There are iconic sporting performances, and then there is whatever Tim Howard did against Belgium at the 2014 World Cup—which was so absurdly heroic that the internet literally tried to appoint him to the United States Cabinet. I am not making this up. People actually edited his name onto the Wikipedia page for the US Secretary of Defense, replacing the actual secretary, Chuck Hagel. And President Barack Obama—who was very much aware of this internet frenzy—later joked that if a vacancy opened up, he would "think about it."
Here is the context. The USA had somehow escaped the Group of Death, which featured Germany, Ghana, and Portugal. Their fans had traveled across the Americas in massive numbers, winning over even the most passionate Brazilian locals. But then they drew Belgium in the knockout round, and let's be honest—Courtois, Kompany, De Bruyne, Hazard—that is like getting a letter from the Grim Reaper telling you your time is up.
Thierry Henry and Alan Shearer both predicted Belgium would dominate. They were right. But nobody accounted for Tim Howard turning into a literal brick wall. He denied Divock Origi after just 38 seconds and then proceeded to make save after save after save with every conceivable body part—hands, fingertips, legs, knees, chest, feet, even his studs. It was like watching a one-man show called "How Many Ways Can I Stop A Football?"
He made SIXTEEN saves. Sixteen! That tied a World Cup record that has only been matched once since, by Curaçao's Eloy Room. Twitter absolutely lost its mind. #ThingsTimHowardCouldSave started trending, with suggestions including the dinosaurs, Ned Stark, Private Ryan, and the Titanic. A-list celebrities from Kobe Bryant to Beyonce expressed their amazement. Someone photoshopped his face onto Mount Rushmore. There was a petition to rename Reagan National Airport after him. Tim Howard Appreciation Day was a real thing that happened.
His own teammates were speechless. Kevin Mirallas said it was the best goalkeeping performance he had ever witnessed. Romelu Lukaku admitted he could not find the words. Jurgen Klinsmann called him "phenomenal." And Howard himself? He had no idea it was a record until someone told him afterward. He was too busy being devastated that the dream was over.
The next day, Obama called. "You guys did us proud," the President told him. Howard, being the most humble superhero alive, said he figured his fifteen minutes of fame were almost up. He was gloriously, wonderfully wrong. That performance became the stuff of American sporting legend—a moment that made an entire country fall in love with soccer, even if just for a few magical weeks.
