USA national team boss Juergen Klinsmann reserved special praise for goalkeeper Tim Howard following Saturday's 1-0 win over Honduras.
The Everton gloveman made some top-class saves to first keep the scores at 0-0 before preserving the US lead later in the contest and his performance was not lost on Klinsmann who also spoke highly of the former Manchester United man's leadership presence.
"He's providing a tremendous amount of leadership. Tim is really getting to a time of his career where he realizes the golden years are ahead," the German said.
"He's moving forward undoubtedly as the No. 1 here, he's playing for a very good team in Europe, and we want him to be one of the strong guys here both on and off the field. He has stepped up to that role.
"We really enjoy what he brings to the table."
