PLAYER PROFILE

Kasey Keller

Position: Goal

Height: 6'2

Weight: 13st 7lbs

Date of Birth: 1969-11-27 Lacey, Washington, USA

Kasey Keller

Washington-born Tottenham goalkeeper Kasey Keller can claim to have garnered one of the most precious honours ever to be bestowed on a goalkeeper. Although he is currently earning his living at Tottenham Hotspur, representing one of the more famous English football clubs, even the most ardent Cockerels fan would hold the quote below to be an appraisal without comparison.

"That was the greatest performance I have seen from a goalkeeper. It was an honour to be on the field with him."

It came from none other than Brazil striker and 1994 World Cup winner Romario after the USA defeated Brazil in a 1998 Confederations Cup clash.

It's a far cry from Bermondsey, but that's where Keller started out as a professional footballer in the English game after moving across the Atlantic from the University of Portland in the US state of Oregon.

Kasey spent four and a half seasons at Millwall, making 176 appearances for the Lions and although he came painfully close to promotion to the Premiership with the London club in his first two full seasons there, his last campaign ended in relegation to the Football League Second Division.

He did eventually reach the Premiership when he moved to Leicester and was part of the team whose Division One play-off win in 1996 against Crystal Palace helped them back to the top tier of English football.

The rest of his time at Leicester turned out to be an era that will be looked back on fondly by Foxes fans. Under Martin O'Neill, Leicester enjoyed success in the 1998 League Cup when Steve Claridge's goal won the trophy against Middlesbrough. The following season, he played in Europe and, although Leicester were known for a swashbuckling, entertaining style, they were eliminated from the UEFA Cup by Atletico Madrid at the first hurdle.

After four full seasons at Leicester, Keller was given an offer to broaden his horizons with a chance to play at Spanish club Rayo Vallecano in the Primera Liga. He remained there for two years until he was given a chance to work with Glenn Hoddle at Tottenham in August 2001. Out of contract with the Madrid club, he jumped at the chance to return to England.

To displace Neil Sullivan as a first-choice 'keeper was a tall order but the USA international took up the challenge. He and Sullivan were forcing each other to continually raise the standard of their game but it was when injury sidelined Sullivan then Keller really got the chance to impress. After a string of quality performances he established himself as the Spurs number one stopper.

Throughout both the 2002/03 and 2003/04 seasons Keller played admirably between the posts for Spurs, appearing in nearly every game. He saw off both Lars Hirschfeld and Neil Sullivan, but whether he will lose his place to newcomer Paul Robinson remains to be seen. The season started with Robinson as the number one, and Keller looked set for a return to the United States.

In November 2004 Keller joined Southampton on loan as cover for their injured keepers, and returned to the Spurs bench one month later. However, it was a brief return as he joined Borussia Moenchengladbach in January 2005 on an 18-month contract.

In August 2007 though, at the age of 37, Keller returned to the Premier League to sign for Fulham.