Tim Howard On Key To Team USA Achieving Success In 2026 FIFA World Cup: ‘Results Have To Get Better'

Forbes

5 hours ago

Tim Howard is arguably the greatest goalkeeper in American soccer history, so he knows a thing or two about what it takes to win.
The 46-year-old was known as the 'secretary of defense' and not only played in the MLS, but made his true mark overseas with the top competition in the Premier League. Howard played a total of 13 years for Manchester United and Everton.
However, he was also a longtime member of Team USA, making 121 appearances between 2002 and 2017. Team USA began Gold Cup play with a 5-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago and will continue by playing against Saudi Arabia on Thursday. The win ended a four-game losing streak.
Prior to that, Team USA had struggled in their recent games, including a 5-0 international friendly loss to Switzerland and a disastrous showing in the 2025 Concacaf Nations League, with Team USA actually losing their third-place game against Canada.
'They're trending downward,' says Howard in a one-on-one interview just prior to their win over Trinidad and Tobago. 'The togetherness that has always been a staple of the US Men's National Team needs to come to the forefront. Results have to get better. Results just haven't been good. And ultimately, teams are judged on performances and results. The Gold Cup is a really good opportunity for this group that's been put together to kind of show some of that fortitude.'
Team USA will be without their best player, Christian Pulisic, and several others for the Gold Cup, including Antonee Robinson, Weston McKennie, Tim Weah and Sergino Desi.
It marks one of the last competitive opportunities for Team USA to really gain momentum before the big one, with the 2026 World Cup starting next June.
'It's not just about the football,' says Howard. 'It's about coming together, showing toughness, being able to grind out results when needed, being able to carry games when you're in the ascendancy. You've scored the goals, and now you have to see games out. There's a lot of boxes that need to be checked, and not a lot of time to do it. The Gold Cup is a good start, a great opportunity for the team to show what they have.'
Howard once again stresses the 'togetherness' as a major key if Team USA is to enter the World Cup with a chance to finish strong. In the modern era, the best finish for Team USA soccer is in the quarterfinals back in 2002.
'As you start to get into September and the autumn friendlies, and then the draw comes out – in December – you get a better idea of what that looks like tactically, you know who you're going to play against,' says Howard. 'There's a long way to go, but it's going to happen in a very short period of time, if that makes sense. The togetherness is something that all US soccer fans want to see. The togetherness, the hunger, the fight, we know the talent is there. We've seen that, so our fingers are crossed.'
Leading into the FIFA World Cup, Howard will be keeping busy by partnering with Airbnb. As a part of that partnership, fans will have the opportunity to join a private training session with the goalkeeper legend, where he'll show them the ropes of what it takes to be a goalie on the field.
'I was always fortunate to be at the games,' says Howard. 'I didn't have to do anything to get there. People laugh at this, but now I'm a fan. Now I'm a fan and and I think as a fan, what people want more than anything is that connection, the connection to the game and the connection to the teams. They want more. They want more than just a ticket. They want more than just being in the seats. They want an experience, they want that travel experience."
Howard explains why the partnership with Airbnb makes sense, pointing towards how the company is all about travel and accomodations.
'The takeaway for me is getting into that sports space that Airbnb is doing,' says Howard. 'It's natural, because what we find as fans, is we used to go to our local teams, We would drive to our local games, and we go home. With soccer being such a global sport, there's travel involved. When there's travel involved, you need accommodations, and Airbnb is providing that.'
The 'Secretary of Defense' details how the game day experience will go, with fans literally being able to enter a real soccer stadium and play on the field to mimic what it's like playing soccer at the highest level.
'We're going to try and mimic and emulate a game day experience and what that's like, and being able to smell and touch the grass and go through pregame rituals,' says Howard. "Being in the tunnel and getting that sensation of a once-in-a-lifetime experience – very many people don't ever get that experience.
'I'm going to provide color to that in a way that very few can because you'll get when you walk out of a tunnel and you walk into an arena and you get to be on the grass, there's nothing quite like it,' Howard continues to say. 'I've tried to emulate and replicate that in other phases of my life, and you can't, it's special. What Airbnb is offering is very, very unique.'