Howard Relishing US Return
The prospect of returning to his footballing roots is something that clearly excites Tim Howard.
The American goalkeeper is relishing the chance of meeting up with some familiar faces as United embark on their second consecutive pre-season tour of the States this week.
The Reds face Bayern Munich in Chicago, followed by a stop-off in Philadelphia to play Celtic, before finally taking on AC Milan in New York.
The final leg of the trip will be extra special for Howard as he returns to the ground where he spent five seasons honing his skills with the New York/New Jersey Metrostars.
The Giants’ Stadium holds fond memories for the United goalkeeper but Howard admits he’s glad to have got both his United debut and his first season firmly under his belt.
“Making my debut was a bit nerve-wracking,” says Howard. “It was my first game and under really tough circumstances.
”I definitely wouldn’t want to do it again. It would have been much easier if it was somewhere else and it wasn’t in my home town. Thankfully things worked out well.
“Mentally it [this tour] should be a little bit easier and physically once I’ve had a rest I don’t see a problem. This time there won’t be the madness surrounding it and I’ll know what to expect.”
Last summer’s tour was a overwhelming success and firmly whetted the appetites of an ever-increasing football audience in the States. Howard admits he can’t wait to get going this time round and is confident the fans will once again be out in force to support the team.
“I think you’re always going to have your die-hard soccer fans that will come out and support a tour like this and a club like Manchester United," he explains. " But I think last season’s tour did change the views of some people to an extent. The fact we could actually fill the stadiums and completely sell-out was a point proved in itself.
“I think the games are important to the extent that a club of this magnitude never wants to be on the losing end of things, but at the same time I think we’ll use them to get fit and find our form. We have some very important games coming up very early on in the season such as the Champions League qualifier so, although winning is important, I’d say playing well is the priority.”
Aside from re-uniting him with friends and family, the tour will also provide Howard with a welcome return to some home comforts of his native New York.
" I miss the day to day life," admits the 25-year-old whose mother is regular at the United themed Manhatten bar Nevada Smiths. " I lived there for 24 years so it’s all the little things that you get used to such as the comforts of home, food, friends, stores – it’s just a different culture. That doesn’t mean I haven’t enjoyed this [the English] culture too.
" I’m pretty quiet and laid-back so it’s been easy for me to live in the countryside. How do they compare? Well, the taxis are different colours! No, it’s not too bad. There are more things going on in New York, but Manchester is buzzing every now and again!"
