Tim Howard – starting goalie for Everton and the U.S. National Team – scored a “you-have-to-see-it-to-believe-it” goal today vs. Bolton. This Deadspin article has a video of it.
Howard became only the 4th goalie in English Premier League history to score a goal. Peter Schmeichel, Paul Robinson and Brad Friedel (another American) are the other three.
Somewhat forgotten in all this was that Landon Donovan made his Everton return today, as he is on loan from the L.A. Galaxy. There was a time when the majority of Americans you saw in the top flight of European Football were goalies. And make no mistake about it, these goalies were good – Kasey Keller and Friedel were the pioneers. But now, you have Donovan, Howard, Clint Dempsey, Carlos Bocanegra, Maurice Edu, Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore, Steve Cherundolo and many, many more playing in the top flight of world football. And this can only mean Team U.S.A. will just keep getting better.