By JOSE M. ROMERO
Kasey Keller won't turn 42 years old until next month, but what a gift he was given by his Seatlle Sounders Saturday night.
Make that a few gifts.
On what Washington state government officials proclaimed "Kasey Keller Day" around the state in recognition of the veteran goalkeeper's final regular-season home match as a Sounder, Keller made seven saves and watched from between the pipes as his teammates rallied from a one-goal deficit through 81 minutes for a wild 2-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes at CenturyLink Field.
Gift No. 1 was the Sounders getting it done for Keller, with Sammy Ochoa and Fredy Montero scoring goals to win for their captain. The other presents were in honor of a 23-season professional soccer playing career that officlally comes to an end in the weeks that follow — a pair of bronzed keeper gloves, a recreational vehicle driven onto the pitch by co-owner Drew Carey and a motorcycle.
Keller, who will finish his playing days with the final three seasons spent about an hour from the town where he grew up, Olympia, Wash., went out with a top performance of his own with a season high for saves. Four came in the span of seconds during the 65th minute, when Keller stopped a shot and three subsequent rebounds after it to send the crowd into euphoria.
The fiery former U.S. national teamer who gained international fame with his play in Europe admitted he was nervous before the match.
"This was the most nervous I've been for a game since the World Cup because I just didn't want to disappoint," Keller said. I"'m just humbled. I'm humbled not just for what the club has done for me and given me the opportunity to come home and finish my career back home, (it) is something that is just so incredibly special."
The Sounders (17-7-9) are gearing up for the playoffs. The Earthquakes have long since been eliminated, but put up quite a fight nonetheless in a match that featured three skirmishes between players on both teams.
In the 10th minute, Chris Wondolowski got off a shot from right of the goal and that hit the side of the net. Nine minutes later, Keller stopped a long shot from Khary Stephenson.
Wondolowski kept up his chase for the league's Golden Boot award with his goal in the 24th minute, the shot beating Keller off a pass from Rafael Baca. It was Wondo's 15th goal of the season.
The Sounders were still scoreless when Montero's header went wide in the 79th minute, but it was a precursor of good things for Seattle. In the 82nd minute, sub Mauro Rosales, playing for the first time since a sprained knee forced him out of the past three regular-season matches, found Ochoa on a run to the goal. Ochoa put it away for his first career MLS goal.
The Sounders have been the MLS kings of comeback all season long, and Saturday was more of that. In the 87th minute, Lamar Neagle drew defenders to him and got a short pass to Montero, who managed to stay onside. Montero beat Quakes goalkeeper Jon Busch far post, and the Sounders made it stand.
After the match, the Sounders took to a stage for their traditional thank-you to the fans — the attendance was the third-largest for a match in MLS history — and honored Keller and his family at the same time.
"Games like tonight just grip you," Sounders coach Sigi Schmid said. "It was pure ecstasy and knowing that we were able to fight back and come back again and that our character and our resiliency was still there just made me elated."