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Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard is in confident mood ahead of the USA's crunch World Cup qualifier with Cuba.
Howard, who emerged from the US semi-pro leagues to become the American No 1, has been a major factor in his country's 100 per cent start to the 2010 World Cup campaign.
Although he is yet to keep a cleansheet in an Everton jersey this season, Howard has recorded three successive international shutouts.
Should the US win in Washington on Saturday, progression to the final qualifying round will be assured.
Said Howard: "You can't complain about results [so far], but all coaches and players are perfectionists and we know we can always play better. After each game, we sit down and dissect it and find ways to improve. There is no perfect game; you can always make improvements.
"As a goalkeeper, you're only as good as the defenders in front of you. Carlos [Bocanegra] and Oguchi [Onyewu] have been amazing in the games so far, but so have our midfielders and forwards.
"We'll be playing Cuba for a second time now, and at home, so the onus is on us to take the game to them. We know what's at stake, but at the same time we can't get consumed with it. We just need to dictate the pace of the game and aim for the three points."
Howard, who rose to prominence with the New York Metrostars [now Red Bulls] before moving to England with Manchester United, is happy to have now made Goodison Park his home.
"Things just kept happening year after year," he said. "But now, in my third season with Everton, I can look back on just what a wild ride it's been.
"And, to be honest, I am pleased with where I am right now, with my development and the level I'm at."
