Kasey Keller

Lore & Background

Keller was born in Olympia, Washington. He attended North Thurston High School in Lacey, where he led his team to the state championship as the starting goalkeeper. He was also a Parade All-American athlete for three years in high school. Keller chose to play college soccer at the University of Portland under head coach Clive Charles. As a freshman in 1988, he helped lead the team to the NCAA men's soccer final four. He earned first team All American as a senior and was the 1991 Adidas Goalkeeper of the Year. During the 1989 college off-season, he played for the Portland Timbers of the Western Soccer Alliance. In 10 games, he allowed only four goals, for a 0.38 goals-against-average and eight clean sheets. In 1989, he split his time between the Portland Timbers and the U.S. U-20 national team, which finished fourth at the 1989 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Keller was awarded the tournament's Silver Ball as the tournament's second-best player.

Reader's Guide

Keller retired after three seasons with Seattle Sounders FC after they joined Major League Soccer. He was the Sounders' color commentator in local television broadcasts from 2012 to 2022, and assistant coach for Newport High School in Bellevue, Washington. He also frequently appears on ESPN FC.

Did You Know?

• He was voted Player of the Year 1992–93 by Millwall fans and also picked up the Junior Lions and Disabled Millwall Fans awards.
• Keller was selected by his teammates to captain Borussia Mönchengladbach during the 2006–07 campaign, becoming the second American to captain a top-level German club.
• He played his final regular season home game for the Sounders on October 15, 2011, in front of a record crowd of 64,140 people.
• At age 41 years and 324 days, Keller became the third oldest player in MLS history, only behind Preki (42) and Pat Onstad (43).