Photo by Nick Turchiaro/ISIphotos.com
Kasey Keller's legendary playing career is winding down, and the expected crowd of more than 60,000 that will salute him at CenturyLink Field for his regular-season home finale Saturday night is a testament to what he's meant to the city of Seattle and U.S. Soccer as a whole.
At 41, Keller is retiring at the end of this season despite still performing at a very high level. Prior to playing in MLS, Keller's career took him on a European tour of three of the biggest leagues in the world, with stops at Leicester City, Rayo Vallecano, Tottenham, Borussia Monchengladbach and Fulham highlighting his 16-year career overseas.
Following his homecoming to Washington and signing with the Sounders ahead of their inaugural MLS season 2009, Keller won three U.S. Open Cups and has helped the Sounders to the postseason in their three years of MLS existence. He is seeking to go out on top with an MLS Cup title prior to hanging up his cleats and gloves, but regardless, his career has been one of the greatest for a U.S. player ever.
As a goalkeeper for the U.S. national team, Keller earned 102 caps and was named U.S. Soccer's Athlete of the Year three times.
Despite performing in World Cups and winning Gold Cups and turning countless Man of the Match performances, Keller's most memorable showing may have come in the 1998 Gold Cup semifinals, with his 10-save performance that guided the United States to a famous 1-0 triumph over Brazil.
Highlights of Keller's heroics from the day can be seen here.
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What's game, save or overall performance sticks out for you from Keller's career? Where do you think he ranks among all-time U.S. goalkeepers? Do you think he'll retire as an MLS Cup champion?
Share your thoughts below.
The best part of that article, is it’s about people who got lost in a maze in Mass., NOT in the actual Kasey Keller maze. Its like they used the most recent corn maze picture the Associated Press had.
Not to mention that we’ll be sharing Clink with not only the Hawks, but the Huskies next season. Grass wouldn’t survive with that much use during the overlap of season.
He got so hosed in 94 when Bora decided to throw away the World Cup by using Near Post Tony….My favorite player since the early 90’s!
Fifteen plus years ago, before the days of Donovan and Dempsey, all we had was Keller to pin our hopes on in a tough game. He was considered our best chance in any game we should lose 3:0. A real pro.
My favorite gaffe of his, on the lighter side, was his attempted clearance at Foxboro against Mexico in a WC’98 qualifier. Bizarre!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePtLKJK_QIE
We went on to tie it 2:2, although Harkes almost won the day in a last gasp attempt. Good memories.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/soundersfcblog/2016507686_video_soundersfccom_tribute_to.html
Awesome video tribute.
It’s called precipitation, and Denver and Green Bay don’t get anywhere near the amount that Seattle does. Cold weather solidifies the ground while water turns to mud…
he says that in every post about the sounders, he just very jealous
Personal fave was in year two where we were skidding out of the playoff picture and Kasey went out to clear a ball on the left side. A crunching tackle later (Najar?) and it looked like the old man was out. He continued with arlo sounding unsure. “I can’t believe he’s still in. Cross in Save Keller!”.
Two killer saves in the next ten seconds and Keller had breathed life into not only the game, but our whole season. He couldn’t punt but his throws were impeccable. In all my years watching pro football it was the only time I’ve seen a keeper take over a game. Not only defensively, but smart distribution turned him into an offensive threat as well.
Godspeed Captain Cascadia!
that video gives me chills! i have mad respect for keller! it will be a sad day when he plays his last game. i hope he continues in soccer… he has done so much for the game in the US…
Apparently the family that made the maze has been friends with the Kellers for decades. We are going on Sunday
You sound like a field turf hugger. You need to look no further than Green Bay or Denver for grass/hybrid fields. I hope you’re not suggesting the either of those cities have any better weather than Seattle. That’s absurd. Maybe you should look into the facts of Referendum 48 before going all anti-grass, or better yet, watch the Sounders and see for yourself what an embarrassment that rubber field is…Worst in MLS!
I was at White Hart Lane in 2003 and watched Keller’s Tottenham play Man City. Tottenham was getting shelled, but I remember Keller being completely parallel with the ground up at the cross bar to tip a shot out. Absolutely amazing.
*and Toronto
The Tampa Bay Rays are the only MLB team that plays on turf, but no one trolls baseball blogs to give them crap for it.
Everyone in Seattle wants the Sounders to play on grass. But we also all LOVE centurylink field, and if you’ve never been, it’s a great soccer stadium. it’s an amazing place to watch a match, and with the seahawks sharing it, and the fact it is nearly impossible to grow grass ANYWHERE in the pacific northwest past september, it’s just not a possibility now. so instead of complaining, why doesn’t the anti-turf crowd start figuring out a hybrid type of grass that can grow in cold and dark conditions and is sturdy enough to withstand the punishment of a football and soccer team playing on it every week.
no? don’t want to? lazy? no time? then quit complaining.
An inspiration to all aspiring keepers in the US! A shame that he and Friedel are about same age. Either of them could have locked down the #1 for 4 world cups.. which reminds me.. why did Meola start in front of Keller in ’94?? Keller was way better!!
One of the giants to pave the way for the American game in the modern era…
He should be one of the guys on soccer’s version of Mt. Rushmore.
Funny. Maybe every MLS team should switch, Portland seems to have a lot of loyal fans too.
Get over it people. All over the US guys are playing soccer on turf, we would prefer a great grass field, but for whatever reason it isn’t to be and life will go on.
I hope it sells out tomorrow, 67K. Either way I am bringing ear plugs, it is going to be very loud.
Ka-sey Kel-ler !
It’s hard to pick a single save, although the Brazil performance is certainly the most inspiring. To me, Keller is unquestionably the #1 U.S. goalkeeper of all time (on the national team). And the fact that he’s still playing at such a high level even in his final year is amazing.
Yeah I saw this article. Funny thing about the article is that there is no mention of Kasey Keller or the Seattle Sounders in the text, just the picture of the corn maze. I’m pretty sure the maze was cut into the field of one of his neighbors in his hometown. You can find an article on the Sounders website if I remember right.
LOL!
So much hair, such little space to comment.
May be my all time favorite Nat. Certainly in the top two or three. He is also the guy I thought most likely to become a great coach.
Thanks Kasey,a nd good luck
I don’t get your point.
Are you saying that if Seattle had a grass pitch and nobody showed up that would be better??
60,000 fans < 0 blades of grass.
#JustSayin
can someone spend a week or a month creating a 10min fan video of his career? especially his time in Spain/Germany?
couldn’t be a more fitting tribute to one of the living greats of US soccer. For as much hoo-hah as was made over Tony Meola, both Keller and Friedel were the first players to establish the concept of Americans as legitimiate world-class footballers. Just a tremendous player.
There was a time not too long ago when soccer fans would have let something like this slide by, especially for a goalkeeper. To see such an outpouring of appreciation is equally tremendous.
60,000? That’s incredible.
I miss his mane!
“whatever he does in the future.”
Apparently he has aspirations to be Commissioner of MLS.
I’m not joking, either.
I saw Keller play for Leceister City in the semifinal (2nd leg) of the Coco Cola Cup in 1997 at Wimbledon. I was so proud to be an American when Leceister fans would chant USA…USA… each time he made a save. Congrats on an awesome career!
The oddest thing relating to Keller was in the New York Times today. There was a story about the person who called 911 because he couldn’t find his way out of a corn maze. But accompanying the story was a picture of an amazing gigantic corn maze in Washington that was an homage to Keller, completely with corn maze likeness of Keller and the Sounders logo. You really have to see it to believe it:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/14/science/14maze.html?_r=1&hpw
He has been awesome, we already knew that.
But he is such a class act. Opponents run full speed into him and he gives them a pat or high five as they run back into position.
I would be willing to bet that away from other teams, there is NO ONE that wants him to be gone.
Pleasure watching him over the last 3 years after watching him so many years for the US.
We were very lucky.
Great guy. Hopefully someone picks him up as a coach down the line. One of the best GK in US history.
Been a fan of his since he played for Millwall and am fortunate to have followed such an incredible career. Had the opportunity to meet him and he was all class. Nothing but RESPECT for him and good wishes for whatever he does in the future.
where is the SKC/Chivas match?