'Depressed & Numb'- Howard Opens Up on Mental Health Struggles After USMNT’s Loss to Trinidad

Tim Howard, widely considered one of the greatest American soccer players of all time, recently opened up about his mental health struggles following what many consider the darkest moment in USMNT history—the shocking loss to Trinidad & Tobago that kept the U.S. out of the 2018 World Cup.

In 2017, the U.S. Men’s National Team faced Trinidad & Tobago in a must-win World Cup qualifier. All they needed was a draw to secure their spot in Russia. Instead, they suffered a shocking 2-1 defeat. The result eliminated them from World Cup qualification for the first time since 1986.

The defeat hit the players hard. Trinidad & Tobago, already eliminated, were playing only to fulfill the schedule. But an early goal, followed by an own goal from Omar Gonzalez, stunned the Americans. After the match, many players reportedly sat in silence for hours, unable to process what had just happened.

In the latest episode of Unfiltered Soccer with Landon Donovan and Tim Howard, the former Everton goalkeeper revealed how that night impacted him mentally.

"I had, at the time, a place in Florida, and I think—I can’t remember who was my coach in Denver—but they were like, 'You can have a few days off.' I went straight to my place in Florida," Howard said.

He explained that in the days that followed, he experienced something unfamiliar: depression.

"I’m not a depressed person. Obviously, mental health is real, and I’ve never had bouts of depression. But I remember being depressed. And numb. Like… numb. Like the world was just hazy. I would go into a store and people would talk to me—or I would talk to somebody—and I was just in a haze," Howard admitted.