Keller is US national team's Player of the Year

Kasey Keller (pictured) scored more votes then Landon Donovan or DaMarcus Beasley to win his second Honda US Player of the Year award. He won his first trophy in 1999.

Keller played in 14 games for the US side this year earning nine wins with eight shutouts. The US won this year's Gold Cup due in large part to Keller's work between the posts. His abilities also served the team well during their run through World Cup Qualifiers. Keller celebrated his 36th birthday just this past Tuesday.

The vote for the award was made up of 206 sports journalists nationwide. Keller received 344 points in the voting. Donovan came in second with 329 while Beasley's total stood at 270. You might remember that I ran a poll a month ago asking who should win the award. The race for first place was very evenly divided between Keller and Beasley, with Beasley edging Keller out by 1 vote. Donovan came in a distant third.

Keller, who plays in Germany, took a 14-hour flight to accept the award in Los Angeles. When he received the award he said, "This probably will be the last time you see me up here." He then smiled and added, "And maybe not."