Nelson Rodriguez won’t say he had a big role in Tim Howard’s illustrious career. Yet the Fire president and general manager happened to be there for some of the key moments of Howard’s ascent.
“Everything that Tim has attained, he has earned,” Rodriguez said. “He’s earned it through single-mindedness, through passion. I’m proud of him.”
On Saturday, Howard and the Colorado Rapids will visit the Fire. Retiring at the end of the season, Howard will be making one final trip as an active player to the Chicago area, and it will be another time his path crosses with Rodriguez.
During a phone interview with the Sun-Times, Howard recalled a conversation with Rodriguez at a youth soccer tournament about whether Howard would go to college or turn pro. Howard said he was joining MLS, and Rodriguez told him it was a great decision, and that if he ever needed anything he could reach out.
“He was someone who looked out for me at a young age,” Howard said. “In terms of any time there was a big decision, he was in and around those type of decisions.”
But their connections go deeper than that discussion and being from New Jersey.
One of Howard’s goalkeeping mentors is Tim Mulqueen, Rodriguez’s closest friend. Then an assistant coach at Rutgers alongside Rodriguez, Mulqueen started a goalkeepers’ program. One of the attendees was a 12-year-old Howard, who stood out for his athleticism, courage, and comfort with the ball.
Then in 1998, Mulqueen was the goalkeeping coach of the MetroStars (now New York Red Bulls), and Rodriguez was an executive with the club. Rodriguez, with fellow MetroStars executive and now-head of the International Champions Cup Charlie Stillitano, signed an 18-year-old Howard to a Project-40 deal since the goalkeeper was not yet eligible for the draft.
By 2003, Rodriguez had joined the MLS league office and Howard emerged as one of best young goalies on the planet. Manchester United and famed manager Alex Ferguson came calling, and Rodriguez was part of the negotiations that brought Howard to one of the biggest sports teams in the world.
“I keep my circle very tight, and I only put very trustworthy, stand-up people in it,” Howard said. “Certainly, Nelson is one of them. He’s always had time, he’s always been a man of his word, someone who I trust and respect.”
That feeling is mutual.
Rodriguez said Howard and his rise represent the rise of MLS and the U.S. becoming a soccer country. Calling Howard a “figure for history,” Rodriguez said he’s an American legend in the sport, with his 16-save performance against Belgium in the 2014 World Cup the punctuation.
“Looking at him, it’s proof of the dream becoming reality,” Rodriguez said. “Not just for him, for all of us who had a sliver of a similar dream.”
NOTE: Following the Fire game, the Red Stars will host Portland as part of a doubleheader at SeatGeek Stadium. The Red Stars’ kickoff is scheduled for 2:30.
