Heading in opposite directions, two of the MLS’s best goalkeepers pass by one another through the doors of retirement.

This month the word ‘retirement’ has reverberated around the soccer community, carrying with it bittersweet emotion and an element of surprise. After one final season in the MLS, Kasey Keller is set to say goodbye to the goalmouth, having been his place of residence for over twenty years. On the other side of the coin lies Pat Onstad, who has been called into action, and out of retirement by DC United for this upcoming MLS season.

Let us begin with Kasey Keller, journeying into retirement from what has been an outstanding and often groundbreaking career thus far:

It is hard to imagine Kasey Keller anywhere but in front of the goal. With his career spanning more than two decades, playing professionally in four countries (plus many others with the U.S. National Team), and the orchestration, direction, and the occasional expletive still flowing so naturally from Keller it becomes somewhat disappointing to learn that this will be his final season as netminder.

Keller will leave the Seattle Sounders having added a slew of ‘firsts’ to his soccer resume, and is arguably the most successful goalkeeper in U.S. soccer history and most influential American to ever play in Europe.

"I've been pretty fortunate in U.S. soccer to be the first in a few things," Keller said. "There can never be another first person to play on a U.S. passport in England. There can never be another first person to play in Spanish Premier (League). Somebody might beat my shutout record for the national team and that stuff, but nobody will beat those things. Nobody is going to be the first captain of the MLS Sounders, the first victories, the first shutouts. On that side
I think it speaks for itself. You can't name your own legacy."

Still one of the best goalkeepers in Major League Soccer at the age of 41, Keller claims he's "99.999 percent" sure that 2011 will be his last year as a player. He's ready to give back to the game in other ways, and is anticipating a more normal life; one that is not governed by a packed schedule of training, travel and competition.

Despite Keller’s dissatisfaction with this year being viewed as his farewell tour, it would be remiss not to acknowledge his significance in American soccer. "You can't talk about the great American players without mentioning Kasey," said his current coach in Seattle, Sigi Schimid.

A youthful Kasey Keller during his ground-breaking first season at Millwall

Keller was the first American to start in the English Premier League, and later in Spain’s La Liga, and quickly became an established star on this prestigious platform in the early 1990’s. As an American on the European scene, a rarity at the time, his performances helped demolish stereotypes of American players and open the path for others to follow suit.

"Sometimes we tend to forget how crazy it was and how difficult it was, and how much of a pioneer Kasey was and the difficulties and the challenges he faced on a consistent basis," former U.S. teammate Alexi Lalas said.

Keller’s 700-match career consisting of league and cup games, friendlies, Olympics and World Cup qualifying, and national team appearances, is framed by moments of perceived invincibility: stopping a Luis Figo penalty in the 89th minute in his first season at Rayo Vallecano comes to mind as quickly as his 1-1 draw against Italy in the 2006 World Cup.

His Gold Cup performance in 1998 against Brazil is a YouTube sensation and was so impressive Brazilian star Romario shook Keller's hand on the field after one point-blank save. After the Americans' 1-0 win, he said it was the greatest goalkeeping performance he'd ever seen. Not bad for a kid that grew up on an egg farm 90 minutes south of Seattle.

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Having had a successful 2010 season as the goalkeeper coach at DC United, Pat Onstad is preparing to re-enter the competitive cauldron in 2011, but this time as a player.

Switching roles will require a flexible mindset from Onstad

An injury to goalkeeper Steve Cronin, coupled with fellow goalkeeper Bill Hamid’s recovery from off-season shoulder surgery leaves D.C. United with a void in goal. This has seen the Black-and-Red Assistant Pat Onstad make the move from the coaches’ bench to the playing field. Despite having the young talents of Chase Harrison and newcomer Joe Willis in camp and developing nicely, the club is lacking an experienced, and influential goalkeeper.

Onstad will therefore, begin training immediately, as well as continue his role in a coaching capacity, in preparation for the regular season. A pleasant surprise to many, Head Coach Ben Olsen insists that Onstad’s presence will help stabilize the goalkeeping position at the club.

“Pat is our best option in goal right now for the situation we’re in,” said Olsen. “Pat is an extremely experienced player that can bring stability to our backline – we are very lucky to have him.”

At 43 years of age, and no indication of the length of his commitment to playing, Onstad insists that his focus is still on educating United’s current roster of young goalkeepers.

“Whether it’s Chase [Harrison], Bill [Hamid], or Joe [Willis], I want all of the guys we have in camp to be successful goalkeepers. For them to do that I think I can help them along the way with my knowledge of the game and through leading by example," said Onstad. He continues, “The biggest transition to wrap my head around right now is that I’m fighting for a job. For the past two months I have been out of the game.”

Club officials began searching for the best solution to United’s lack of goalkeeping depth when Steve Cronin fractured his wrist last week in Fort Lauderdale. Knowing that Academy product Bill Hamid continues to recover from off-season shoulder surgery, the club appealed to Onstad for help. To which he happily obliged.

“At first when Steve [Cronin] went down I felt for him. I thought he had a real opportunity to establish himself, it’s difficult that he is down right now. When you look at Bill [Hamid], he’s still coming along from his surgery. Bill is 20-years-old. The last thing we want to do now is push him into a position where he re-injures his shoulder. We don’t want to push Bill back too early, he’s obviously the goalkeeper of the future at this club," said Onstad.

Onstad during his first stint as D.C. United's fill-in netminder

Remarkably, splitting playing and coaching duties isn’t a foreign concept to Onstad. In 2006, following the departure of an assistant coach in Houston, Onstad stepped in to guide the club’s goalkeepers to an MLS winning season.

“Tim Hanley, the goalkeeping coach at Houston, took a job to return to LA to be closer to his family. I think I’ve always been a goalkeeper that was open to helping guys out if asked, that’s the way I’ve always approached the game. I want to make guys around me better. I was able to be a fill-in coach that year while also playing in goal.”





Onstad is widely considered to be one of the top goalkeepers in Major League Soccer history, playing with Houston and San Jose for a combined eight seasons. The Canadian is the League’s all-time leader with a goals-against average mark of 1.12 (minimum 10,000 minutes played). With the Dynamo, Onstad started 136 regular season matches, helping the club win back-to-back MLS Cup titles in 2006 and 2007. Most recently, Onstad started 23 regular season games for Houston in 2010, registering four shutouts in 2,070 minutes on the field.
 

As the 2011 MLS season gets underway, Soccer America begins its rankings of each team by position with a listing of the goalkeeping corps. The addition of expansion teams Vancouver and Portland have wrought changes in the careers of many players, including veteran goalkeepers Jay Nolly, Joe Cannon and Troy Perkins. Nolly and Cannon are battling for the starting job in Vancouver, while Perkins is dueling with another MLS veteran – former Rev Adin Brown – to man the nets for Portland.

With an expanded 34-game schedule and thus greater chances of losing a keeper to injury or suspension, depth is a more important factor than in past seasons. The Quakes found this out last year, when Jon Busch temporarily deposed Cannon for the starting job, then finished strongly after a broken ankle sidelined Cannon in late August. Ditto in Columbus, where injury sidelined Will Hesmer and sometimes starter Andy Gruenebaum took over. And there’s always the chance that wild-man Thierry Henry will whack another keeper, a la Kevin Hartman, to the sidelines.

Factors used in evaluating the MLS goalkeeping tandems are based on age, experience, past performance, and projected ability. Teams with two good, experienced keepers might be deemed stronger than a team with a clearcut starter but no reliable backup. A team’s goalkeepers -- not just the probable starter -- drive the rankings.

1. REAL SALT LAKE. Nick Rimando just signed a new long-term deal, which should keep RSL’s netminding in safe hands for a few seasons. Kyle Reynish has looked sharp in his occasional appearances.

2. LOS ANGELES. Starter Donovan Ricketts is among the league’s best and backup Josh Saunders could start for a few MLS teams. Niggling injuries to Ricketts might give Saunders more time this year.

3. FC DALLAS. Kevin Hartman, a.k.a. Mr. Lights-Out, dazzled last season and under his tutelage maybe Chris Seitz and Josh Lambo can smooth out their rough spots.

4. COLUMBUS. Will Hesmer and Andy Gruenebaum may not be in the very top tier but both are good, with Hesmer rating slightly higher for his poise and quickness.

5. SEATTLE. Expect Kasey Keller, turning 42 this year, to make his final pro season a memorable one. His health is critical, as No. 2 Terry Boss has 45 minutes of MLS experience and Supplementary Draft pick Josh Ford just signed this week.

6. COLORADO. With a reliable defense in front of him, for a change, Matt Pickens last year displayed his class. Ian Joyce joined the Rapids last year from Southend, where he played five games before making one appearance for Colorado.

7. TORONTO FC. Not because of himself but rather his situation, goalkeeper Stefan Frei is likely to endure another long season. He’s really, really good. Milos Kocic couldn’t keep a job at keeper-challenged D.C. United. TFC needs an alternative.

8. NEW ENGLAND. Matt Reis will be 36 at the end of March yet he’s still a commanding presence. Backups Bobby Shuttleworth and Tim Murray have exactly two MLS league appearances combined; Shuttleworth posted a shutout last October in his first start.

9. SAN JOSE. Even amongst keepers, Jon Busch is among the looniest, but he’s also quick and brave and capable of the sensational save. If he keeps the ball out of the net and Andrew Weber on the bench, his teammates and coaches will endure his -- shall we say -- energy.

10. NEW YORK. Bouna Coundoul is a bit off but mostly in a good way. Less erratic and more composed than in past seasons, he won 14 games and posted 11 shutouts last year. A similar performance in 2011 would move NYRB up the rankings. Greg Sutton is OK at No. 2.

11. SPORTING KANSAS CITY. Jimmy Nielsen won four Save of the Week awards but let in a few clunkers, as well. In his second MLS season he should improve and he’d better, since backup Eric Kronberg is very raw.

12. CHICAGO. Sean Johnson has great physical tools and displayed more than a sliver of maturity in his rookie season. Can he go the distance backing a team that seems to be constantly in flux? Jon Conway has had his moments in MLS but isn’t quite starter caliber.

13. CHIVAS USA. Zach Thornton’s game slipped last year yet he can rebound with a new coach and some new teammates, like Jimmy Conrad. Dan Kennedy needs to get minutes or his development will stagnate.

14. VANCOUVER. Joe Cannon won two Goalkeeper of the Year Awards back in the day but fell behind Jay Nolly during preseason while rehabbing that broken ankle. With far more experience than Nolly, if he gets back fully fit, he can be a valuable asset on a new team.

15. PORTLAND. Troy Perkins is given a fresh start to erase last year’s rough season at D.C. United, and Adin Brown can push him for the No. 1 job. Still to be proven is if they can consistently measure up to a more demanding caliber of play.

16. D.C. UNITED. Emergency signing/ assistant coach Pat Onstad is 43, veteran Steve Cronin has never held down a first-team spot in MLS, and youngster Bill Hamid is amazingly athletic yet terribly inexperienced. Not good, but destined to improve.

17. HOUSTON. The Dynamo’s situation would look better if Onstad was still in Texas. Tally Hall has been waiting in the wings for years yet his appearances to date are inconclusive. Homegrown signing Tyler Deric is completely untested.

18. PHILADELPHIA. Given the Union’s terrible experiences last year with Brad Knighton and Chris Seitz, Colombian newcomer Faryd Mondragon is an upgrade, but as yet he’s unproven in MLS.

The original article can be found on socceramerica.com
 

Drew Mazzeo and his student mastering the basket catch, among other goalkeeping techniques, at the Duval County Special Olympics Summer Games in Jaxonville, FL.

Thank you Drew for representing SoccerPlus at such an important event and supporting all the athletes in attendance!