It was a heartbreaking loss for Team USA against Belgium in the World Cup yesterday, but goalkeeper Tim Howard managed to set an astounding record for most saves by a goalkeeper during a World Cup game.
Howard made 16 saves during the game, and kept Belgium from scoring until the first half of extra time. However, it was not enough to beat Belgium, who won the match 2-1.
“That’s my job. That’s what I signed up to do. It’s part of it,’’ Howard told ESPN after the game. “In these big games against top quality competition, the levee is going to break if we continue that. Hats off to Belgium, they were fantastic. But we gave a valiant effort.”
“It’s heartbreaking,” he added. “I don’t think we could’ve given any more. … What a great game of football. We left it all out there. We got beat by a really good team. They took their chances well. It’s heartache. It hurts.’’
His amazing performance did inspire a social media craze, including numerous memes and a #ThingsTimHowardCouldSave trend.
Here’s a look at some of the best memes that were made about Tim Howard:
Accurate. pic.twitter.com/1swEMnSWZe
— Bart Hubbuch (@HubbuchNYP) July 1, 2014
Tim Howard. pic.twitter.com/3HQA5v0spA
— World Cup 2014 (@WorldCupPosts) July 1, 2014
#ThingsTimHowardCouldSave pic.twitter.com/h8vHlnrPKW
— Joe (@jdgroom) July 2, 2014
Thank you Internet for #ThingsTimHowardCouldSave (pic via @@sixpacksportz) pic.twitter.com/iAYNdtyVRp
— SportsNation (@SportsNation) July 2, 2014
#ThingsTimHowardCouldSave pic.twitter.com/j5wPFyjBOT
— Sierra Club (@sierraclub) July 2, 2014
#ThingsTimHowardCouldSave that chick in Jaws movie poster pic.twitter.com/1BOKKfnMjm
— Manchesterholic (@TarekTamo) July 2, 2014
#ThingsTimHowardCouldSave pic.twitter.com/HwTtye5MAE
— Not Match of the Day (@NOT_MOTD) July 2, 2014
Pretty much http://t.co/rxw6MIYhcl pic.twitter.com/S5189WYwBp
— Aaron Blake (@AaronBlakeWP) July 2, 2014
— Jen Lewis (@thisjenlewis) July 1, 2014
