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.jpg) Keller withSeattle Sounders FC in 2010 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Kasey Christopher Keller[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1969-11-29)November 29, 1969 (age 55)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Olympia, Washington, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1991 | Portland Pilots | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989 | Portland Timbers | 10 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1996 | Millwall | 175 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1999 | Leicester City | 99 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2001 | Rayo Vallecano | 51 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2005 | Tottenham Hotspur | 85 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | →Southampton (loan) | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | 78 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Fulham | 13 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Seattle Sounders FC | 93 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 609 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989 | United States U20 | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996 | United States Olympic (O.P.) | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–2007 | United States | 102 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | United States U20 (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | United States (assistant) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kasey Christopher Keller (born November 29, 1969) is an American former professionalsoccer player who played in Europe and the United States, and was the startinggoalkeeper for theU.S. national team. He is a four-timeFIFA World Cup participant and was the first American goalkeeper to become a regular in the GermanBundesliga, the EnglishPremier League, and the SpanishLa Liga.
Keller retired after three seasons withSeattle Sounders FC after they joinedMajor League Soccer. He was the Sounders'color commentator in local television broadcasts from 2012 to 2022, and assistant coach for Newport High School Boys Soccer in Bellevue, Washington. He also frequently appears onESPN FC.
Keller was born inOlympia,Washington.[1] He attendedNorth Thurston High School[3] and playedcollege soccer at theUniversity of Portland[4] underClive Charles. As afreshman in 1988, he helped lead the team to theNCAA men's soccer final four. He earnedfirst team All American as a senior and was the 1991 Adidas Goalkeeper of the Year. During the 1989 college off-season, he played for thePortland Timbers of theWestern Soccer Alliance. His outstanding play led to his selection as leagueMVP that year. In 10 games, he allowed only four goals, for a 0.38 goals-against-average and eight clean sheets.
In 1989, he split his time between the Portland Timbers and the U.S. U-20 national team, which finished fourth at the1989 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Keller once again excelled and was awarded the tournament's Silver Ball as the tournament's second-best player.
After being a member of theU.S. national team in the1990 FIFA World Cup, he was signed by the English clubMillwall, playing there and becoming a fan favorite between 1992 and 1996.[5] Keller made his Millwall debut on May 2, 1992, and played his last game on May 5, 1996, making 202 overall appearances for The Lions. Keller was votedPlayer of The Year 1992–93 by the Lions fans and also picked up theJunior Lions andDisabled Millwall Fans' awards. When Millwall were relegated to theSecond Division, the team transferred Keller toLeicester City for £900,000 on August 15, 1996.
Keller was still studying for asociology degree by correspondence when he played for Millwall, and wrote a paper onthe club's hooligans.[6]
In his first year withLeicester City, Keller played a vital part in the team's success in both a strong league position and winning the 1997League Cup. The team reached the final again in 1999; a last minute goal lost them the match. That summer, he left the club for Spain on a free transfer.
Keller signed with the newly promoted Spanish clubRayo Vallecano for the 1999–2000 season and played there for two years.
In August 2001, Keller returned to England and the Premier League, joiningTottenham Hotspur on a free transfer.[7] Relegated to backup duty forNeil Sullivan early on, he won the starting spot and played every minute for Spurs in both the2002–03 and the2003–04 seasons.
In the2004–05 Premiership season, Keller fell out of favor at Tottenham, asPaul Robinson became the first-choice keeper. In November 2004, Kasey was loaned out toSouthampton, a Premiership club ravaged by injuries to its goalkeepers, for one month.[8]
On January 15, 2005, Keller joined GermanBundesliga sideBorussia Mönchengladbach on a free transfer during the Bundesliga's winter break. He got off to a good start in the Bundesliga, keeping a clean sheet in his first appearance for Borussia. Keller played every minute in the second half of the season and kept a total of seven clean sheets in that period, playing an important role in saving the club from relegation.
Keller also lived in Haus Donk,[9] a castle inTönisvorst, near Mönchengladbach.[10][11] During the 2006–07 season he was one of the two Bundesliga players to be hobby-columnists forRUND, a German soccer magazine published monthly, reflecting his life in Germany and his Bundesliga career within those lines. He shared that role withVfB Stuttgart's shot-stopperTimo Hildebrand.
On August 10, 2006, Keller was selected by his teammates to captain club side Borussia Mönchengladbach during the 2006–07 campaign. He is the second American (afterClaudio Reyna) to captain a top-level German club.
In August 2007, Keller returned to the Premier League, signing forFulham.[12] The length of Keller's contract and financial details were not disclosed by the club. He was bought as a backup to goalkeeperAntti Niemi, but nagging injuries to Niemi saw him take over as principal goalkeeper at Fulham. However, the day before the Premier League match againstDerby County in October, Keller injured his arm in training and was on the sidelines until late January. He returned as a substitute keeper in the 2–1 win overAston Villa on February 3. From then on he was only second choice until Fulham's match against Blackburn where he started the game, with Niemi on the bench. He then went on to start Fulham's remaining games as they defied all odds and avoided relegation on the last day of the season with a 1–0 win overPortsmouth atFratton Park.
On August 14, 2008, Keller returned to the United States to sign with the 2009 MLS expansion teamSeattle Sounders FC.[13] He was the starting goalkeeper for the MLS team's first-ever match, on 19 March 2009, which the Sounders won 3–0. He continued to have a clean sheet in each of his next three starts, with a score of 2–0 per start. He also set the record for most minutes without a goal to start a season in MLS history. His clean sheet streak came to an end on 2 May 2009, at 457 minutes in the second half of a game against theChicago Fire FC.[14] He started in every match of the2009 U.S. Open Cup, as the Sounders won the title after beating D.C. United in thefinal on 2 September 2009, thus becoming the secondexpansion team in MLS history to win the tournament in their inaugural season. Keller was then named TheCup.us Player of the Tournament.[15] On 3 October, Keller recorded his 10th clean-sheet in a 1–0 over Columbus Crew to end the Crew's 22-game home unbeaten streak.[16]
In the 2010 season, the 40-year-old Keller was the only Sounders FC player to have started every league match (32) in regular season and playoffs, logging a total of 3585 in all competitions.[17] On 27 June, he recorded a season-high nine saves in a 1–3 loss toPhiladelphia Union, and three days later, he made two stops in a penalty shootout against Portland Timbers in the round of 16 of the2010 U.S. Open Cup.[17] On 8 August, Keller recorded his first MLS assist with a long pass toFredy Montero's opening goal in an eventual 2–0 win over Houston Dynamo, thus becoming the first Sounders goalkeeper to show up on the score sheet, and at the age of 40, one of the oldest player to register a goal contribution in MLS history.[17][18] On 9 September, Keller saved a first-half penalty in a goalless draw with Real Salt Lake.[19] On 5 October, Keller won his second U.S. Open Cup title after helping his side beat Columbus Crew 2–1 in thefinal in front of 31,311, the largest crowd to witness a US Open Cup final; Seattle thus become the first MLS club to successfully defend the Open Cup title and the first club overall to repeat since theNew York Pancyprian-Freedoms did so in 1982 and 1983.[20] He ended the 2010 season with 11 clean-sheets, thus surpassing his 2009 total. He won MLS Save of the Year for his stop againstKansas City Wizards on 17 April and six of his 82 saves were voted MLS Save of the Week.[17]
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 third consecutiveOpen Cup final, keeping a clean sheet in a 2–0 win over the Chicago Fire in front of 35,615, the largest crowd to witness a US Open Cup final,[21] and in doing so at the age of 41 years and 306 days, he became the oldest player in the competition's history at the time, a record that has since been surpassed byMarcus Hahnemann in 2014 andClaudio Muñoz in 2024. He played his final regular season home game for the Sounders on 15 October 2011, helping his side to a 2–1 win over theSan Jose Earthquakes in front of a record crowd of 64,140 people were present. In the following week, on 22 October, Keller played his last match for the club in a 3–1 win overChivas USA, and in doing so at the age of 41 years and 324 days, he became the third oldest player in the history of the MLS, only behindPreki (42) andPat Onstad (43).[22]
Keller got his first senior team cap againstColombia on February 4, 1990, and was on the roster asTony Meola's back up at the1990 FIFA World Cup.
After being ignored by U.S. coachBora Milutinović for the1994 FIFA World Cup, he madeSteve Sampson's ill-fated squad in 1998, and played two games at theWorld Cup. Keller was an overage selection for the1996 Olympics team, starting all three matches.
Keller was namedU.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year an unprecedented three times, in 1997 and 1999, and again in 2005.[17]
Perhaps his most famous clean sheet came in the historic 1998 win versus Brazil. Keller played all 90 minutes in goal and made ten saves, many from point-blank range, in preserving the 1–0 shutout victory for the U.S. His performance in goal prompted Brazilian greatRomário to remark "That is the best performance by a goalkeeper I have ever seen,"[23] the performance was commemorated in the song "Kasey Keller" by synth-pop bandBarcelona.
For most of their careers, Keller andBrad Friedel were engaged in a head-to-head battle for the U.S. goalkeeper's jersey. Keller got the nod in 1998 but was second choice to Friedel in the2002 FIFA World Cup. In spite of this stiff competition he has the second most caps and wins of any men's goalkeeper in U.S. soccer history with 102 and 53, respectively, behindTim Howard. Keller remains the team's all-time leader in keepingclean sheets with 47.
Keller crowned the U.S.'s run in the2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament with a clean sheet in the final match againstPanama and two saves in the penalty shootout to give the side the trophy. Keller started the first seven games of the final round of World Cup qualifying in 2005, recording five consecutive clean sheets and 507 consecutive goalless minutes to lead the U.S. to qualification for the2006 FIFA World Cup Finals in Germany. He then became the first male player in U.S. history to win his third Athlete of the Year award. On May 2, 2006, Keller and teammateClaudio Reyna became the first two American men named to four World Cup Rosters. In that World Cup, he played in all three games, being named Man of the Match in the 1–1 draw with Italy inKaiserslautern on June 17, 2006. Keller is the only U.S. player to participate in both the1990 and2006 World Cups.
Keller joined the Seattle Sounders FC broadcast team as acolor commentator alongside play-by-play announcerRoss Fletcher in 2012.[24] He remained with the club through the 2022 season, whenApple TV'sMLS Season Pass took over from local broadcasters.[25] Keller also worked on ESPN broadcasts as a color commentator and studio analyst for various international tournaments andESPN FC programs.[26]
Keller resides in Seattle with his wife Kristin and their two children, twins born on August 26, 1997. Keller has lived in London, Madrid, and Germany, where he and his family lived in a 1,000-year-old castle.[27]During his time abroad, Keller has learned to speak German and Spanish fluently.[28]
He told theNew York Times that he turned down offers from several European clubs to sign with Seattle for the sake of his children, who have attended a new school with every transfer he has made.[29] In another interview, Keller revealed that he wrote two academic papers on Millwall hooliganism, an experience had during his playing career at the English club to earn a degree in Sociology.[30]
A street adjacent to Keller's alma mater, North Thurston High School inOlympia, Washington, was renamed to "Kasey Keller Drive" in the 2000s.[31]
In April 2016, Keller and his former USMNT goalkeeper teammateMarcus Hahnemann became coaches of the boys' soccer team atNewport High School inBellevue, Washington.[32]
| This section of abiography of a living persondoes notinclude anyreferences or sources. Please help by addingreliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately. Find sources: "Kasey Keller" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(August 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Portland Timbers | 1989 | Western Soccer Alliance | 10 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | |||
| Millwall | 1992–93 | First Division | 45 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 50 | 0 | |
| 1993–94 | First Division | 44 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 51 | 0 | ||
| 1994–95 | First Division | 44 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 54 | 0 | |||
| 1995–96 | First Division | 42 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 46 | 0 | |||
| Total | 175 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 201 | 0 | ||
| Leicester City | 1996–97 | Premier League | 31 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 0 | |||
| 1997–98 | Premier League | 32 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | — | 34 | 0 | ||||
| 1998–99 | Premier League | 36 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | — | — | 42 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 99 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 108 | 0 | ||
| Rayo Vallecano | 1999–2000 | La Liga | 28 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 28 | 0 | ||||
| 2000–01 | La Liga | 23 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | — | 28 | 0 | ||||
| Totals | 51 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 0 | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2001–02 | Premier League | 9 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 0 | |||
| 2002–03 | Premier League | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 40 | 0 | |||
| 2003–04 | Premier League | 38 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 45 | 0 | |||
| 2004–05 | Premier League | — | — | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 85 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 97 | 0 | ||
| Southampton (loan) | 2004–05 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Borussia Mönchengladbach | 2004–05 | Bundesliga | 17 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 17 | 0 | ||||
| 2005–06 | Bundesliga | 33 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 35 | 0 | ||||
| 2006–07 | Bundesliga | 28 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 28 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 78 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 80 | 0 | ||
| Fulham | 2007–08 | Premier League | 13 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 0 | |||
| Seattle Sounders FC | 2009 | Major League Soccer | 29 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 0 | ||
| 2010 | Major League Soccer | 30 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 40 | 0 | ||
| 2011 | Major League Soccer | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 43 | 0 | ||
| Total | 93 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 118 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 608 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 689 | 0 | ||
| This section of abiography of a living persondoes notinclude anyreferences or sources. Please help by addingreliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately. Find sources: "Kasey Keller" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(June 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Leicester City
Tottenham Hotspur
Seattle Sounders FC
United States
Individual
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