Keeper Showdown: Howard vs. Keller

When Bob Bradley announced his roster for the Ecuador and Guatemala friendlies last week, I was surprised to see Kasey Keller on the list. He’s 37-years-old now and my assumption was that he would drift away from international play. My assumption was wrong and he’s been called up along with youngster Tim Howard.

Well folks, looks like we have a good ol’ fashioned KEEPER SHOWDOWN.

Howard has already proven himself in England and recently impressed in Arizona with his 2-0 shutout against Mexico.

Keller is an American soccer legend and the veteran doesn’t seem to be slowing down. While Kasey hasn’t made an appearance on the US National Team since the loss to Ghana in 2006, he’s been staying fit in Germany’s Bundesliga, where he’s continuously battled it out against top flight competition.

I think we’re all pretty certain that we’ll see one keeper play Ecuador and another take on Guatemala. Bob Bradley seems to share the same opinion:

“The likelihood is that we’ll split these two games. That’s not a final decision, but that’s certainly what we’re thinking at this point.”

Well, unless either Kasey or Timmy get injured in camp (which is very unlikely) we’re sure to see both of them next week, each taking their turn.

Anyway, I think it’s great that Bradley called up Keller. If he plays well, why not? Plus, keepers have much longer life spans than “the others.”

Here’s Bob Bradley one more time on his thoughts about Keller:

“(What) impressed me was just his desire to come into camp and compete. For the moment, he continues to play at a high level and that’s something that we look for when we put camps together.”

I think we’ll see Kasey Keller on Sunday against Ecuador and Tim Howard Wednesday against Guatemala. Reason? Well it really could go either way, but I just have a hunch that Bradley will put Keller in for the bigger game against Ecuador. Not that Tim Howard isn’t fully qualified, but he just got his shutout against Mexico, and Bradley might want to see Keller again versus top competition.

And what does this mean for the summer tournaments? We’ll almost certainly see Howard in one and Keller in the other. It’s too soon to tell (plus I’m not Bob Bradley…yet) but I think Tim Howard will be the main man for the Gold Cup and Kasey Keller will join the squad for the Copa America in Venezuela.