|
|
U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard recorded a shutout in his return to Manchester United's lineup, giving him a strong chance of playing in the FA Cup final.
Howard barely had a shot to save in a 2-0 victory over Charlton on Tuesday night, his 15th shutout in 38 games.
Howard joined United last summer from Major League Soccer's MetroStars and forced French World Cup goalkeeper Fabien Barthez off the team.
A month ago, manager Alex Ferguson decided to rest Howard, saying he needed
a break from the Premier League season. Northern Ireland's Roy Carroll became
the starter.
After missing five games, Howard is now in position to play in the FA Cup final against Division One Millwall on May 22.
``I've not got a definite thought in my mind about the cup final,'' Ferguson said Wednesday. ``Tim Howard came back in on Tuesday, I thought it was time to see how he has recovered from his time out of the team. There are going to be opportunities there.''
United is also pressuring Chelsea in the race for second place in the league. With United a point behind Chelsea, Howard most likely will keep his place for Saturday's game against Liverpool.
With Arsenal all but certain of winning the league title, United wants to secure second place to avoid playing in the qualifying rounds for next season's Champions League.
United was knocked out of the Champions League on March 9 when Howard failed to hold a last-minute free kick against FC Porto, and the Reds lost 3-2 on total goals. Five days later, he conceded four goals in United's 4-1 loss at Manchester City.
Carroll took over
and helped United win three games and tie a fourth, knocking Arsenal out of
the FA Cup along the way. But he made mistakes, too, and was dropped after United
lost 1-0 at Portsmouth on Saturday.