When Tim Howard took the field for the first time in a Rapids jersey on Monday night, the roar was so load that children in the front row stuck their fingers in their ears. One fan stood screaming “Timmy” at the top of his lungs as though he had known Tim Howard, the Rapids new goalie, for years.
As “Welcome Tim” flashed across the jumbo tron and the crowd whooped and hollered, the “Secretary of Defense” took his place in the goal box with cameras following him the entire run back from midfield. The crowd was vibrating with excitement.