U.S. keeper Howard has his feet firmly on the ground

After breaking into the Premiership at Man United, Tim Howard has entrenched himself as the starting goalkeeper at Everton. Vladimir Pesnya/Epsilon/Getty Images

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MANCHESTER, England -- They make money hand over fist, drive fancy cars and generally live the high life. But anyone who's tempted to characterize English Premier League players as being arrogant, flashy, nouveau riche, tawdry or coarse should meet Tim Howard.

Calm, gentle, considerate, articulate, moral and polite, he's the sort of guy women want to take home to meet their mothers. But they'd be too late.

Team Limey's Jon Pickstone made a trip to Howard's tasteful south Manchester home and, over tea and biscuits, discovered a man surrounded by a young family, very much at peace with the world. Supported by his strong beliefs and values, Howard is now the U.S. national team's starting goalkeeper, while in the EPL, he's thriving at Everton and playing some great soccer.

Howard left the MetroStars of Major League Soccer in 2003 for Manchester United, a huge break and compliment for a young goalkeeper. The last time SI.com caught up with him was May '05, when Howard was the starter for Man United.

He had just signed a new contract, yet later that summer was replaced as United's No. 1 by a new signing -- Dutch international Edwin van der Sar. Howard chose to be loaned out to Everton, and the comments he made at the time suggested an understandable degree of disappointment.

But today, any regrets seem long gone. Wisely, in an increasingly commercial age, he considers soccer as a business where players shouldn't take their club's decisions personally. "It's obviously been a justified move," he generously argues, given his own fine form. "Edwin's played tremendously well."

Looking back, he has fond memories: "I had a fantastic time [at Man Utd], won a few things, became very cultured to the way football's played around the world, so I'm thankful for that. It was truly amazing to have Man United be my first team outside of America because it really opened my eyes and it set a standard for me." But, he says, "That part's done; I've moved onto a new chapter and I'm really enjoying Everton."

Asked whether he considered remaining as No. 2 at United, Howard quickly displays an honest values set: "I could have stayed at Man United probably for 10 years as No. 2, could have made a lot of money, won a few medals -- but that's not for me. It'd be boring. I believe in trying to earn my keep and, to me, there's something important about trying to perform every weekend."

This past February, at Everton's request, Howard chose to make his transfer permanent. "I liked everything about the club, the fans, the stadium, etc.," he says. "It was a place I could see myself."

Howard seems a man rarely fazed. "Coming to a country where this sport is so scrutinized required an adjustment, but I don't really get bothered by the media," he says matter-of-factly. "They have their way of doing things, I have mine."

Even moving across the pond required little adjustment: "I struggled with some accents in the first couple of weeks, and I won't go near black pudding [a rich-tasting sausage made with pig's blood]," he quips.

Yet surely facing a Dirk Kuyt penalty in the last minute of last month's Merseyside derby must put a man on edge. "It was the 93rd minute and he went to my left previously [a 54th-minute penalty kick for a goal], so I thought he's not going to be trying any tricks here, he's going to go with what he knows and shoot left again," Howard recalls.

It was a decision he'd keep irrespective of the nature of Kuyt's run-up. And Howard was correct: Kuyt shot to his left, yet the decisive penalty was delivered too strongly to save as Liverpool defeated Everton 2-1. This calm, logical approach came despite Howard's belief that out of games he's appeared in, "The Merseyside derby is the most passionate outside of the U.S. vs. Mexico."

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