tgs.totalglobalsports.com
Good find, Mad, and good to know she's playing club soccer. I truly hope Howard has the talent to be a good major-college player, because
if she does, she'll obviously help the team. That said, I also worry that if she's NOT notably talented at the major-college level, Kirt will play her anyway, precisely because she's Tim Howard's kid.
A cynical comment? No: Kirt is that kind of coach, because he's made a bunch of similarly unwise personnel decisions in his first two years. He's got a track record of loyally--and stubbornly--playing individuals who are either transparently not very good or who are not producing on the field. It's been very noticeable--and one reason why the team's performance and record fell off significantly in his first two years at the helm.
One could watch 15 minutes of transfer Lawton playing last year--coming in as a sub--and tell immediately that she was far more effective at forward than Simmonds--yet Kirt was loyal to Simmonds. Indeed, Lawton was one of our two best players last year--and yet she didn't start until the season was halfway over, and only then because of injuries to starting forwards. You could watch 15 minutes of transfer Agresti and easily see she was better at defensive mid than Washington--yet Kirt seemed determined to start/play the individual who'd been on the team for years, despite never showing much talent at all and not playing much for that reason. What's more, he was absurdly loyal to Nelson to two years--started every game--despite showing little in games against decent opponents. One assist last year in 10 SEC games. Transfer Diaz, at the same position, played little. You can't make those kinds of decisions and expect to have a successful team.
I'm sorry to belabor this point--but I do so to explain why a commitment from Howard worries me as much as it please me. You can put it in the bank: Whatever her talent level, she'll play. This will be a /very/ fascinating and telling season for Kirt and his staff as given the size of the roster, and given the number of expererienced transfers mixed with players in the system for a couple of years, they will have to make a LOT of personnel decisions--and get the right.