Howard MVP Delight

Tim Howard was delighted to get his season off to a flying start.

The goalkeeper was named as the MVP (most valuable player) after Everton beat the MLS All-Stars on penalties.

>More post match interviews

The victory - and the accolade - were particularly special for Howard, who received a great reception from the American fans.

His performance was all the more encouraging because it was his first competitive action of the summer.

"It was awesome, being MVP was the icing on the cake," he told evertonTV.

"I need to put in good performances and this was my first performance of the pre-season so it was important I got off on the right foot."

Howard insisted his display was a result of plenty of hard work on the training field over the last ten days.

"We have been working hard and Chris Woods has been putting us through our paces," he explained.

"I'm here to make saves so the more saves I make, the happier I am."