U.S. coach Bob Bradley was unsure if Tim Howard’s bruised ribs were broken during a collision with Emile Heskey in the Americans’ 1-1 draw in Saturday’s World Cup opener against England. But Bradley reportedly is optimistic about his star goalkeeper starting in Friday’s Group C game against Slovenia.
Howard was treated and evaluated yesterday to determine if further tests are needed, and Bradley said a decision would come later in the week.
“He’ll be evaluated later and then a decision will be made as to whether he’ll need further tests,” Bradley said. “Obviously, he was sore. He did a great job of taking a tough hit, staying in it and playing really well. But we’ll assess him later and then figure out what we need to do from there.”
Howard got hurt in a 29th-minute when Heskey’s foot hit him in the chest full-speed. He played the rest of the game, making six saves.
“I was going to give myself 5, 10 minutes to figure out where I was, but I was hurting and sore,” Howard said. “I’ll be even more sore the next couple days. But maybe it’ll get me out of training.
“It felt like agony,” he said. “I knew Heskey was going to slide in, and he had every right to that ball, the same as I did.”
If Howard can’t play, Marcus Hahnemann, who has supplanted Brad Guzan as the backup, will start.
“We know Tim’s an excellent keeper,” defender Steve Cherundolo said. “Anytime you’re in a big game like that and you get injured, there’s no chance you’re letting anyone take you off that field.
“It speaks for his character,” he said. “Having a good goalkeeper at a tournament like this is essential so we’re very happy Tim’s on our team, and we’re certain he’ll continue with his good performances.”
