In front of the largest crowd for a competitive game in Seattle Sounders history (and the third largest worldwide on a bust day for European soccer) Kasey Keller was given a fitting sendoff as the Sounders rode late goals from Sammy Ochoa and Fredy Montero to a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes. The visitors were successful with their bunker-and-counter strategy for the majority of the evening and it looked as though Kasey Keller's post-game ceremony might have a tinge of awkwardness.
Thankfully for Keller and all in attendance the Sounders turned the evening around in quite a hurry; Mauro Rosales made his return to the pitch in the 64th minute and provided a noticeable spark to the Sounders attack. Sammy Ochoa came on less than five minutes later and Seattle poured forward, but it wasn't until the 82nd minute that the home side managed to get on the board, the two substitutes combining for the equalizer; Rosales found Ochoa in space with a well-placed lofted through ball to beat the Earthquakes' offside trap before volleying past Jon Busch to level terms. It wouldn't take long for the Sounders to take the lead as Lamar Neagle fed the ball to Fredy Montero just to the left of the spot and right ahead of the offside flag with Montero finishing coolly past Busch. The Earthquakes posed little threat from there on out and the Sounders ended the evening with 60 points with still one MLS game remaining.
And then the whistle blew and things got silly. Very few of the 64,000+ in attendance left. We were treated to 30 foot tall digital rendering of Kasey Keller's mullet from the Millwall days. Drew Carey rode an ATV into the field. ECS reminded everyone that Kasey Keller is big tall and an (expletive) wall. And the 60,000+ remaining fans paid very vocal tribute to a true legend of American soccer. In so many ways it was a culmination of that the club began building four years ago when Kasey Keller first signed with with the Sounders. Keller is leaving us but what he's meant to this club and this city is difficult to measure. Numerous keepers will succeed Keller in goal. But none will ever replace him.