Kasey Keller

Kasey C. Keller (born November 29, 1969) is an American former professional soccer player who played in Europe and the United States, and was the starting goalkeeper for the U.S. national team.

He is a four-time FIFA World Cup participant and was the first American goalkeeper to become a regular in the German Bundesliga, the English Premier League, and the Spanish La Liga.

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.

After being a member of the U.S. national team in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, he was signed by the English club Millwall, playing there and becoming a fan favorite between 1992 and 1996.

[6] Relegated to backup duty for Neil Sullivan early on, he won the starting spot and played every minute for Spurs in both the 2002–03 and the 2003–04 seasons.

However, the day before the Premier League match against Derby County in October, Keller injured his arm in training and was on the sidelines until late January.

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 over Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

[13] He started in every match of the 2009 U.S. Open Cup, as the Sounders won the title after beating D.C. United in the final on 2 September 2009, thus becoming the second expansion team in MLS history to win the tournament in their inaugural season.

[16] On 27 June, he recorded a season-high nine saves in a 1–3 loss to Philadelphia Union, and three days later, he made two stops in a penalty shootout against Portland Timbers in the round of 16 of the 2010 U.S. Open Cup.

On 4 October, Keller started in his third consecutive Open 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,[20] 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 by Marcus Hahnemann in 2014 and Claudio 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 the San 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 over Chivas 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 behind Preki (42) and Pat Onstad (43).

[21] Keller got his 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.

Keller crowned the U.S.'s run in the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament with a clean sheet in the final match against Panama and two saves in the penalty shootout to give the side the trophy.

Keller joined the Seattle Sounders FC broadcast team as a color commentator alongside play-by-play announcer Ross Fletcher in 2012.

[27] He told the New 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 April 2016, Keller and his former USMNT goalkeeper teammate Marcus Hahnemann became coaches of the boys' soccer team at Newport High School in Bellevue, Washington.

Keller with Borussia Mönchengladbach in 2007
Keller in action for the Seattle Sounders in 2010