America’s dream of winning the World Cup were dashed Tuesday with a 2-1 defeat by Belgium, but fans still can’t get over Tim Howard’s incredible performance as a goalie.
So much so that some fans are petitioning the White House to rename Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in D.C. after Howard, who set a record-setting 16 saves in the elimination game.
Thus far, the petition has amassed more than 5,000 signatures, but it’s still a long way from its goal of 100,000 signatures. It reads:
Whereas Tim Howard has shown himself to be a national treasure, Minister of Defense, Friend of Joe Biden, and the holder for the record of most saves in a World Cup match; Therefore, we politely request that we rename the airport to recognize his accomplishments, and meritorious service to the United States of America.
But the Tim Howard-mania doesn’t stop there. The goalkeeper’s superb performance in the round of 16 game inspired the #ThingsTimHowardCouldSave meme: the Titanic, dinosaurs, Mufasa from The Lion King, Taylor Swift from Kanye West, Janet Jackson’s nip slip, to name a few.
He also was the subject of an amazing Wikipedia edit. After the U.S.’s heartbreaking defeat, users altered the Internet-edited encyclopedia to list Howard as the U.S. Secretary of Defense, before reverting back to Chuck Hagel. Even Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales was amused, calling the update “exquisite.”