Stephen Keel
Stephen Keel (born April 11, 1983 in Littleton, Colorado) is a former American soccer player who most recently played for FC Dallas in Major League Soccer.
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Personal information | |||
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Date of birth | April 11, 1983 | ||
Place of birth | Littleton, Colorado, United States | ||
Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
Position(s) | Defender | ||
Youth career | |||
2001–2004 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2003 | Bradenton Academics | 6 | (1) |
2005–2008 | Colorado Rapids | 10 | (0) |
2006 | → Seattle Sounders (loan) | 10 | (1) |
2009–2010 | Portland Timbers | 52 | (1) |
2011–2012 | New York Red Bulls | 25 | (0) |
2013–2015 | FC Dallas | 24 | (1) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of October 29, 2014 |
Career
College and amateur
Keel played college soccer at Wake Forest University from 2001 to 2004 where he appeared in 63 games scoring 13 goals and adding 9 assists. During his college career he also played with Bradenton Academics in the USL Premier Development League.
Professional
On July 11, 2005 Keel signed a developmental contract with the Colorado Rapids. During the 2006 season Keel spent time on loan with the Seattle Sounders of the USL First Division, scoring 1 goal in 10 games for the team. While with Colorado Keel appeared in 36 games with the Rapids reserves, leading the reserve team to back-to-back MLS Reserve Division championships in 2006 and 2007 and was named MLS Magazine's Reserve Player of the Year following the 2007 season.
![](../I/Stephen-Keel-soccer-player.jpg.webp)
He was waived by the Rapids on March 13, 2009, and subsequently signed for the Portland Timbers on March 16, 2009.[1] In his first season with Portland Keel appeared in 29 league matches scoring 1 goal in helping the club capture the USL First Division Commissioner's Cup as regular season champions. In his second season with Portland Keel remained a fixture in the Timber defense and helped the club reach the playoffs. On May 29, 2010 Keel scored Portland's second goal in a 3-2 come from behind victory over Argentina's Boca Juniors in a friendly played at PGE Park.[2]
On March 9, 2011 Keel joined New York Red Bulls after a trial stint.[3] On March 26, 2011 Keel made his official debut for New York playing the full 90 in a 0-0 draw against Columbus Crew.[4] By the end of the season Keel became a regular starter for New York and helped the club qualify for the MLS playoffs.
On November 19, 2012, New York announced it declined options for ten players including Keel.[5] Keel chose to enter the 2012 MLS Re-Entry Draft held in December 2012. He was selected by FC Dallas in stage two of the re-entry draft and signed with the club on January 9, 2013. He scored his first goal on October 26, 2013 in a 2-1 away loss to the San Jose Earthquakes in the 90th minute. His goal was a header and was assisted by Blas Perez. [6][7] During a 2014 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinal game against the Philadelphia Union, he suffered a foot injury that caused him to miss the rest of the MLS season. He also spent much of 2015 rehabbing the injury[8] and did not appear in any first team games.
Keel became a free agent after the 2015 season[9] and was not re-signed by FC Dallas.
Honors
Portland Timbers
- USL First Division Commissioner's Cup (1): 2009
References
- http://usl1.uslsoccer.com/home/313524.html
- http://www.oregonlive.com/timbers/index.ssf/2010/05/portland_3_boca_juniors_2_timb.html
- http://redbullsreader.wordpress.com/2011/03/09/new-york-signs-teemu-tainio-and-stephen-keel/
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 30, 2011. Retrieved March 28, 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- http://www.newyorkredbulls.com/news/2012/11/red-bulls-announce-roster-moves
- http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/12/14/total-14-players-selected-stage-2-mls-re-entry-draft
- http://www.fcdallas.com/news/2013/01/fc-dallas-signs-london-woodberry-agrees-terms-stephen-keel
- "Return at hand for FC Dallas' Keel after 10-month absence following foot injury". Soccer Blog. Retrieved 2016-03-08.
- "Major League Soccer announces free-agent class of 26 players". ESPNFC.com. Retrieved 2016-03-08.