In his new autobiography, The Keeper, which is set to be released Tuesday, Everton and USA goalkeeper Tim Howard accuses former USA No. 1 Brad Friedel of trying to“sabotage” his move from MLS to Manchester United in 2003. In fact, Howard says that Freidel “actively tried to block” the move by first refusing to sign a letter that wouldhave helped the younger goalkeeper get a work permit, and then later telling England’s Professional Footballers’ Association that Howard shouldn’t be given one.
“‘You’rekidding me,’” Howard says. “Friedel was among what was then a handful of American players in the Premier League; his influence was huge. Having himself been denied several times, heunderstood better than anyone exactly what was at stake. Why wouldn’t he vouch for me? I mean, who would sabotage his own countryman like that?”
Friedel, however, tells ESPN that he neverwrote a “letter of negativity” to the PFA about Tim Howard, although he does admit that he refused to sign the letter that was presented to him on Howard’s behalf. After initiallyagreeing to sign the letter, Friedel says: “The letter was full of exaggerations that the people on the PFA [Professional Footballers’ Association] and appeals committee would have seen through. Yes,I refused to sign that. We got the letter and said ‘We have to change this, because this isn’t true.’ We made our changes and sent it back. They didn’t like what I was going to sign, so they didn’tuse it. And that was the end of the matter.”