U.S. goalie Keller may stick around for fifth World Cup

He will begin play in his fourth World Cup when the U.S. meets the Czech Republic next Monday.
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) -- Already at his fourth World Cup, Kasey Keller is willing to try for five.
He is the only player on a roster for this year's tournament who also was picked to play in 1990.
Goalkeepers last longer than most other soccer players -- Peter Shilton started for England until he was 40. So it's not inconceivable that the 36-year-old Keller could be selected by U.S. coach Bruce Arena or his successor for 2010.
"I'm not thinking that I'm going to retire after this World Cup," Keller said Monday, a week before the United States' opener against the Czech Republic. "I'll sit down with Bruce afterwards and see what he wants to do. If he feels I'm still the best, then I'm more than happy to keep going until I'm not."
Keller was a backup to Tony Meola in 1990, was bypassed by coach Bora Milutinovic in 1994, then started the first two games in 1998, losses to Germany and Iran.
Co-No. 1 goalies
Ahead of the 2002 World Cup, Keller and Brad Friedel were co-No. 1 goalies, a spirited competition that Friedel won just before the opener after Keller sustained minor knee and elbow injuries. The United States beat Portugal, Friedel stopped penalty kicks against South Korea and Poland, and Keller never got into a game. The Americans advanced to the quarterfinals, their best performance since 1930.
"You do all the good work for the five, six, seven years previous, and a little misfortune in the last few weeks and you find yourself a spectator," the clearly frustrated Keller said then. "That's the difficult side of it."
Arena said last weekend he almost started Keller against Poland and Mexico.
"At the end of the day my arm was twisted enough not to make a change," he recounted. "I had to make some other moves, and I decided I didn't want to completely disrupt the team -- although I felt that that probably would not have disrupted the team."
After the World Cup, Keller wasn't sure he wanted to return to the national team. He had a private talk with Arena.
"I'm still here," Keller said. "Obviously, we got to a point where we could both move on, and I'm happy for it. It's been a good decision by both of us."
Clear No. 1 this time
Keller is the clear No. 1 this time, a goalie for Borussia Moenchengladbach in the German Bundesliga who lives with his wife and two children in a rented castle not far from the German-Dutch border. Tall, balding and vocal, he instills confidence to the U.S. defense that ripples upfield.
"He still grabs the one that you don't think he can get, the ungrabbable," right back Steve Cherundolo said.
Defender Eddie Pope described Keller's stops as ones that "make your mouth drop."
"Psychologically it goes a long way, just having him back there," left back Eddie Lewis said, "knowing even if you give up a chance that you may wish you hadn't, he can deny a good opportunity for the other team."
Two of his best nights
In a five-day span last summer, Keller had two of his best nights, both in World Cup qualifiers. He made three spectacular saves against Costa Rica in Salt Lake City. Then at Panama, he put together a three-save sequence as good as any, diving left to get a hand on an 8-yard header off a free kick, getting up and diving right to block a 5-yard shot off the rebound, then getting up again and raising his arms to block another header from in front and gather it in.
Both games wound up 3-0 wins and put the United States in position to clinch a World Cup berth two games later -- with three to spare.
"Making the big saves, that's what Kasey's about," Arena said. "What Kasey is about as you check his credentials over his career with the U.S. team, it's about winning. We win more with Kasey in the goal than any goalie in our history."
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