Since officially joining the Sounders FC last month, Kasey Keller and his family have begun setting their roots.
Since officially joining the Sounders FC last month, Kasey Keller and his family have begun setting their roots. They’ve moved to the Seattle area, the kids have started school and life begins anew, in America. That means many things, driving a moving truck in the freeway slow lane and waiting for the cable guy between 12 and 4, among them. So, to fill the time while hanging around the house, Keller answered a few questions regarding his new perspective on this side of the world.
One of your first appearances for Sounders FC was
golfing in the Rumble at the Ridge, featuring many NFL legends. How did
you play and whom did you see?
I saw a lot of guys that, when I was a kid, were big. Dave Krieg came
up and said hi. In fact, a lot of the ex-Seahawks were all commenting
how lucky the team was to get Gary Wright. That was a common theme. I
had a long talk with Tom Mack, the hall of fame lineman. I also met Ted
Hendricks, Carl Eller and a lot of other real good guys. We came in
second and I hit some very good and some not-so-good shots, but we made
a nice team. Besides one hole, everybody picked up for somebody else.Â
After being in Europe for so many years, what was it like watching European matches those first few weekends?
It
was a little weird, in not being there, not being part of the whole
makeup in Spain, England or Germany. It was strange but it was alright.
It feels fine and it’s the right progression.
You’ve played for a number of clubs, but which team–whether you played for them or not–is the one you feel most drawn toward?
I usually try to check the results of most the teams I’ve played for.
I’ll see how Tottenham, Fulham and definitely how Monchengladbach do.
Michael Bradley is going to the perfect place for him and he’ll do
well. For the most part, those are the three teams I usually look for,
but I also have an interest in Millwall and Leicester and hopefully
they will get a promotion run together.
You wore the No. 1 shirt last season at Fulham but requested your usual national team No. 18 with Sounders FC. Why is that?
Throughout
the years when I’ve been at home, there’s been a lot of kids wearing
the ’18,’ and I think that may have been in response to me wearing it
with the national team. I just wanted to continue that idea, which is
that most people in America are used to me wearing ‘18.’Â
Although you’re available for national team call-ups,
it’s possible you may have earned your last cap. What will you miss and
not miss about international duty?
There are a lot of things that I won’t miss, with the travel being No.
1. What I will miss is getting together with certain friends that I
don’t see so often. That group of guys has changed dramatically in the
last couple years after being a pretty stable group. The national team
was also my only connection with the U.S. fans. Obviously that will
change now, being in MLS, but before that was my only time to see the
fans around the country. I definitely won’t miss nights like that [Aug.
20] Guatemala game. Traveling down there and dealing with a terrible
pitch, terrible lights, the fans, the response from the Guatemalan
team, the diving and trying to get guys sent off, and when that didn’t
work, trying to injure people. I’m not missing any of that.
Goalkeeping has changed quite a bit during your days in
the net. There was the, the three-steps, the 6-second rule and, in
1992, most significantly, the abolition of the back pass by foot.
What’s been the toughest adjustment?
The back pass was the most difficult because up until then, you’d been
taught your whole life you pick up the ball. Then, suddenly, you had to
start practicing it as a pro. It came into play my first season as a
pro, and I’d never had to deal with it until then. Before if you didn’t
pick it, you’d be yelled at. I don’t think there are too many sports or
positions on the field where you have to go through such a drastic
change once you’ve already turned pro. Now I see games of way back
when, and I find myself going, ‘Whoa, what’s going on? Why’s he picking
it up?’ But it’s definitely a good rule. It just would’ve been nice,
for me, if it had been implemented 10 years sooner.
You’ve played in Seattle only three times, two
friendlies and one Gold Cup appearance in 2005–all with the national
team. We know you to be very focused, but did your mind ever open to
the notion that, Yeah, someday maybe I’ll be here, playing for the home
team?
I’d always hoped I could come home and play in Seattle or even
Portland, really, having gone to the University of Portland. Obviously,
Seattle was my preference. But there wasn’t a team in either city. So
dream was right word. It was an idea that crosses your mind, but then
goes out just as quickly because, really, who was I going to play for?
Reporters in Europe would ask me, ‘So why don’t you go home and play?’
I’d say, ‘Because where I come from, there’s no team, and if I’m going
to be in New York or Texas, I’m still a 4-5-6 hour flight away, so I
might as well stay in Europe. It wasn’t really until I found out there
was going to be a team in Seattle, that I started to get interested.
People say that by returning to the States and Seattle
in particular seems like the ideal way to tie a bow on your career. But
we’re talking about 2-3 more years, right? And you’re probably thinking
that those seasons will have a lot to do with how pretty that bow
looks, right?
We have to understand that there’s a very good chance that in the first
year the team will struggle. I don’t know of one franchise that has
actually gone on to be successful in their very first year, in any
sport. To think we’re going to step in that first year and be really
competitive, that’s a bit unfair expectation of the team. Having said
that, we’re going to try, Adrian’s going to try to have a team that’s
competitive, and obviously I’m going to do my part. So will Sebastien
and the rest of the new guys. I’m thinking we’ll iron-out some of the
kinks that first year, and then I’m really looking forward to that
second year. I think that’s a realistic goal. We’ll try to make it
happen in the first year, but that’s easier said than done.
In Bull Durham, we see Crash Davis taking the young Nuke
LaLoosh under his wing. You’re going to be Sounders FC’s Crash, and I’m
wondering if you are already familiar with a few pearls of wisdom to
share with the relative newbies?
A lot of it will be individual, and what I see in certain guys. It will
depend on the individual and what I see they can improve upon in their
game. Maybe it’s a guy who thinks he can go to Europe or maybe it’s a
decent player who’s finding himself going in and out of the team.
They’re trying to turn into a starter and possibly make a career out of
the sport. It will be individually based, but there have been many
times in my career when I’ve either been given that wisdom or given it
to someone else. I feel very comfortable in that role as a veteran guy
who will have more experience than anybody else, and be able to help.
At the same time, I won’t shove it down people’s throats. I’ll look for
the right time, and if it’s the right thing for the club, then I’ll try
to help them. But nobody wants to hear what to do from Day One.Â
What’s the memory so far which tends to bring a smile to your face when you recollect or share it as a story with someone?
There’s so many memories from over the year, and that’s one nice part.
My career is defined by different teams, by different achievements. For
example, it’s not just the game against Brazil in the Gold Cup. It’s
having great run games to help Borussia stay up. It’s having a great
run of games to help Fulham stay up, to help Leicester win a cup.
Still, one of the big moments to talk about, especially to soccer
people, is during the game against Brazil at the ‘98 Gold Cup. Romario
was just so frustrated or impressed with how I was playing that there’s
one stage, when I was on the ground with the ball in my hands, and he
was standing over me. And he just reached down and shook my hand. I
guess he didn’t know what else to do. But it’s not often you have the
goal leader from the current world champion just decide to shake your
hand in the middle of the game. That’s special.