Throwback Thursday: Kasey Keller

Imagine enjoying a 19-year international career and becoming the first American goalkeeper to be a first choice in the Premier League, La Liga and the Bundesliga.

For most there would be little left to achieve. Not so for Kasey Keller, who was elected to the US Soccer National Hall of Fame at the first time of asking last Wednesday.

We take a look back at a professional career that spanned four decades and opened the door for American goalkeepers in Europe...

Keller in his final season with Seattle

Factfile:

Full Name: Kasey C. Keller

Date of Birth: 29/11/1969

Nationality: American 

Height: 1.88m

Clubs: Portland Timbers, Millwall, Leicester City, Rayo Vallecano, Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton, Borussia Monchengladbach, Fulham, Seattle Sounders

Club Appearances: 609

Club Goals: 0

International Appearances: 102

International Goals: 0

Domestic Honours:

English League Cup 1996/97

Lamar Hunt US Open Cup 2009, 2010 & 2011

MLS goalkeeper of the year 2011

International Honours:

CONCACAF Gold Cup 2002, 2005 & 2007

US Men’s National Team player of the year 1999 & 2005

The early years:

Born in Washington, Keller earned first team All American as a senior at the University of Portland after making his debut for Portland Timbers in 1989.

In his first year of professional football he conceded four goals in 10 games and was named the Western Soccer Alliance’s most valuable player.

In the same year, Keller helped the US to fourth place at the Fifa Under-20 World Cup, where he won the Silver Ball as the tournament’s second best player.

He soon earned his first call up to the full national team and made his debut against Colombia on February 4 1990 before travelling to the 1990 World Cup as back up to Tony Meola.

The US international boasting a fine head of hair at Millwall

Cracking the Premier League:

The US international signed for Millwall in 1992 and was voted fan’s player of the year in his first full season with the club- which was also the first Premiership season.

In four years with the Lions, Keller played 202 times before joining Leicester City for £900,000 when Milwall were relegated to Division Two (now League One) in 1996.

Keller became first choice keeper and was part of the 1996/97 League Cup winning side that beat Middlesbrough 1-0 in a replay at Hillsborough.

The American made 99 appearances for the Foxes, who lost the League Cup final against Tottenham in Keller’s third and final season with the club.

Spain, Spurs, Saints:

Once again, Keller broke new ground for American keepers after joining newly promoted La Liga side Rayo Vallecano on a free transfer in 1999.

He made 53 appearances in two seasons for the Spaniards before returning to the Premier League with Spurs, who have just been announced as the opposition for July’s MLS All-Star game.

Keller played every minute for Tottenham in the 2002/03 and 03/04 seasons but lost his place to future England goalkeeper Paul Robinson at the beginning of the following season.

He spent November 2004 on a month’s emergency loan at Southampton before leaving Spurs for Borussia Monchengladbach after three and a half years in January 2005.

Celebrating his man of the match performance
against Italy at the 2006 World Cup in Germany

King of the castle:

Keller kept a clean sheet on his debut and played every game in the second half of the Bundesliga season as Borussia narrowly evaded relegation.

During his time in Germany, the American lived in Haus Donk, a 1,000-year-old castle complete with two towers, a chapel and a moat – strangely his wife spotted the ancient property online.

Following his first full Bundesliga campaign Keller played every game for the USA as he and Claudio Reyna became the first Americans to play in four World Cups.

In his final season with Borussia Keller followed in Reyna’s footsteps and became the second American to captain a Bundesliga side.

Fond farewell:

Keller returned to the Premier League with Fulham ahead of the 2007/08 season; and, although he was in and out of the side,  he was crucial in one of the league’s most remarkable survival stories.

Under current England manager Roy Hodgson and led by top scorer Clint Dempsey, Keller kept three cleansheets as Fulham won four of their last five games to survive on goal difference.

He returned to America with expansion side Seattle Sounders in 2009 and went 457 minutes from his first start without conceding a goal, setting a MLS record.

Keller won three straight US Open Cups between 2009 and 2011, and was named 2011 MLS goalkeeper of the year, before retiring after a 2-1 win against San Jose Earthquakes in front of a record crowd of 64,140.

Images courtesy of t i g, Gray Mortimore and Bongarts, with thanks.