The Bundesliga’s Borussia Moenchengladbach have signed US international goalkeeper Kasey Keller. Consigned to the Tottenham bench with the emergence of Paul Robinson, the 35 year old has also had spells at Milwall, Leicester City Southampton (on loan from Spurs), and has played for the U.S. in the past 3 World Cups ; he also owns a clean sheet against Brazil in a CONCACAF Gold Cup upset in 1998.
In other news concerning an American keeper far from home, former Metro Star Tim Howard, currently in the Manchester United first team, is the subject of a profile on tonight’s “60 Minutes”. Commercials for said news magazine promise a look at “one of the world’s most popular athletes” which is a bit of a stretch. Howard, while an important cog in one of the planet’s most supported teams, won’t be challenging LeBron James, David Beckham or Peyton Manning for jersey sales anytime soon.
Between all the Anna Benson updates and discussions of Fountains Of Wayne songs in television commercials, we’ve neglected the sad story of U.S. Soccer’s plans to field a squad of ringers when World Cup qualifying resumes next month. No genuine football power in the world would risk likely qualification over such a labor dispute, and the sport’s American governing body will have to decide whether or not to pay for respectability or return to futility on-the-cheap.