[Oliver_Kahn]

Mönchengladbach goalkeeper Casey Keller is a formidable foe on the pitch, but an easy-going guy off it. bundesliga.de caught up with him.


Since arriving at Borussia Mönchengaldbach, US international goalkeeper Casey Keller has quickly become a cult player in the eyes of the club's faithful. The veteran met up with bundesliga.de, and explained his roots, his view on the World Cup and his passion for German football.

Question: casey, you've played in England, Spain and Germany. As a goalie, does it make any difference to play in these countries?

Casey Keller: "A shot is a shot to be honest. It doesn´t matter if Ronaldinho sticks it into the upper corner oder Alan Shearer or Maakay. It doesn´t matter - its still a goal. You just have to see what is in front of you. The only difference in England is they put a lot more pressure on their goalkeepers. I found that both in Spain and in Germany it's a more comfortable position."

Question: Had you heard about Borussia Mönchengladbach before arriving in Germany?

Keller: "Of course. There was one show called "Soccer Made in Germany", you know? In the 70's when i was a kid and obviously with the tremdendous success that Borussia had in the 70's they were shown quite a bit. My cousin actually sent me an e-mail after I signed for Borussia and mentioned this. He said: "Remember when Borussia when "Soccer Made in Germany" was on the air?" and so on."

Question: Let´s talk about yours hands. The company for goalkeeper gloves was very suprised when they got to know the size you wanted. Apparently, they're much bigger than the biggest size they have.

Keller: "That´s so not true! I think what it is is a little different cut than some of them make. It's a little wider, it's not neccessarily any bigger. I mean its just that the glove is actually cut to my hand. I have good size hands, don´t get me wrong. But I don´t have some sort of freak show hands or anything."

Question: What was special about the World Cup in Germany? Do you think the atmosphere is still here in the country?

Keller: "I think the big thing that made it special in this last World Cup for us as Americans was the pure support that we had as a country. When we played Italy, our fans were in the majority. When we played Ghana, our fans were in the majority. It was a great feeling as an American to come to a World Cup in Europe and have that much fan support. If we play Mexico in a qualifying game in LA we´re playing away from home."

Question: What will you always remember thinking of Germany and the Bundesliga?

Keller: "What I will always remember is: I´ve played at the Bernabeau, I´ve played at the Noucamp, Old Trafford and all these places, but the atmosphere at Borussia-Park blows them all away. That's something I will always remember and my wife will remember and I´m happy that my kids are older now. They will always remember because once again, the English think that they have this monopoly on fan presence at games. I think the Germans beat 'em."