Sounders Speak: Kasey Keller On Chelsea Goal Prowess, Seattle Defense

Following the Seattle Sounders workout on the Xbox pitch of Qwest Field, Captain Kasey Keller spoke with the media.

Keller was asked about the English Premier League surge by Chelsea FC this year under Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti.

This season, Chelsea became the first Premier League team since Tottenham Hotspur in 1963 to pass the century mark in goals scored, as the Southwest London team chalked up 103 goals and produced the Golden Boot winner in Didier Drogba, with 29.

“The Chelsea achievement relates to one coach in Ancelotti with a certain group of players,” Keller said.  “It is an achievement related to those particular circumstances.”

What about a Chelsea paradigm?  Will other soccer organizations seek to emulate the Chelsea scoring machine?

Keller was asked if something comparable to what occurred in the National Football League, after the imaginative offensive coaching genius Bill Walsh developed the West Coast Offense with the San Francisco 49ers featuring quarterback Joe Montana, could occur in regards to Chelsea.  It emphasized passing and was a high scoring machine under the leadership of Walsh and Montana.

“That type of thing was tried before,” Keller said with a tone of caution.  “Here is what happened.  More teams found themselves losing games by 4-3 scores.  Granted that these games produced excitement and fans loved them, but at the end of the day a lot of coaches were fired when they did not win.”

Keller, one of the leading goalkeepers in the history of soccer, is an authority on defense and put the issue in perspective.  The game demands a level of balance and an overemphasis on scoring.

If a team’s scoring offense’s extended capability detracts from its vital defensive skill, then productivity on one side can be defeated by diminished capability on the other.

On the question of how the Sounders defense has produced to this point of the season, the veteran goalkeeper waxed positive.

“I have been very pleased with our defense this season,” Keller revealed.  “There was only one lapse and that was against the Los Angeles Galaxy (in a 4-0 Sounders loss at home).  In other games we did very well and we have not given up many goals.  I look forward to some games in the future where we will not allow any goals at all.”

The upcoming World Cup was discussed.  “I will be watching all of the matches with the U.S.,” Keller said.  He then smiled.  “I will watch some others as well but do not want to get up at 7 a.m. to watch matches.”

In a post-9/11 world, security is a vital issue, which Keller recognized.

“The experience of people from different nations coming together is a wonderful experience,” he acknowledged.  “At South Africa, though, there will be a certain amount of isolation.  Things used to be more open but today they are more isolated.”

Keller was asked about preparation for the Sounders next opponent, the New England Revolution, a Saturday 7:30 home contest.

“The important thing for us as a team is not to concentrate on the opponent but on ourselves,” Keller said.  “The part we can control is our approach and play and so the concentration needs to be within ourselves.”

Sounders midfielder Freddie Ljungberg also spoke to media representatives.  He was asked about the disadvantage of being without injured star defender Jhon Kennedy Hurtado.

“Yes, it hurts to lose a player of that caliber,” Ljungberg said, “but sometimes when a key injury like that occurs it can galvanize a team.  What you can do is seek to make up for the loss and play that much harder.”

Ljungberg was asked about the importance of winning the next two home games before the World Cup break against the New England Revolution and D.C. United.

“Yes, they are important and we always want to win,” Ljungberg said, “but we also have to remember that these are two games out of a long season.  We play a long season in the MLS and that has to be remembered.”