Kasey's chase

[mschofield]

Originally posted by TravisMinor_23

I would be "glad it was over" as well, he sat there and supported his team while in personal anguish while he realized he would NEVER get to represent the US in the World Cup.


First, he has played for the US in the World Cup. He had two mediorce games in France (though he certainly can't be blamed for the goals against Germany (Burns) he didn't look as sharp as we've seen him). But the fact is, two starts, two loses. I assume you knew this and were referring to this world cup (and also not referring to the fact that he has a chance to play next go round).

Arena has said on several occassions that he did have a plan to play keller in the SK game, and it looked as if Keller was the no. 1 overall before the injury. but so what? BF was the winner in one of the biggest games in US history.
Every gk (moreso than field players) going over to any tournament, and especially a world cup, knows that if he's not No. 1 at the start of the cup, he might not play. If the starter gets hot _ and BF did _ it makes perfect sense to keep the No. 2 at No. 2, and no sense to play him, promises or not. this isn't U-14 suburban soccer where we're trying to make everyone feel good about themselves. Sorry kasey, that's the way it always works. Name another nation in contention that benched a hot goal-keeper. Kasey knew the rules going in. He's probably cost himself a shot at the next cup by ignoring them now.

[Cruyff14]

Kasey's not a weiner you are just Kasey Keller bashers!!! Twist the statements how it pleases you!!! typical

[blech]

Originally posted by mschofield


Every gk (moreso than field players) going over to any tournament, and especially a world cup, knows that if he's not No. 1 at the start of the cup, he might not play. If the starter gets hot _ and BF did _ it makes perfect sense to keep the No. 2 at No. 2, and no sense to play him, promises or not. this isn't U-14 suburban soccer where we're trying to make everyone feel good about themselves. Sorry kasey, that's the way it always works. Name another nation in contention that benched a hot goal-keeper. Kasey knew the rules going in. He's probably cost himself a shot at the next cup by ignoring them now.

That's maybe how it works when you have a clear number one goalie. The US team clearly didn't have a number one goalie going into the WC.

It seems pretty clear to me that there are Friedel supports and Keller supporters, and there isn't much room for movement in either camp. As far as "we" knew going into the WC, they were co-number ones. As a result, it's not so clear to me that if the "starter gets hot" that he stays in over the other. We expected both of them to be "hot," and I frankly expected them to share time unless one of them made errors.

Of course, the next question is whether Friedel really was "hot"? He made many spectacular saves (incuding the penalty kicks), but he also had significant errors in almost every game. In the S.Korea game, there was no excuse for Friedel not challenging Ahn for the header. Rather than taking two steps forward and punching the ball, he went backwards 6 yards and gave himself no chance to stop the shot. In the Poland game, he didn't come off his line aggressively on the first goal. In the Mexico line, he punched a ball right to Blanco at the penalty spot and was only spared by a shot that was right at his head instead of in the corner, and misjudged another cross that he forced him to recover and tap the ball over the crossbar. And, although it's a closer call, he probably should have been off his line on the German goal. I know. I know. The Friedel supporters saw each of these plays differently. But there's an extremely reasonable argument to be made that Friedel (who is an extremely large goalie) was timid about coming off his line to challenge for balls in a box that he ought to own, and that Keller historically reads such balls better than Friedel.

Could Keller have done better? We'll never know. But for Kasey to have seen the errors that were made (some of which I've noted above), and think that he wouldn't have made them, seems pretty natural to me (and frankly, it's how I would want my goalkeeper to be thinking).

Should Keller have remained quiet? Harder to say. The important thing was to be quiet at the time, and he did a pretty good job of that. I don't have any strong reaction to him speaking his mind at this point (although it probably will end his participation on the team, at least as long as Bruce remains coach).

I don't see any reason to condemn Kasey for any of this. Brad had his spat over his playing time, and Kasey's entitled to be upset over his at the WC. Personally, I hope they both continue to grow and improve and that (based only on performance and skills) they have one more showdown with each other at the next WC.

[footfetish]

Originally posted by Cruyff14
Kasey's not a weiner you are just Kasey Keller bashers!!! Twist the statements how it pleases you!!! typical

i beg to differ. i think kasey is a weiner!

[uufan]

I was under impresion thet KK lost his chance to start in large becouse he could not get out of trainers room.
Also he should not played the holland game, KK looked way too slow becouse of bad knee, but was telling that he was about 95%. It about the same he was durring first round.

[BuffloSoldier]

Moving to US N&A, since this has nothing to do with Keller at Spurs.

[falcon6]

what a dick Kasey has become.

[superdave]

Originally posted by blech
I don't see any reason to condemn Kasey for any of this.
Frankly, I don't see how anyone can defend Kasey on this, given that this article had several quotes, none of which were, "I was excited to see the US make the quarterfinals."

[Elwood]

blech, you really shouldn't make that much sense. Gets you ignored a lot.


Originally posted by superdave

Frankly, I don't see how anyone can defend Kasey on this, given that this article had several quotes, none of which were, "I was excited to see the US make the quarterfinals."

Just because the article didn't include a Keller quote along those lines doesn't mean he didn't make one. Not saying that he did, but only Keller and the article's author can say that he didn't.

[superdave]

It would be very strange for Tottenham to put out an article that underquotes Kasey and thus makes him look bad.

[puttputtfc]

Was there a story that Friedel was going to pack his bags and leave if Keller started during the World Cup? I may be wrong but I seem to remember this.

[Nutmeg]

I hate idiots. I really do.

1. The British Press has a little history of twisting, extrapolating, and even making up words for a story. An open and bitter rivalry between Keller and Friedel, the only two American Keepers worth writing about, is great stuff.

2. Keller has done more for US Soccer than any of you ever will. Eat Shit.

3. Keller owes nobody any explanation. His performances, including those that helped get us to Korea, are a big reason Brad even had a chance to shine.

4. I happen to know, very well, Keller's happiness for US Soccer. I know this primarily from private communications to mutual friends, and you can choose to believe that or not. I don't happen to give a ********ing rats ass. If you choose not to, go look at tapes of the games for yourselves. On a couple of them, you will see Keller, one of the most reserved people I have ever met, celebrating happily with his teammates. Or you can go back and watch the Nike Cup, and see Keller getting off the bench and tearing into a Jamaican for a hideous tackle. Kasey IS about the team.

I am an admitted Kasey fan, but if any posts were still around from BS BC, I would be happy to point you to multiple posts where I thought Brad would be the right choice. Kasey picked his poison when he signed with Spurs. But to hear people call him any number of stupid names is hilarious. Or perhaps just sad. Three words are tantamount in developing an opinion.

CONSIDER THE SOURCE.

Idiots.

[McGinty]

Nice rant. Fact remains that the US gets to the q'finals and during the WC, he comes out and complains about his individual little problem. Sorry, I'm not really going to sympathize with that.

Look, we had people on here before the WC saying that if Arena started Keller, Arena would be nothing but a liar since he said that you need to have a regular first team spot in order to start. And now he's a liar for not starting Keller? And what evidence do we have? Oh yeah, the guy with an axe to grind.

Oh well, maybe I would be more sympathetic to him had he chosen a to play at a club other than Tottenham. :D Too many things going against you, Kasey. Sorry.

[Mr. Oz]

You know, if the shoe was on the other foot (Brad), I'm sure he would whine as well. Both of them are whiners. Don't even get me started with Meola.

[McGinty]

Originally posted by Mr. Oz
Don't even get me started with Meola.

Yeah. His rampant whining in the WC nearly tore the team apart. Its incredible that the team spirit was not shaken by Meola's daily rants about him not starting. :rolleyes:

[M]

Originally posted by Nutmeg
I hate idiots. I really do.

1. The British Press has a little history of twisting, extrapolating, and even making up words for a story. An open and bitter rivalry between Keller and Friedel, the only two American Keepers worth writing about, is great stuff.


Th story wasn't from "the British Press" but from Spurs website, including direct quotes from Keller. Unless Spurs are deliberately making stuff up about one of their goalkeepers, your rant seems to be a little off the mark.

[kwikstah]

Originally posted by Ringo1725
His exact words (I looked up a copy of a story by the Associated Press):

Asked whether he could appreciate Friedel's play from the bench, Keller said, "Oh, I don't know. You always think you can do it better."

That doesn't sound negative to me at all. I'd expect a keeper at Kasey's level to think that he wouldn't make the mistakes that Friedel did.

[dolphinscoach]

Originally posted by superdave
It would be very strange for Tottenham to put out an article that underquotes Kasey and thus makes him look bad.

The article's intended audience was not US fans but Spurs fans. The quotes they chose fit the point of the story--that Keller was going to use disappointment at not playing in the WC to motivate himself in the competition for Spurs starting keeper. Even if he did make statements of support for the US run--and I am not saying that he did--the author may not have included them because they did not fit that theme.

As for whether or not Keller was lied to--BA said in interviews before US-Portugal that he likely would play both keepers and that he expected them both to play well. He also said during and after the WC that he had planned on alternating between the two. (I don't know what he told or implied to either keeper in private or team discussions.) In that context, I can understand how Keller might feel he was lied to. I also can understand how a coach who finds his team doing better than he'd anticipated, with a keeper playing so well, has to decide not to risk a change.

[bungadiri]

Originally posted by Nutmeg

3. Keller owes nobody any explanation. His performances, including those that helped get us to Korea, are a big reason Brad even had a chance to shine.



Your second sentence is absolutely true. The first one is a little iffy.

I'm a Keller fan too, and actually was moved to start posting on BS (after much lurking) in part because I wanted to refute what I saw as Keller bashing. However, I'm disappointed by the fact that virtually every quote from Keller since the WC has had a self-centered ring to it. Now maybe that's partly because reporters aren't asking him about anything but his lack of playing time and he's answering. And maybe he doesn't owe anyone an explanation. But I think that he does owe the guys he played with some kind of public respect for the acheivements the team managed, first and foremost, before he moves into his personal issues, whether he's expressed those sentiments privately or not.

[superdave]

Originally posted by Nutmeg
1. The British Press has a little history of twisting, extrapolating, and even making up words for a story
"Your honor...."

"I'm way ahead of you counselor.

Sir, need I remind you of the penalty for perjury? Objection sustained."