American vies for FA Cup Medal

By STUART CONDIE, AP Sports Writer

LONDON (AP)—Goalkeeper Tim Howard thinks an FA Cup final win with Everton on Saturday would feel even better than the one he enjoyed with Manchester United five years ago.

Howard became the first American to win the FA Cup when his United team routed lower-league Millwall 3-0 in the 2004 final. But that was just one of the 25 major titles United has won under manager Alex Ferguson.

Victory for Everton over much-lauded Chelsea at Wembley would earn the club its first trophy since 1995 and give fans a rare reminder of the status it enjoyed until the late 1980s as one of England’s biggest teams.

“In a crazy way, it would mean more this time,” Howard told The Associated Press. “For all those reasons, but also because it’s a very special club and it’s become home to me.”

Howard needed that home after becoming just one of several goalkeepers who struggled to fill the huge gap left by Denmark great Peter Schmeichel at Manchester United.

Having moved to Old Trafford from Major League Soccer’s MetroStars in 2003, he switched to Everton three years later after United manager Alex Ferguson signed veteran Edwin van der Sar.

He has since established himself as a Premier League No. 1 and a key component of a team that has finished fifth in the league for the past two years despite operating on a far lower budget than the elite sides.

Everton finished the season in good form with a 2-0 win at Fulham, a crucial boost to morale.

“It was great to keep piling in rather than limping over the line,” Howard said. “The manager has been pointing out to us that you can’t just turn it on and off again.”

Encouraging, considering Everton is up against a Chelsea squad including Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, John Terry and Michael Essien.

While Chelsea should have a fully healthy squad, Everton will again be without playmaker Mikel Arteta, striker Yakubu Ayegbeni, key defender Phil Jagielka and forward Victor Anichebe.

That makes preparation and organization even more important for an Everton side that has built its success on those virtues.

For his part, Howard, who stopped two penalties in Everton’s semifinal shootout win over Manchester United, will again study the spot-kick technique of his opponents.

“We’ll certainly leave no stone unturned,” Howard said.

If Everton wins, Howard will have less time to celebrate than his teammates after being called into the United States’ squad for World Cup qualifying matches against Costa Rica and Honduras.

But Howard is thinking only about Saturday.

“I’ll just treat it like any other game,” Howard said. “I’ve no crazy preparations or anything like that. I’ll just get my feet up if I have a chance and maybe have a lie down.”