Keller Hopes To Be WC Starter in 2010

U.S. international Kasey Keller says he wants to be the team's starting goalkeeper in the 2010 World Cup... at the age of 40. Sure, 40 isn't old for a tree, or a Galapagos turtle, or even a world-class goalkeeper, but it surely must be too late for Kasey Keller to hold his starting spot on the squad. Keller didn't look overly sharp in the '06 World Cup and his German side Borussia Moenchengladbach is now sitting in dead-last and is soon to be relegated in the Bundesliga.

Keller's main competition should be Tim Howard and Marcus Hahnemann. The latter is ranked the #1 goalkeeper in the EPL and Tim Howard recently posted a clean sheet against rival Mexico. With either one of these two on the field for the national team, the future should be bright. Unfortunately, Kasey Keller feels he still has something to prove and if he insists on fighting for the starting spot, may only be standing in the way of good, young 'keepers like Troy Perkins of D.C. United.

Keller has been called into camp for the upcoming friendlies against Ecuador and Guatemala and will likely start one of the two games. It will move him to within a handful of Tony Meola's record 100 caps. If Bob Bradley wants to see Keller pass Meola, then so be it. But after that, the focus should be on the future, not on a guy that was with the team for the '90 World Cup and hopes to be around 20 years later.

If KK has any pride left after a disappointing World Cup and a sorry Bundesliga season, he'll announce his international retirement like Eddie Pope, Brian McBride and Claudio Reyna did. They all knew when it was the right time to hang up the cleats.

Three Uncapped Players Plucked For U.S. Roster

U.S. MNT coach Bob Bradley has announced his roster for the upcoming exhibition games against Ecuador and Guatemala. It consists of 13 foreign-based players and 11 MLS-based players, and should give Bradley his first good look at some of the "premier" American talent from overseas.

Eleven of the players named are World Cup veterans, including goalkeeper Kasey Keller and forward Landon Donovan. Three have never donned a U.S. jersey: defenders Frank Simek and Jay DeMerit, and midfielder Benny Feilhaber. Here's a little more about them:

Jay DeMerit is a 27-year-old defender for Watford, currently the bottom team in the EPL table, and 11 points from safety. He played for the Chicago Fire Reserves, but wasn't offered a contract by any MLS team and headed to Europe, working his way through the ranks. Now he will put on a U.S. jersey for the first time. Great story.




Frank Simek is a 22-year-old defender who currently plays for English club Sheffield Wednesday of the English League Championship. He was signed by Arsenal to a developmental contract and at one point assumed the captaincy of the reserve side, but had difficulty breaking into the first team. He is now a regular at right back for Sheffield Wednesday.




Benny Feilhaber, also 22, plays for Hamburger SV in the German Bundesliga. He played his way onto the U-20 MNT in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship, where his performances caught the attention of several European scouts. He signed with Hamburg in July of 2005.


The U.S. MNT will take on Ecuador on March 25th (12:00 p.m. EST, ESPN2) and Guatemala on March 28th (9:00 p.m. EST, ESPN2). After these games, the only other tune-up scheduled before the summer is an exhibition vs. China on June 2nd in San Jose.