http://www.offside.at/interview.php?brid=12002&start=0 Much obliged to anybody who cares to translate some highlights ...
The thing he likes best about Germany is that he can get gas right on the autobahn (do they not have highway plazas in the UK?). Isolation (during the WC) is "not our thing". the USMNT is a damned fast team. The greatest weakness on the team is depth - not every position is 2-men strong. the only team without a weakness is Brazil. Growing up on a chicken farm made him a strong worker.
LOL...he didn't say that...he said he likes the fact he can really step on the gas pedal...as in driving really fast
According to freetranslation.com, he said, "I can give gas on the freeway orderly." Glad I don't work as an orderly.
Q: How does an American come to play soccer? Just like everbody else. Everybody plays soccer in the USA. Very few play football. Football is only watched on TV. Q: You transfered from England to Gladbach What's the biggest difference between english and german soccer? The aggressiveness on the field. They play definitely harder in England. Q:What do you like the most about Germany? That I can really step on the gas on the Autobahn. Q:While other teams look for seclusion during the preparation, your accomodation is in the middle of the city center. Isolation is not our thing. We want to breath Hamburg's WC air, we want to feel the atmosphere. You should be right in the middle of things during a WC. Q:The average age [on your team] is 28,6 years old, with an average of 44 NT games per player. Is "experience" the best way to describe your team? Absolutly. Nevertheless we have also have some pretty young players with us, I'm driving the average fairly up myself with my 36 years of age, of course. The mixture has to match. Q:Half of the team plays in the MLS, a rather weak league. Outside of Germany, Italy, England and Spain evrybody has this deficit. It doesn't have to be a disadvantage, when I look at our young players from the MLS. They are hungry and the WC could open gates for them. Q:You have once said:/ You must not forget, in my time as a young player in America there was nothing. I'd probably sell insurances today. [?? the interview seems to be c&p, the question is missing] Q:How do you characterize the style of your team? As a damn fast combo. We play incredibly dynamic soccer and have the right [suit size; could mean either big and strong, or with much heart] Q:It sounds like you don't have any weaknesses? Only Brazil ideally has no weaknesses. Our problem could be that not every position is filled with two players of the same quality. But our team is better than in 2002. Q:Is your coach Bruce Arena the father of modern US soccer? He really is, staying with the analogy, he is the father of our success. There were times, when people thought, Bruce is doing everything wrong. But it always worked out well, or let's say, in 90 % of all cases. And that's a great ratio. Q:You grew up on a chicken farm in Lacey, Washington. Which part of you is a chicken farmer? The hard worker. There's always work on a farm. That's the way I got to know work as something necessary and even satisfactory. Q:How can we picture your youth? Chequered shirt, work from dawn till dusk? School, friends, holydays. And work. During the summer holidays I woke up at 8 o'clock and worked until noon. After that I had free time. Because of that I have learned that the meaning of summer is not waking up late and watching cartoons all day. Q:You missed the WC 1994 in your home country because you weren't nominated. Can you put yourself into Oliver Kahn's [current] postion? I think it's enormly frustrating for him. The WC at home, you think you're better than the actual number 1, that would leave nobody untouched. But I was younger then, 24, it was easier for me. Kahn on the other hand already had his WC. And if it was the other way around, you would ask me about Lehmann now. It would have been just as bad for him. Q:Your forth WC, this makes you the US record holder. Proud? Oh, I'm only old... (laughs). Obviously, I'm proud of that. I think, it paid off, that I didn't live a rampant live and looked well after my body. Q:What will the US team accomplish? We got a really hard group. But whining doesn't help. You have to try to beat every opponent, that is put in front of you. And we know that we can beat any team in the world on a good day. Thanks for the interview.
Oh man, I wish they woulda asked about where he lives in Germany, I bet he has a sweet penthouse suite.
No... Actually he lives in a castle... There are many articles about it and one with a lot of pictures.. Somewhere around here you can find it..Likely in "Yanks Abroad".. http://www.denverpost.com/rapids/ci_3854363
I'm afraid he DOES know, all too well, from the goofy halftime profile during the Poland - USA friendly from "Kaiser-slaughtern" (as DOB incorrectly pronounced it) For the record it's Kaisers-lautern.
It's likely in his player bio/notes that he already has.. They give them all the interesting facts and tidbits they can about the players and Keller's castle is almost surely there...
Here's my translation. Nothing new, but it took me a while, so here you go. Only the Brazilians have no weaknesses… Many people in his homeland don’t know where to begin with the sport with the round leather ball (uhhh... basketball? ). Nevertheless, since the 90’s, the USMNT has become a solid force in world soccer. One of the poster boys of the team is the captain and keeper Kasey Keller. Offside spoke with him: O: How does an American discover soccer? KK: The way anyone else would. Everyone in the USA plays soccer. Hardly anyone plays football. People only watch football on tv. O: You were traded from England to Mönchengladbach. What is the biggest difference between British and German soccer? KK: The aggressiveness on the pitch. They definitely play harder in England. O: What do you like the best about Germany? KK: That I can go really fast on the autobahn. ("Gas geben" means to accelerate, not pump gasoline) O: While other (national) teams have sought isolation for their (world cup) preparations, you have chosen a central downtown location. KK: Isolation isn’t our thing. We want to breathe the World Cup air in Hamburg, we want to feel the atmosphere. At a World Cup you want to be in on everything. O: The average age on your roster is 28.6 years, the average number of caps per player is 44. Would you describe your team as experienced? KK: Absolutely. However, we always bring a few younger players with. Being 36, I drive the average age up quite a bit, of course. We have to have a balance. O: Half of your World Cup roster plays in MLS, which was at one time a much weaker league. KK: All except for the Germans, Italians, English and the Spaniards have this same challenge. It can’t be a disadvantage to consider our young players from MLS. They are hungry and the World Cup can open doors for them. O: You once said: \ (???) KK: You can’t forget, in my day as a young player there was nothing for me in America. I probably would have been an insurance salesman today. O: How would you characterize your team? KK: We are a damn fast bunch. We play an unbelievably dynamic style of soccer and have the right … uniform size (???) O: Sounds like you have no weaknesses? KK: Ideally, only the Brazilians have no weaknesses. Our problem could be that we aren’t two players deep in every position. But our team is stronger than it was in 2002. O: Is your coach Bruce Arena the father of modern soccer in America? KK: He has had the kind of success that has enabled him to remain in the picture. There have been times when people thought Bruce could do nothing right. But it always turned out well, or at least 90% of the time. And that’s a huge rate of success. O: You grew up on a chicken farm in Washington state. Which part of you is a chicken farmer? KK: The hard worker. There’s always something going on on a farm. That’s how I learned the importance of work and how to achieve satisfaction from it. O: How would you describe your childhood? Working from dawn until dusk in a checkered shirt? KK: School, friends, vacation. And work. During summer vacation I would wake up at 8 am and worked until noon. I was always free after that. That’s how I learned that the point of summertime was not to sleep late and watch cartoons all day. O: The World Cup in 1994 in your own country passed you by, as you were not named to the team. Can you sympathize with what Oliver Kahn is going through? KK: I think it is enormously frustrating for him. Having the world cup in his own country, feeling he should be the number one (keeper)… that’s not an easy thing to overcome. But I was younger (than he), 24, it was easier for me. Kahn, on the other hand, has been to a World Cup already. To be in a World Cup final isn’t the worst thing that’s happened to him in his career. If it had been the other way, you’d have been asking me about Jens Lehmann. It would’ve been just as bad for him. O: Your fourth World Cup. You hold the US record (for appearances). Are you proud? KK: I’m just old! (laughs). Yes, it makes me proud. I think that taking good care of my body has started to pay off. O: What will the US accomplish (in this world cup)? KK: We’ve drawn a really difficult group. It won’t do any good to whine about it. You need to find a way to defeat the opponent who stands before you. And we know, on a good day, we can beat any team in the world. O: Thank you for the interview!