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51. US Soccer Family News

US SOCCER FAMILY NEWS: TIM HOWARD SPEAKS ABOUT HANNAH BEDAL'S ACCIDENT
Posted November 10, 2016
By: Rachel Jones

Tim Howard and the USMNT are set to play Mexico in Columbus, Ohio tomorrow to kick off The Hex. Howard and Christian Pulisic were called up, but they were almost immediate doubts for the games, Howard more so than Pulisic. Howard's younger half sister, and Pulisic's girlfriend, Hannah Bedal, was involved in a serious car crash on October 30th with fellow Quadrille dancers Seo-Hoo Yun, Antonin Monie, and Alexandre Labrot.

Howard and Pulisic rushes to be with her in Paris. Howard, who plays for the Colorado Rapids, played in a 1-0 loss to LA Galaxy in the MLS Cup semi-finals on the same night as Bedal's accident. He caught the first flight he could to Paris to be with his younger sister. Pulisic also went to Paris, with Borussia Dortmund saying he wouldn't feature in the trainings leading up to the last Bundesliga game before the International Break.

We haven't had a lot of information come out about the accident. The Royal French Ballet Theatre released a statement saying that Bedal, Yun, Monie, and Labrot wouldn't be performing in the next several performances of 'Giselle' due to injuries, but that was all they said on the matter.

We had the chance to catch up with Howard earlier today to talk about the Hex, and we, of course, had to ask about his family.

Rachel Jones: Hi, Nice to see you again, Tim.

Tim Howard: Nice to see you too. How are you?

RJ: I'm doing very well, thank you. And yourself?

TH: I'm well thanks.

RJ: So tomorrow you kick off The Hex against Mexico, how are you feeling?

TH: I'm feeling good-really good. We have a long history playing Mexico. I'm coming off a massive win versus LA Galaxy in the MLS Cup Semi-finals, so my confidence is definitely high.

RJ: You did have a massive game against Galaxy, in which the Rapids won the penalty shoot out. That had to feel good!

TH: Oh yeah. That was an amazing feeling. Super excited to have won and be going to the finals. It's a great boost before starting The Hex.

RJ: Now your two children, Jacob and Alivia, were there in the stadium, correct?

TH: They were. It was great to have them both there. My kids are my everything. They love going to games. Everyone loves going to games. It's a family event.

RJ: It sounds like it. Now speaking of family, how is Hannah doing after her accident?

TH: Hannah's doing better. I was fortunate to be allowed to go visit her before coming here. It also helped to know that Christian was able to be there so quickly. It's been hard on both of us to be away from her but me and Hannah's mom is there with her.

RJ: I'm sure it is hard. Do you have any details on what happened?

TH: Yes. Antonin was driving the four of them home from a company dinner. It was raining pretty hard. Another car was going too fast and then started to hydroplane and couldn't stop. That car t-boned the car that Hannah and her friends were in. Seo-Hoo and and Antonin are doing a lot better, but Hannah and Alexandre are both still in the hospital. Seo-Hoo was in back seat on the driver's side. Hannah and Alexandre were on the passenger's side which was where the car was hit, so their injuries are a lot worse. I'm grateful that Hannah is still here with us. It was a bit touch and go for a while, but she's a fighter. Thank you; it was nice to talk to you again.

RJ: Thank you, and good luck tomorrow.

Best of luck to Howard and Pulisic who take on Mexico tomorrow to kick off the Hex. Best wishes to Bedal as she recovers from her accident.