In the opening match for the United States against England in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the US was credited with having a strong defense, which was in no small part due to the United States’ goalkeeper Tim Howard, “who made six saves in 90 minutes” . Born and bred in New Jersey, the US national team Goalkeeper stands out in one way from other soccer players and the public at large- Tim Howard suffers from Tourette’s Syndrome.

Tourette’s Syndrome is characterized by “waxing and waning vocal tics” - when most of us take the time to think about  Tourette’s Syndrome, we tend to think about someone shouting out obscenities on the bus (or in the store as in the famed episode of South Park) and not what actual obstacles the people suffering from the disorder face. Because of the nature of Tourette’s Syndrome, I am fairly confident that most sufferers of Tourette’s Syndrome fail to get the respect they deserve for dealing with such a difficult disorder.

Approximately 200,000 Americans are believed to have Tourette’s Syndrome, which tends to improve as people reach adulthood; sufferers often have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or ADHD in addition to their Tourette’s Syndrome. As a leader on the soccer field, Tim Howard is an atypical sufferer of Tourette’s Syndrome because most people who suffer from Tourette’s Syndrome are afraid to live such public lives due to embarrassment and anxiety. 

When Tim Howard left the United States to play for Manchester United, the British tabloids were not friendly to the US Goalkeeper- some papers labeled him (and his disorder) as retarded and disabled. To make things tougher,  as a player for one of the best-known soccer teams in the world, Tim Howard lost all of the anonymity he had as a player in the United States, which he claims was not an easy role for him to take. In this article, he is quoted as saying that he didn’t want to play in the Church of Manchester United, which is what many call the field.