near post, a bad spot to be should Dempsey choose to go over the wall to other side, which is just what Dempsey did despite the difficulty of hitting such a shot right-footed. "I saw that he was cheating a little bit," said Dempsey after the game.

On Saturday, 10 minutes after he'd slithered past two Costa Ricans and slid a ball that Jozy Altidore drilled into the net for a 1-0 lead, he saw that the Costa Rican wall -- lined up to cover the near post -- was a man short on the near side. The player at the end of the wall is not supposed to be in line with the ball and the near post; that angle is covered by the second-to-last player. The end player blocks the lane to goal in case the shooter elects to bend the ball around the wall, and again, that is exactly what Dempsey did.

Maybe Costa Rica had deployed its wall in anticipation of Dempsey going over the top as he did against Honduras. The wall of players jumped, and in some instances the shooter will shoot low to slip the ball under the players or between their feet. Yet Dempsey was so confident of hitting that tiny spot just inside the base of the post he curled it around the man at the end, who stuck out his foot but couldn't reach the ball. Nor could keeper Patrick Pemberton.

When Arena brought in six players -- including Altidore, Dempsey and Michael Bradley -- after the Gold Cup first round while jettisoning Kelyn Rowe, Dom Dwyerand Cristian Roldan -- he confirmed his faith in experienced players facing must-win games. None of the three additions played particularly well in the first knockout game, a turgid 2-0 defeat of feisty and foul-prone El Salvador, but all were instrumental -- as was another add-on, Darlington Nagbe -- to the efficient and confident performance that subdued Costa Rica.

By coming off the bench to tie Landon Donovan's all-time U.S. record of 57 goals Dempsey also sparked talk of his role changing to that of a "super-sub." Really, Arena could do little else with Dempsey for the knockout phase, which requires three games thousands of miles apart -- Philadelphia, Arlington (Texas) and Santa Clara (Calif.) -- in eight days. No way Arena could expect Dempsey, 34, to start all three games and contribute what the team desperately needs from him: guile, savvy, vision, and an absolute belief in his ability.

From almost the day he started his pro career with New England in 2004, Dempsey has borne the labels reserved for those players who decide the outcome: "game-changer," "difference-maker," "big-time." He's also lived through barren spells of skimpy production and substantial criticism that requires a resolute persona to endure.

The hat trick against Honduras in March, which was his first U.S. appearance since being sidelined by a heart condition nearly a year ago, revived talk of him sticking around long enough to make the 23-man squad for the 2018 World Cup. Also scoring in that game was Christian Pulisic, who is treading a steady course to replace Dempsey as the main danger man in the U.S. attack, and will presumably rejoin the squad when Hexagonal play resumes Sept. 1 at Red Bull Arena against wait for it Costa Rica.

When Dempsey barked at Arena while being substituted against Trinidad & Tobago in June the U.S. soccer community -- predictably -- overreacted wildly. "Dempsey and Arena on the outs?" and nonsense to that effect sprang up everywhere. Such is the modern world.

He doesnt play in the frenzy some fans and observers would prefer, and his custom of leading with the elbows and forearms regularly draws criticism by foes and attention from referees. That's his game and when the moment comes, as it has rather often since March, he's poised to deliver.

Despite the encouraging Gold Cup showings of Rowe and Dwyer and Nagbe, there is and continues to be only one Deuce, whose jawing duels with opponents, referees and the occasional head coach, are likely to be a facet of the U.S. team for at least one more year.

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There is and continues to be only one Deuce - Soccer America

This was a week which began with a sparking off of the Greatest-Of-All-Time debate in sport. Roger Federer's capturing of a record-extending 19th Grand Slam with a historic eighth title at Wimbledon had arguably sealed his position in the pantheon of sporting immortals. Think Ali, Bradman, Dhyan Chand, Pele, Jordan, Phelps - surely Federer already ranks among them, but could he be considered better?

Comparisons are difficult. Especially when they are across generations. When they are across disciplines. When they are across formats. When they are across gender.

Late last year, Harmanpreet Kaur, then 27, became the first (and thus-far only) Indian to play in the Women's Big Bash League in Australia. A little over seven months later, the Aussies might rue the hospitality and platform, they provided Down Under.

Only four times in the 44-year history of Women's ODI cricket had an individual scored over 171 in an innings. Only once had someone touched three figures in a World Cup knockout game.

Kaur did it with India in a position of discomfort, having lost their top-three, against six-time champions of the competition. India had only ever made one final before.

When you consider different generations in sport, everything that changes with time - basically, everything - becomes a hindrance in drawing comparisons.

When you consider different formats of the same sport - say Tests and ODIs, for instance - the varied challenges faced depending on scenario becomes a hindrance in drawing comparisons.

When you consider different genders in sport, societal convention - effectively, everything - becomes a hindrance in drawing comparisons.

Let's go back in time, say two decades earlier when the Indian Men's team was accustomed to tasting defeat with regularity against a to-be world-conquering Australian unit.

Let's say the sides met in a match to decide whether India could reach the final of the tournament.

Imagine one man scored an exorbitant proportion of the team's runs, say close to 60% even, to alter the course of the game and provide India the desired result.

You could call it one of the greatest innings ever, couldn't you?

Against Australia, at Sharjah, in the final group stage match of the Cherry Blossom Sharjah Cup, on 22 April 1998, Sachin Tendulkar scored 59.09% of India's runs.

Against Australia, at Derby, in the semi-finals of the ICC Women's World Cup 2017, on 20 July 2017, Harmanpreet Kaur scored 60.85% of India's runs.

Yes, comparisons are difficult. They rely heavily on an element of opinion. Opinion, while not always, does sometimes deviate from fact. And facts are the best base for comparison.

But whichever way one looks at it, Harmanpreet Kaur's epic is one of the greatest knocks in the history of Indian cricket - Men's, or Women's.

Since we're there, let's say this too: If India are to defeat England at Lord's this Sunday, it will be the greatest moment in Indian cricket - Men's, or Women's - since 2 April 2011.

Perhaps even since 25 June 1983.

As an aside, Sachin Tendulkar followed that breath-taking century at Sharjah with another one two days later to win India the title.

Over to Lord's then. Go on, #WomenInBlue.

Original post:
Harmanpreet's hour: India's hero, India's pride - WION

The Octavio Zambrano era has gotten off to a near-perfect start for Canada.

Since the Ecuadorian took over the program in March, the team has yet to experience a loss. In fact, the Canucks have not tasted defeat in 2017, with the unbeaten streak extended to six games thanks to a scoreless draw with Honduras last week in Canada's final group stage match at the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

MORE: Whitecaps' Davies bursts onto international scene

The positivity, while modest, will continue for a few more days at least, with Zambrano's squad preparing to face Jamaica in the tournament quarterfinals on Thursday in Glendale, Ariz. It'll be the first of two meetings between the sides over the summer, as the teams will also square off in a friendly at Toronto's BMO Field in early September.

If it wasn't obvious, Thursday's match is the far more important of the two against the Jamaicans.

The Caribbean nation claimed the most recent meeting between these two sides, securing a 1-0 victory in the 2015 Gold Cup thanks to a stoppage time goal. Canada looks to exact some revenge on Thursday, riding a newfound confidence under the new coach that saw the beleaguered team finally break a number of embarrassing tournament droughts (goals, wins, advancement to the knockout stage) en route to this week's clash.

MORE: U.S. is Gold Cup favorite, but Canada could keep surprising

For their part, the Canadians aren't idly accepting advancement to the quarters as the end goal. Cyle Larin, the 22-year-old former MLS rookie of the year who plies his trade for Orlando City, has beensummoned by Zambrano to replace midfielder/defender Raheem Edwards in the squad. The move signifies a commitment to the type of attacking soccer that Zambrano promised when he took the reins earlier this year, glimpses of which we've seen on display in the group stage.

Larin will be in tough to crack the starting lineup as Lucas Cavallini has performed admirably as a tireless force up front, harassing defenders and providinglink-up play that has resulted in teenage sensation Alphonso Davies' first of three goals so far in the tournament.

Regardless, Larin will be another weapon at Zambrano's disposal, as Canada looks to claim a very realistic opportunity to move on to the semifinals of the regional competition for the first time since 2007.

Even if Thursday is the end of the road for the Canadians, this year's Gold Cup will have to be looked upon as a success. Zambrano has managed to introduce several new players to the fold, with young players like Davies, Michael Petrasso, Samuel Adekugbe and Mark-Anthony Kaye having notable Gold Cup debuts. Along with the likes of Scott Arfield, Junior Hoilett and Steven Vitoria all veterans who are still relatively inexperienced in international play Canada has managed to give its player pool a much-needed infusion of new talent at a time when several of the more familiar faces from the past decade are transitioning away from the national team.

MORE:Mourinho wants 15 more years at United

On a more intangible note, Zambrano's quest to get Canadian players to stop seeing themselves as also-rans seems to be alreay taking hold.

In a weird way, Im kind of disappointed we didnt win the group, Arfield told Sportsnet after the draw with Honduras cemented Canada asthe second place team in Group A. I think we were good enough to do so. I think that has to be the mentality going forward, that we cant be second best. Its a huge stride for soccer in this country. It gets people taking notice.

Zambrano's task is to essentially prepare the Canadians for World Cup qualification for Qatar 2022, which won't begin for another 2-3 years. In thetime leading up to those matches, it's all about exposing young talent to the rigours of international action while forging an identity upon which the program can be based.

Gold Cup 2017 is just the first step, and there is plenty of work to be done, but it's already been a giant leap forward.

The rest is here:
Canada prepares for first Gold Cup knockout game since 2009 - Sporting News

The Canadians are preparing for their most important match in eight years, with a meeting against Jamaica in the quarterfinals set for Thursday

The Octavio Zambrano era has gotten off to a near-perfect start for Canada.

Since the Ecuadorian took over the program in March, the team has yet to experience a loss. In fact, the Canucks have not tasted defeat in 2017, with the unbeaten streak extended to six games thanks to a scoreless draw with Honduras last week in Canada's final group stage match at the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

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The positivity, while modest, will continue for a few more days at least, with Zambrano's squad preparing to face Jamaica in the tournament quarterfinals on Thursday in Glendale, Ariz. It'll be the first of two meetings between the sides over the summer, as the teams will also square off in a friendly at Toronto's BMO Field in early September.

If it wasn't obvious, Thursday's match is the far more important of the two against the Jamaicans.

The Caribbean nation claimed the most recent meeting between these two sides, securing a 1-0 victory in the 2015 Gold Cup thanks to a stoppage time goal. Canada looks to exact some revenge on Thursday, riding a newfound confidence under the new coach that saw the beleaguered team finally break a number of embarrassing tournament droughts (goals, wins, advancement to the knockout stage) en route to this week's clash.

For their part, the Canadians aren't idly accepting advancement to the quarters as the end goal. Cyle Larin, the 22-year-old former MLS rookie of the year who plies his trade for Orlando City, has been summoned by Zambrano to replace midfielder/defender Raheem Edwards in the squad. The move signifies a commitment to the type of attacking soccer that Zambrano promised when he took the reins earlier this year, glimpses of which we've seen on display in the group stage.

Larin will be in tough to crack the starting lineup as Lucas Cavallini has performed admirably as a tireless force up front, harassing defenders and providing link-up play that has resulted in teenage sensation Alphonso Davies' first of three goals so far in the tournament.

Regardless, Larin will be another weapon at Zambrano's disposal, as Canada looks to claim a very realistic opportunity to move on to the semifinals of the regional competition for the first time since 2007.

USA's Miazga eyeing Chelsea and World Cup

Even if Thursday is the end of the road for the Canadians, this year's Gold Cup will have to be looked upon as a success. Zambrano has managed to introduce several new players to the fold, with young players like Davies, Michael Petrasso, Samuel Adekugbe and Mark-Anthony Kaye having notable Gold Cup debuts. Along with the likes of Scott Arfield, Junior Hoilett and Steven Vitoria all veterans who are still relatively inexperienced in international play Canada has managed to give its player pool a much-needed infusion of new talent at a time when several of the more familiar faces from the past decade are transitioning away from the national team.

Zambrano's task is to essentially prepare the Canadians for World Cup qualification for Qatar 2022, which won't begin for another 2-3 years. In the time leading up to those matches, it's all about exposing young talent to the rigours of international action while forging an identity upon which the program can be based.

Gold Cup 2017 is just the first step, and there is plenty of work to be done, but it's already been a giant leap forward.

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Canada is back! Canucks ready for first Gold Cup knockout game since 2009 - Goal.com