Kickin' it with Kasey Keller

Today, Kasey Keller talks to seattletimes.com sports producer Bob Wickwire about the European game, living in a castle in Germany and driving on the autobahn.

Question: Do you follow the European game as a fan?

Keller: Yes and no, because I lived it so much. I'll watch a big game, but I also won't miss doing something with my kids because a game is on.

Q: Could you talk about arguably the greatest goalkeeping performance of your career back in February 1998 when the U.S. played Brazil in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup?

Keller: It was one of those games that every player wishes they could have in their career at some stage.

Q: Were you in "the zone" or was the game happening in slow motion that athletes talk about?

Keller: Yeah, there was some of that and things that happened that you think, "God, that was lucky." And other things where you think "that was good."

Q: You grew up in Olympia. Did you go to any NASL Sounders games when they were playing?

Keller: I really only went to Sounders games late in their career. My dad was not a soccer guy and really didn't know anything about it.

I'd go to the odd (Tacoma) Stars games with friends. We enjoyed it more before they got good crowds, because we could go down on the glass and taunt people.

Q: How did you come to live in a castle when you played in Germany?

Keller: At the time I moved, we still had a house in London that we needed to sell, the kids were still in school and so we were trying to find a house close to the International School in Düsseldorf for the kids.

With the joys of the Internet, my wife had seen this castle that was about 25-30 minutes away from the school.

So, I went out and met the owner and went through the house, and it fit. Our kids' beds fit into the bedrooms honestly by about a quarter inch. And we thought that had to be destiny. It was a little inconvenient, to be honest, to take the kids to school every day, but how often do you get an opportunity to live in a 1,000-year-old castle. The place was built originally by the Franks in 970.

Q: After you got settled, were you ever worried about damaging anything?

Keller: No, it wasn't like that at all. One time we thought we had some ghosts, which we thought was pretty cool, but instead it was just an electrical short, which was a shame because lights were going on and off. And we thought, "Yeah, we can't live in a 1,000 year old property and not have ghosts." And then we realized it was just electrical issues.

Q: Did I hear you're a Porsche lover?

Keller: Yes, I do have one.

Q: Did you ever get to unleash it on the autobahn while you were living in Germany?

Keller: When we stayed up (at Borussia Monchengladbach) my second season and I re-signed for another year, I decided I was going to race tune and I put way too much money into it. Basically, I turned it into an autobahn monster.

I had several occasions going far too fast on the autobahn. I only got that car up to about 170-175 miles per hour.

Q: Was that in the slow lane?

Keller: No, that was in the fast lane. But, I think 175 is pretty fast.

Q: So, are there any speed limits?

Keller: There are limits in areas, but in other areas there are no limits.

It's a weird feeling when you pass a police car going 150-160 miles per hour. I don't care, there's always that, "Am I going to get arrested?" I had a great time in Germany and there are many things that I miss, but in a Land Rover driving the kids to school at 120 miles per hour and getting passed is a just a fun feeling.