Keller's Poor Distribution out of the Back

[Bora Fan]

Keller's distribution is terrible.

He hasn't improved that part of his game - and at this level I think it's disappointing.

I love Kasey but come on - his footskills are poor and booting the ball down the field takes our 100% posession and turns it into a 50/50 ball.

Why on Earth isn't he sliding the ball over to Cherundelo or Pablo to build our attack out of hte back?

The odds of them turning the ball over are less than the 50/50 chance that a goal kick results in.

I don't hold any hope that Keller will improve on this area of his game given his age but I hope our future keepers are more comfrotable on the ball on their backline to let us keep the ball longer.

Lastly playing with McBride as the lone striker - what was Keller thinking with all that kickball?

[goaliemanpat]

A keepers #1 resposibility is to keep balls out of the net. Not pass it around. I dont think his aim is that bad. Yesterday after one of the many Italian dives and injury acts Keller was able to place his goalkick directly into the group of medical staff attending to him on the sideline past half hehe :)

[DaMa]

A keepers #1 resposibility is to keep balls out of the net. Not pass it around. I dont think his aim is that bad. Yesterday after one of the many Italian dives and injury acts Keller was able to place his goalkick directly into the group of medical staff attending to him on the sideline past half hehe :)

It is definitely bad. At the same time he did but a couple of long balls right on people's feet (one of them was Convey) who then flubbed the trap for a throw in.

[Dr.Phil]

I thought he was slow getting off his line

[bostonsoccermdl]

A keepers #1 resposibility is to keep balls out of the net. Not pass it around. I dont think his aim is that bad. Yesterday after one of the many Italian dives and injury acts Keller was able to place his goalkick directly into the group of medical staff attending to him on the sideline past half hehe :)

Thank you.

Although the role of the keeper has evolved in the last few years and footskills have become more important, NO KEEPER that I have seen is immune to the occasional shank or gaffe. Keller is average in distribution. Not good, but all the attention focusing on his distribution is unwarranted.

The best keepers in the world make mistakes in this department reguarly.

[kal-el]

Why on Earth isn't he sliding the ball over to Cherundelo or Pablo to build our attack out of hte back?

Answers:

Early in game--because the US game plan was to put pressure on the Italian midfield and create turnovers. So Keller put the ball in play in the midfield . . . and then the US executed its game plan.

Late in game--because there was no way the US was going to build an attack from the back a man down.

[roykemper]

I thought his decision making late in the game to keep booming kicks deep was poor. He should have been working the ball on the ground through our backs and maintaining possession. When its 11 v 11 the long balls are a better idea then when it is 9 v 10

[kal-el]

I thought his decision making late in the game to keep booming kicks deep was poor. He should have been working the ball on the ground through our backs and maintaining possession. When its 11 v 11 the long balls are a better idea then when it is 9 v 10

Long balls aren't going to work very well when you're playing 9 v 10, but I'm pretty sure building from the back is going to work even worse when (1) you're down a man, (2) tired, and (3) playing a more skilled team.

If Keller had played the ball to the backs and the US had turned the ball over to the Italians for an easy score, he'd be getting crucified here.

[uclacarlos]

Late in game--because there was no way the US was going to build an attack from the back a man down.
Absolutely.

And not only that, but also given the nature of this Italian team: a very offense-minded side that is lethal on counters. By kicking the ball as far down as possible while aiming for "hang-time" a la American football punts... Keller was able to assure that the US players got a couple of seconds to rest and situate themselves while forcing the Italians to play against their natural style.

Like somebody else said, if there's a turnover, that's where the numerical difference will kill you. A long punt makes it, essentially, 8x8, as there was always at least one defender hanging out in the back.

[Bora Fan]

If you're down a man - you let the ball do the running and the Italians chase it.

Turning over the ball to the Italians and letting them have a chance was senseless.

Keller's weakness is he consistently bypasses his defenders to put the ball in play.

Friedel was a better keeper than Keller because of this.

He also stopped penalties.

Keller though keeps the team more relaxed.

[Georgia Empire]

my fault with Keller is his reflexes have regressed, how far he can stretch is pathetic, and he doesn't organize the backline. He needs to come out on the balls that are played when our defenders are chasing. Keller will be ok if the balls right at him, but don't ask him to make any incredible saves either. Not hating on the guy, but his performance so far has been average at best for a WC quality keeper.

[luftmensch]

A keepers #1 resposibility is to keep balls out of the net. Not pass it around. I dont think his aim is that bad. Yesterday after one of the many Italian dives and injury acts Keller was able to place his goalkick directly into the group of medical staff attending to him on the sideline past half hehe :)
Cute, if intended, but maintaining possession would be nice.

[Cweedchop]

If you're down a man - you let the ball do the running and the Italians chase it.

Turning over the ball to the Italians and letting them have a chance was senseless.

Keller's weakness is he consistently bypasses his defenders to put the ball in play.

Friedel was a better keeper than Keller because of this.

He also stopped penalties.

Keller though keeps the team more relaxed.

That's one way to look at it.

I'll gladly concede that Friedel is miles ahead of Keller in distribution.

However, in every other facet of goalkeeping, Keller is clearly better than Friedel.

Positioning - without getting all Alexi Lalas on you, you'd be hard pressed to find a better positioned goalkeeper in the world.

Shot stopping - His quickness to ground is amazing and he has pulled off some stunning saves in his time.

Saving penalties - I realize of course that two of Brad's were in a World Cup - Keller has saved numerous pk's during his time with the Nats, most notably against Argentina at RFK and against Canada (I want to say 3 times) in the semi's of the Gold Cup a few years ago

and the most important of all, leadership

[KMJvet]

Keller's distribution is terrible.

He hasn't improved that part of his game - and at this level I think it's disappointing.

This isn't true. It wasn't all that long ago that 25% of his distribution was to the fans.

[AndyMead]

This isn't true. It wasn't all that long ago that 25% of his distribution was to the fans.

Now 25% is apparently straight to his opposite number. On the plus side, his leg strength is fine. Maybe it's the 'roids! :)

[russ]

He hasn't improved that part of his game - and at this level I think it's disappointing.


Well,he hasn't put it off an attacker into his own net yet.
Nor has he completely fanned on the ball like he did at Leicester and Kawaguchi did yesterday.

Keler's distribution is what it is.His shot stopping ,catching (not dribbling)crosses,and positioning are why he's there.

[TimB4Last]

Well,he hasn't put it off an attacker into his own net yet.
Nor has he completely fanned on the ball like he did at Leicester and Kawaguchi did yesterday.

Keller's distribution is what it is. His shot stopping ,catching (not dribbling)crosses,and positioning are why he's there.

And the strong consensus is that 'what it is' is very poor indeed. A goalkeeper has many responsibilities, and keeping the ball out of his net is first and foremost, no question. Managing the defense, rallying the troops, etc. are also important.

Proper distribution is also vital. Do not underrate it's importance.

[Skip soccer lesson - assume basic knowledge on reader's part.]

No one is criticizing Keller for the occasional mis-hit goal kick. We are criticizing him for pounding the ball as far as he can down the field directly to the other team. Over and over and over again. Once in a while, to give the boys a moment to breathe, ok. More than usual v. Italy (because we were down a man), I'll buy it. But not what (seemed like) every kick!

I watched the game live on ABC, then caught some of the replay on a Spanish-language broadcast. Even if you didn't understand any Spanish, you would have become familiar with a particular word.

Regalo.

A gift. Regalo was used in the context of Keller's distribution too many times to count. In it's verb form (regalar) too, as in "once again Keller 'gifts' the ball to the Italians.

Look, we have two camps here: the Keller believers and those of us with higher expectations. For the former, Keller makes a few nice saves and he's the 'Man of the Match.'

I want more than that. I want the complete package. I want a GK who can save the ball and start the US attack. I want ...

Well, you know who I want.

[AGF Aarhus]

I thought his decision making late in the game to keep booming kicks deep was poor. He should have been working the ball on the ground through our backs and maintaining possession. When its 11 v 11 the long balls are a better idea then when it is 9 v 10
I felt frustrated by this while watching the game. Now that I've thought about it, it was 100% the correct decision. The 9 men that were out there were dead tired. That was the only chance they had to catch their breath and regroup. As much as I would have loved to have seen them running balls down and pushing the attack, it would have been suicidal. If he plays a short ball to Dolo (or anyone else), and Dolo (or anyone else) turns it over against Italian pressing in our own end, we're screwed.

[Deuteriumoxide]

late in the game keller was booming it to buffon every single time. He needs to at least aim for the corners. We were not wasting any time.

[TimB4Last]

late in the game keller was booming it to buffon every single time. He needs to at least aim for the corners. We were not wasting any time.

Thank you. And to the prior poster, there are more than two options. I'll list four, for starters.

1) Play a short ball to Dolo (or anyone else) - Italy presses hard and we're screwed.

2) Kick the ball as far as you can to Buffon - Italy comes right back at us.

3) As suggested above, kick the ball as far as you can but not to Buffon - make Italy work to retrieve the ball before coming back at us.

4) My suggestion, kick the ball long but in the direction of a USMNT teammate - ideally a fresh EJ, not a spent BMB - and make Italy work to recover (not simply retrieve) the ball.

If you want to mix it up, and pound the ball occasionally, fine. But every time?

One reason we were on the defensive as much as we were late in the game is because Keller properly avoided number 1 but incorrectly insisted on number 2. Almost as though he had adopted the BS mindset that in any given situation there are only two options, never three or more.