Tim Howard

Fans yelling at players, making obscene gestures and just being overall ridiculous in the stands...it's all a part of the culture of professional sports. It's the jelly to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and it's just something that professionals and spectators have to accept.

The Colorado Rapid’s disappointing start to the 2017 season took another turn for the worse with goalkeeper Tim Howard being handed a three-match suspension and fine from MLS. 

The league handed Howard the suspension on the eve of Colorado’s 2-1 defeat to Real Salt Lake on Saturday. The incidents in question had taken place the previous Sunday at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City.

After falling victim to a season-ending groin injury during a game against Mexico last year, Tim Howard will look to bounce back  to start the 2017 season for the Colorado Rapids.

Last season, Howard compiled a record of 6-3-8 with the Rapids, with seven clean sheets, good for the ninth-most clean sheets in the MLS. Despite only playing half of the season, Howard was a finalist for the MLS goalkeeper of the year.

Last season, the Colorado Rapids shocked the world of the MLS by exploding into the playoffs, where they lost in a shootout in the Western Conference semifinals to the eventual MLS Champions, the Seattle Sounders.

The reason no one expected the Rapids to do well last season is since they won the MLS Cup in 2010, the Rapids have a combined record of 54-72-44. However, a few additions for the Rapids helped them in rising back to the top of the league: Dillon Powers, Tim Howard, Shkelzen Gashi, Marlon Hairston, Marco Pappa and Dominique Badji. 

Prior to Sunday’s match against Serbia, much of the coverage centered on the idea of dual-national American players. It’s not a new concept. The United States has been fielding dual nationals since US Soccer was founded.

Goalkeepers are odd. Anyone who’s ever been forced into the position by a lack of numbers can attest that it is a lonely, nerve-racking experience back there, but that’s the life they chose. 

Individual awards have an extreme preference for goal scorers, and a goalkeeper has only ever been awarded the Ballon d’Or on a single occasion — that being Lev Yashin in 1963. 

However, these goalkeeping records show the remarkable achievements that the position has contributed to the game.

According to ESPNFC, Tim Howard's muscle injury sustained against Mexico Friday is worse than first thought, and the Rapids' goalkeeper is in danger of missing the rest of the MLS playoffs.

Only 10 minutes into the United States versus Mexico in Columbus, Ohio, and it looked as though El Tri would break their scoreless jinx at the ground. Jesus ‘Tecatito’ Corona somehow made his way through three American defenders before sending a curling effort on frame.

The wicked shot rebounded off the frame of goal, and replays show that American goalkeeper Tim Howard played a massive role in that Mexican misfortune. A finger-tip save from the Colorado Rapids keeper pushed it onto the post, narrowly avoiding a fantastic opener for the visiting team.

The 2016 MLS Playoffs are already two weeks old, and 12 matches are in the books. However, with the international break arriving, the road to the MLS Cup takes a brief hiatus. Luckily for a few teams dealing with injuries, the extra time off to prepare for the 2016 MLS Conference Championships is exactly what’s needed. 

A slug fest in Colorado and a back and forth affair in Texas bookended the action on Sunday. Let’s take a look at the results from both second leg matches, TV schedule information for the conference finals and an updated prediction.