Fulham drops Carlos Bocanegra

Fulham has reduced their American contingency by one as they dropped Carlos Bocanegra today. It is no big surprise that Bocanegra got the boot as manager Roy Hodgson had pretty much benched him for the last three months.

Bocanegra, who will likely be a starter for the US against England on Wednesday, is now looking for a new home. PSV Eindhoven has been mentioned as a possible landing spot. PSV was a good spot for DaMarcus Beasley as few years back and might be the change Bocanegra needs. If it works out, he might even get some Champions League action.

This move is a big one for Bocanegra as he needs to find playing time or else his spot on the national team will be less then assured.

Fulham also let go of Jari Litmanen, Philippe Christanval, Simon Elliott, Ian Pearce, Michael Timlin, Ismael Ehui, and Bjorn Runstrom. Looks like Eddie Johnson will get a little more time to make his mark.

Now the question is will Kasey Keller stick around?

Clint Dempsey sticking with Fulham

US international Clint Dempsey has decided to stay with the Cottagers after signing a contract extension that will keep him in West London through 2010. It had been rumored that if Fulham failed to stay in the Premier League, Dempsey would move along to another top-flight club, but this move seems to kill such talk.

Fulham beat Birmingham City over the weekend to move out of the bottom three for the first time in months, however they are still dangerously close to the drop zone. Since Dempsey signed even though the team might get relegated seems to suggest that he enjoys the club and that they plan on making him a key part of their future plans.

If Fulham do stay up, I'm think the only American that will leave is Bocanegra. If they don't, I see Eddie Johnson and Dempsey sticking around and possibly McBride.

Kasey Keller to Fulham

America's former top keeper has landed were so many Americans have landed before. Kasey Keller joins three of his fellow countrymen at Fulham in the EPL.

Keller has been without a team since May when he left his German club Borussia Moenchengladbach. There had been talk of a possible MLS move but nothing ever materialized.

Fulham is in need of a quality keeper with starter Antti Niemi out with an injury.

Fulham manager Lawrie Sanchez: "Obviously, with Antti being injured, it was important we added some strength and depth in that area - and Kasey is a proven professional with impeccable international credentials.

"It's vital we have cover in all areas throughout the squad, and I think he will be a valuable asset to us over the course of the season."

This signing marks a return to England for Keller who last played for Tottenham Hotspur in 2005.

MLS Expansion - Seattle is very close

According to the Seattle Times, the city of Seattle is very close to landing a MLS franchise for the 2009 season.

"There's pretty high-level conversations going on right now about MLS," (Sounders managing partner Adrian) Hanauer said earlier Tuesday on KJR radio about MLS expansion to Seattle. "There's a lot of progress being made and lot of conversations happening.

"I'd say this thing is further along than it's ever been. There's a high, high likelihood that MLS will be here in the not-too-distant future."

In another bit of interesting news, US goalkeeper Kasey Keller was in attendance to watch the Seattle Sounders pound the Colorado Rapids last night. Keller, who currently has no club to call home has been approached by the Sounders to play for the club.

He has ruled out a move to the USL in the past, however, here comes my wild speculation, if Seattle was given a MLS team to start play in 2009, maybe Keller would play a year in the USL with the Sounders knowing that he would move up to the MLS the next year. He has said that he would love to play in the MLS if there was a team in Seattle so maybe it might happen.

Keller not coming to the MLS

It looks like Kasey Keller will not be part of MLS anytime soon:

Major League Soccer, apparently, is not in the running. Asked if he would consider a move to MLS to be a step down, Keller was quick to reply. "Of course," he said.

"I remember somebody talking to Michael Schumacher about racing in America. He said, 'Why? No disrespect, but you think NASCAR is Formula One? It's not. You can't compare it.'

"It's absolutely no disrespect to MLS. It's a league that has been around for 11 years. It's made great improvements over that time."

It is geography, not the quality of MLS play, that is affecting Keller's decision.

"There isn't a team in Seattle or Portland. If you want me to move someplace that is still a four-hour flight [from home], I might as well stay in Europe," he said.

I'm not sure about what flights Keller is taking but four-hours seems to be a bit long from LA, Denver or Salt Lake.

Anyway, this would seem to kill the idea of Keller suiting up for a MLS club anytime soon unless they do something crazy and plop a team down in Portland or Seattle for the 2008 season.

Kasey Keller to leave German club

Kasey Keller, perhaps the best goalkeeper the US has ever produced, will not remain with his German club Borussia Moenchengladbach after this season.

Even though the club has been relegated to the second division, Keller offered to stay, however the club wanted to bring in someone younger.

"That Keller offered to stay with the Borussia is a surprise," manager Christian Ziege said. "We had to assume that he wasn't available if we were demoted."

Keller now finds himself without a home at 37 years of age.

In the past he has mentioned a desire to end his career in MLS, however no team seems that interested in paying so much for a goaltender (as evident by the salary information released last week). If no one domestically makes the decision to bring him along, he will probably have to find a smaller club in Europe to play out his final few seasons.

Keller is still a fantastic keeper and it is a shame that he cannot find a spot on a MLS roster. He is the type of player that will earn his side some undeserved points through out a season and bring confidence to a defensive line. Yes, he would end up being the best-paid goalie in the league, but for what he brings, that would probably be the best money spent.

He has been linked with Real Salt Lake in the past, but they have always walked away due to salary. Perhaps with the recent shakeup, the team will give the idea a second (or third) look.

Keller still wants to be King

Unlike Brian McBride, Eddie Pope and Claudio Reyna, Kasey Keller has no interest in retiring from international soccer. Instead, the man whose first cap for the senior team came on February 4, 1990 says he wants to be the US's number one goalkeeper in South Africa, when he will be 40 years-old.

This seems to setup a bit of a showdown with 28-year-old Tim Howard as he was believed to be the man to take over the top spot. But Keller insists he still has something in him and that his reflexes have not declined.

"'I'm still waiting for that to happen, and hopefully I've got a few more years left in me before I fall off the cliff."

Bob Bradley says he will keep an open mind when it comes to Keller and added that he is impressed that Kasey is willing to come to camp to compete in order to earn the spot.

"I think we're fortunate to have a number of very, very good goalkeepers," said Bradley. "Kasey has been a mainstay for the US, and I believe that his performances at Borussia Mönchengladbach continue to show that he's playing at a high level. Timmy has benefited from going to Everton. He's playing really well this year."

If Keller is still it top form, he would be a wonderful addition to the team in 2010. His years of experience, including four previous world cups, could bring a great calm and respect to America's backline. However, if there are any questions at all about his quality of play, Howard is a wonderful 'backup'.

My only wish is that we had such a great battle for every position on the team.