Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Kasey Keller has revealed he could be playing for Portland Timbers if they happened to join MLS first.
The former Millwall, Fulham and Tottenham gloveman returned to the USA in 2009 to join the Sounders, who were in their first MLS season, but says that if the Timbers had come in prior he would be again plying his trade for his very first professional club, although he made cure to explain that he is very much a Sounder these days.
"Of course. I have a lot of fond memories of UP and the WSL incarnation of the Timbers that I played in," he told the Seattle Times.
"Obviously with Olympia and Seattle, and growing up and playing in Federal Way, this was far-more home than Portland, and this felt right.
"At the same time I have a lot of friends in Portland still and enjoyed my time there, but I'm a Sounder (now). It's funny because when I played with Millwall, obviously the big rival is West Ham, there are very few teams that I thought would be very difficult to play for. Being a Milwall player, playing for West Ham would've been very, very difficult.
"Not necessarily because of myself but because of the fan situation. Playing for Tottenham and going to Arsenal.
"Playing for 'Gladbach (Borussia Monchengladbach) then playing for Cologne. Obviously I'm so deep with the Sounders, it's just not an option. It just wouldn't work. But I have no ill will toward the Timbers or Portland or anything like that, you just realize that when you're a part of something and there is that much of a rivalry and that much intensity involved, sometimes you just have to polarize yourself. Like I said, I'm a Sounder."
