The Keeper: A Life of Saving Goals and Achieving Them (33 page)

To Mulch: it is fair to say that this book, and indeed my whole life, would be very different—and far less—without you. You’ve been a coach, a mentor, and a dear friend. You are with me every time I take my place in the box. Here’s to the 732.

To my many coaches: Bruce Arena, Bob Bradley, Alex Ferguson, Jürgen Klinsmann, David Moyes, Roberto Martinez, and my goalkeeping coaches, Peter Mellor, Inaki Bergara, and Chris Woods. Thank you for trusting me, and for pushing me.

This book comes from the indefatigable passion and support of my editor, David Hirshey. Thank you for your uncompromising vision, your unflagging energy, and your unyielding focus on excellence. And to Sydney Pierce: your efforts in shepherding this manuscript on its narrow timeline, with so many parties involved, have been nothing short of heroic.

To Ali Benjamin, thank you for your steadfast and tireless commitment to my cause. Our deadline was tight and my schedule was crazy, yet you captured my thoughts, ideas, and tales in a book that I am proud to share with the world.

To NBC Sports, which has given me the honor of broadcasting Premier League games, and to my commercial sponsors, past and present, who support me and also support the sport of soccer. Special mention goes to my long-standing partner, Nike, who helped make me a pro in the first place with the Project 40 program and has been with me my whole career.

To the million or so other people who helped shape my story: Chris Brienza, Rob Skead, Ross Paule, Clint Mathis, Rob Vartughian, Steve Senior, Ed Breheny, Stan Williston, James Martin, and Reverend Hooper. I’m so honored to have shared time with you. And to the admirable people I’ve met through the TS community: Faith and Kim Rice, Marisa Lenger, the Kowalski family, and everyone at the New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome and the Tourette Syndrome Association: thanks for sharing your stories and for helping change the world.

I’m endlessly grateful to my family. To my father: thank you for your love and support.

To Chris: you’re the warrior, my brother.

To my grandparents—Poppa, Momma, and Nana. I love you, and I know I’ll see you all again one day.

To my mom—my rock, my inspiration, my unconditional support.

To Laura. I’m so grateful to you, both for who we once were, and for who we still are today. We made two miracles. If I scoured the whole world, I could never find a better mother for Jacob and Alivia.

And, finally, to my beautiful children: my blessings, my heartbeats. Everything has been for you. Always.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

TIM HOWARD
is the goalkeeper for Everton in the English Premier League and the U.S. Men’s National Team. He previously played for the MetroStars in Major League Soccer and for the storied club Manchester United. In July 2014, he broke the record for most saves (15) in a World Cup game. He also works as a soccer broadcaster on NBC’s weekly coverage of the EPL.

ALI BENJAMIN
is the coauthor (with Paige Rawl) of
Positive
the acclaimed memoir about teen bullying. She lives in rural Massachusetts with her husband and two children, all ardent soccer fans.

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CREDITS

FRONT COVER PHOTOGRAPH © MARK TUCKER

COVER DESIGN BY GREGG KULICK

TITLE PAGE PHOTOGRAPH BY KEVIN C. COX/GETTY IMAGES

COPYRIGHT

THE KEEPER
. Copyright © 2014 by Tim Howard. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

FIRST EDITION

ISBN: 978-0-06-238739-4

ISBN: 978-0-06-239628-0 (Signed Edition)

EPub Edition December 2014 ISBN 9780062387387

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