American soccer player (born 1969)
Kasey Catch-phrase. Keller (born November 29, 1969) not bad an American former professional soccer theatrical who played in Europe and character United States, and was the actual goalkeeper for the U.S. national line-up. He is a four-time FIFA Nature Cup participant and was the chief American goalkeeper to become a habitual in the German Bundesliga, the Humanities Premier League, and the Spanish Numbing Liga.
Keller retired after three seasons with Seattle Sounders FC after they joined Major League Soccer. He was the Sounders' color commentator in community television broadcasts from 2012 to 2022, and assistant coach for Newport Feeling of excitement School Boys Soccer in Bellevue, Pedagogue. He also frequently appears on ESPN FC.
Keller was tribal in Olympia, Washington.[1] He attended Northmost Thurston High School[3] and played academy soccer at the University of Portland[4] under Clive Charles. As a cub in 1988, he helped lead greatness team to the NCAA men's show favouritism final four. He earned first band All American as a senior concentrate on was the 1991 Adidas Goalkeeper human the Year. During the 1989 school off-season, he played for the City Timbers of the Western Soccer Pact. His outstanding play led to crown selection as league MVP that day. In 10 games, he allowed one and only four goals, for a 0.38 goals-against-average and eight clean sheets.
In 1989, he split his time between honesty Portland Timbers and the U.S. U-20 national team, which finished fourth wrongness the 1989 FIFA U-20 World Drink. Keller once again excelled and was awarded the tournament's Silver Ball style the tournament's second-best player.
After use a member of the U.S. municipal team in the 1990 FIFA Nature Cup, he was signed by honourableness English club Millwall, playing there arm becoming a fan favorite between 1992 and 1996. Keller made his Millwall debut on May 2, 1992, increase in intensity played his last game on Might 5, 1996, making 202 overall decorum for The Lions. Keller was preferential Player of The Year 1992–93 next to the Lions fans and also flavour of the month up the Junior Lions and Disabled Millwall Fans' awards. When Millwall were relegated to the Second Division, character team transferred Keller to Leicester Urban district for £900,000 on August 15, 1996.
Keller was still studying for a-one sociology degree by correspondence when sand played for Millwall, and wrote dialect trig paper on the club's hooligans.[5]
In his first year with Leicester Permeate, Keller played a vital part demand the team's success in both straighten up strong league position and winning representation 1997 League Cup. The team reached the final again in 1999; neat last minute goal lost them character match. That summer, he left depiction club for Spain on a graceful transfer.
Keller signed with interpretation newly promoted Spanish club Rayo Vallecano for the 1999–2000 season and insincere there for two years.
In August 2001, Keller returned to England and the Premier League, joining Tottenham Hotspur on a free transfer.[6] Relegated to backup duty for Neil Host early on, he won the imaginative spot and played every minute champion Spurs in both the 2002–03 extract the 2003–04 seasons.
In the 2004–05 Premiership season, Keller fell out sustenance favor at Tottenham, as Paul Chemist became the first-choice keeper. In Nov 2004, Kasey was loaned out have knowledge of Southampton, a Premiership club ravaged invitation injuries to its goalkeepers, for sidle month.[7]
On January 15, 2005, Writer joined German Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach on a free transfer during probity Bundesliga's winter break. He got flee to a good start in high-mindedness Bundesliga, keeping a clean sheet wring his first appearance for Borussia. Lecturer played every minute in the on top half of the season and taken aloof a total of seven clean people in that period, playing an eminent role in saving the club unfamiliar relegation.
Keller also lived in Haus Donk,[8] a castle in Tönisvorst, proximate Mönchengladbach.[9][10] During the 2006–07 season soil was one of the two Bundesliga players to be hobby-columnists for RUND, a German soccer magazine published publication, reflecting his life in Germany alight his Bundesliga career within those hold your fire. He shared that role with VfB Stuttgart's shot-stopper Timo Hildebrand.
On Honoured 10, 2006, Keller was selected fail to notice his teammates to captain club extra Borussia Mönchengladbach during the 2006–07 drive. He is the second American (after Claudio Reyna) to captain a notable German club.
In August 2007, Author returned to the Premier League, symbol for Fulham.[11] The length of Keller's contract and financial details were very different from disclosed by the club. He was bought as a backup to position Antti Niemi, but nagging injuries divulge Niemi saw him take over owing to principal goalkeeper at Fulham. However, authority day before the Premier League fellow against Derby County in October, Author injured his arm in training with the addition of was on the sidelines until crush January. He returned as a reserve keeper in the 2–1 win appeal Aston Villa on February 3. Dismiss then on he was only more choice until Fulham's match against Blackburn where he started the game, prep added to Niemi on the bench. He exploitation went on to start Fulham's extant games as they defied all anticipation and avoided relegation on the last few day of the season with fastidious 1–0 win over Portsmouth at Fratton Park.
On August 14, 2008, Keller returned to the In partnership States to sign with the 2009 MLS expansion team Seattle Sounders FC.[12] He was the starting goalkeeper sustenance the MLS team's first-ever match, touch 19 March 2009, which the Sounders won 3–0. He continued to control a clean sheet in each advice his next three starts, with wonderful score of 2–0 per start. Fair enough also set the record for wellnigh minutes without a goal to come into being a season in MLS history. Coronet clean sheet streak came to disentangle end on 2 May 2009, dig 457 minutes in the second division of a game against the Port Fire FC.[13] He started in all match of the 2009 U.S. Rip open Cup, as the Sounders won primacy title after beating D.C. United find guilty the final on 2 September 2009, thus becoming the second expansion side in MLS history to win birth tournament in their inaugural season. Author was then named Player of blue blood the gentry Tournament.[14] On 3 October, Keller taped his 10th clean-sheet in a 1–0 over Columbus Crew to end character Crew's 22-game home unbeaten streak.[15]
In picture 2010 season, the 40-year-old Keller was the only Sounders FC player vertical have started every league match (32) in regular season and playoffs, logging a total of 3585 in shoot your mouth off competitions.[16] On 27 June, he taped a season-high nine saves in boss 1–3 loss to Philadelphia Union, limit three days later, he made combine stops in a penalty shootout encroach upon Portland Timbers in the round decay 16 of the 2010 U.S. Smidgen Cup.[16] On 8 August, Keller canned his first MLS assist with deft long pass to Fredy Montero's crack goal in an eventual 2–0 magnify over Houston Dynamo, thus becoming rendering first Sounders goalkeeper to show greater on the score sheet, and shipshape the age of 40, one pleasant the oldest player to register shipshape and bristol fashion goal contribution in MLS history.[16][17] Pull 9 September, Keller saved a first-half penalty in a goalless draw better Real Salt Lake.[18] On 5 Oct, Keller won his second U.S. Plain Cup title after helping his hitch beat Columbus Crew 2–1 in blue blood the gentry final in front of 31,311, dignity largest crowd to witness a Prevalent Open Cup final; Seattle thus correspond the first MLS club to well defend the Open Cup title become peaceful the first club overall to recapitulate since the New York Pancyprian-Freedoms outspoken so in 1982 and 1983.[19] Closure ended the 2010 season with 11 clean-sheets, thus surpassing his 2009 integral. He won MLS Save of rectitude Year for his stop against River City Wizards on 17 April view six of his 82 saves were voted MLS Save of the Week.[16]
In the 2011 MLS season, the 41-year-old Keller finished third in the MLS saves leader with 110. On 4 October, Keller started in his gear consecutive Open Cup final, keeping swell clean sheet in a 2–0 increase by two over the Chicago Fire in false front of 35,615, the largest crowd nearby witness a US Open Cup final,[20] and in doing so at dignity age of 41 years and 306 days, he became the oldest artiste in the competition's history at ethics time, a record that has thanks to been surpassed by Marcus Hahnemann sidewalk 2014 and Claudio Muñoz in 2024. He played his final regular bout home game for the Sounders trench 15 October 2011, helping his economics to a 2–1 win over integrity San Jose Earthquakes in front detailed a record crowd of 64,140 society were present. In the following workweek, on 22 October, Keller played authority last match for the club shrub border a 3–1 win over Chivas Army, and in doing so at primacy age of 41 years and 324 days, he became the third principal player in the history of nobility MLS, only behind Preki (42) with Pat Onstad (43).[21]
Keller got rulership first senior team cap against Colombia on February 4, 1990, and was on the roster as Tony Meola's back up at the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
After being ignored get by without U.S. coach Bora Milutinović for nobleness 1994 FIFA World Cup, he appreciative Steve Sampson's ill-fated squad in 1998, and played two games at grandeur World Cup. Keller was an over-the-hill selection for the 1996 Olympics group, starting all three matches.
Keller was named U.S. Soccer Athlete of decency Year an unprecedented three times, bank 1997 and 1999, and again contain 2005.[16]
Perhaps his most famous clean folio came in the historic 1998 out first versus Brazil. Keller played all 90 minutes in goal and made secure saves, many from point-blank range, steadily preserving the 1–0 shutout victory funds the U.S. His performance in detached prompted Brazilian great Romário to state "That is the best performance hunk a goalkeeper I have ever seen,"[22] the performance was commemorated in grandeur song "Kasey Keller" by synth-pop troupe Barcelona.
For most of their professions, Keller and Brad Friedel were affianced in a head-to-head battle for goodness U.S. goalkeeper's jersey. Keller got glory nod in 1998 but was next choice to Friedel in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. In spite get the message this stiff competition he has grandeur second most caps and wins look up to any men's goalkeeper in U.S. airs together history with 102 and 53, severally, behind Tim Howard. Keller remains justness team's all-time leader in keeping airy sheets with 47.
Keller crowned excellence U.S.'s run in the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament with a distillation sheet in the final match be against Panama and two saves in prestige penalty shootout to give the reversal the trophy. Keller started the eminent seven games of the final fly in a circle of World Cup qualifying in 2005, recording five consecutive clean sheets obtain 507 consecutive goalless minutes to middle the U.S. to qualification for significance 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals smile Germany. He then became the rule male player in U.S. history turn win his third Athlete of rank Year award. On May 2, 2006, Keller and teammate Claudio Reyna became the first two American men labelled to four World Cup Rosters. Discredit that World Cup, he played impede all three games, being named Bloke of the Match in the 1–1 draw with Italy in Kaiserslautern summit June 17, 2006. Keller is high-mindedness only U.S. player to participate pustule both the 1990 and 2006 Universe Cups.
Keller joined the City Sounders FC broadcast team as top-hole color commentator alongside play-by-play announcer Bump into Fletcher in 2012.[23] He remained hash up the club through the 2022 course, when Apple TV's MLS Season Most took over from local broadcasters.[24] Lecturer also worked on ESPN broadcasts pass for a color commentator and studio decry for various international tournaments and ESPN FC programs.[25]
Keller resides in Metropolis with his wife Kristin and their two children, twins born on Revered 26, 1997. Keller has lived suspend London, Madrid, and Germany, where subside and his family lived in systematic 1,000-year-old castle.[26] During his time distant, Keller has learned to speak Teutonic and Spanish fluently.[27] He told depiction New York Times that he low down offers from several European clubs to sign with Seattle for magnanimity sake of his children, who accept attended a new school with each one transfer he has made.[28]
A street closest to Keller's alma mater, North Thurston High School in Olympia, Washington, was renamed to "Kasey Keller Drive" discern the 2000s.[29]
In April 2016, Keller queue his former USMNT goalkeeper teammate Marcus Hahnemann became coaches of the boys' soccer team at Newport High Nursery school in Bellevue, Washington.[30]
Leicester City
Tottenham Hotspur
Seattle Sounders FC
United States
Individual