Nov. 30, 2005

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Former Portland Pilot goalkeeper Kasey Keller won the Honda Player of the Year Award on Wednesday as the best player on the U.S. national soccer team, adding it to the honor he earned in 1999. Landon Donovan, who had won the award the past three years, and DaMarcus Beasley were the other finalists. Keller received 344 points in voting by 206 sports journalists across the country, while Donovan got 329 and Beasley 270.

Keller, who turned 36 on Tuesday, played in a career-high 14 games for the American team this year, setting goalkeeping records with nine wins and eight shutouts. He finished the year with a 0.56 goals-against average.

Keller, who starred between the pipes for the Pilots from 1988-91, has a total of 44 shutouts in 89 appearances with the national team, including 19 shutouts in World Cup qualifying matches.

Keller, who plays for Borussia Moenchengladbach of Germany's Bundesliga, flew to Los Angeles to receive his award in a ceremony at a downtown hotel. One of the first people to congratulate the Pilot alum was Donovan, who smiled and gave him a big hug.

Keller joins Eric Wynalda (1992, 1996) and Donovan as the only multiple winners of the award.