Welcome to November's newsletter! Where DID the time go? Yeah, we missed October. Between all the travelling, a new job by the Newsletter Monkey, and just SO much stuff, by the time it was ready, it was almost November! So here we are.

The core premise of Moneyball (by Michael Lewis,) a book about the increased use of statistics in sports management due to various pressures, posits that, statistically, you can, with some level of certainty, determine how well any given team will do over the length of a season merely by evaluating a series of relevant statistics. However, due to the extremely small sample size, any given game is a toss-up. Consequently, over a small series, say, an away leg and a home leg, it is possible for a team to have a bad showing. This is why playoff "upsets" are more common than people think: Effectively, over time, the better team will win. But any given match? While it might have been statistically likely that Sounders FC should have beaten RSL twice in two games, it didn't happen. And not only did it not happen, even the quality play that Sounders FC showed during the home leg, relentless in attack, did not make up for the truly poor showing of the away leg in Salt Lake City.

Of course, it was an unfortunate end to what was an absolutely beautiful season. Winning a third consecutive US Open Cup (qualifying us for the CONCACAF Champions League next year,) the renewal of the latest incarnation of the Cascadia Rivalry, an almost sublime victory in Portland, followed by a walloping of Vancouver in front of their so-called fans, which saw us take back our Cascadia Cup, the largest tifo ever seen in the US (garnering us a full page in Sports Illustrated, not to mention our presence in an Adidas spot,) our amazing form in the first few matches of the CONCACAF Champions League resulting in us making the knockout stage for the first time in our history, and even more away travel than we'd ever done before. Honestly, we could have done worse. Right, Vancouver?

But all good things must come to an end, and unfortunately, that includes the storied career of our beloved captain, Kasey Keller. Keller's last home match was a win (2-0, yet not enough on aggregate,) as was his last regular season home match. The last regular season home match was Kasey Keller at some of his absolute finest. Anyone who saw it won't soon forget that phenomenal quartet of saves against San Jose in the 65th minute when an errant backpass … well…just check it out for yourself. Absolutely amazing.

While MLS Soccer is over for Sounders FC this year, ECS has a whole lot more in store! You won't want to miss our Year End Party, an unbridled soireeof awesome proportions. You could also help out those other boys (and girls) in blue and green, the Armed Services Group, along with the Royal Femmes, as they join together to organize the ECS Toys for Tots Drive. There's also plenty of opportunity to get together and meet other ECS members at the monthly Happy Hour. November's Happy Hour at the Atlantic Crossing on Friday, 11 November, finds us cheering on the US Men's National Team in a friendly against France at 7pm. (The match IS a replay of the early match at noon…so if you know the result, PLEASE don't make mention of it so all can enjoy!)

To stay up to date on all the latest happenings,or if you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or just want someone to yell at, come check us out on the forums!

See you on the terraces…in March when Sounders FC is back in action during the CONCACAF Champions League!

- The Emerald City Supporters

Kasey Keller

Kasey Keller (From Wikipedia)

Kasey Keller (born November 29, 1969 in Olympia, Washington) is a retired American soccer player who last played for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer.

He is a four-time World Cup participant and was the first American goalkeeper to become a regular in the German Bundesliga, the English Premier League, and the Spanish La Liga.

Early career

Keller grew up on an egg farm near Olympia, Washington. He attended North Thurston High School and played college soccer at the University of Portland under Clive Charles. As a freshman in 1988, he helped lead the team to the NCAA men's soccer final four. He earned first team All American as a senior and was the 1991 Adidas Goalkeeper of the Year. During the 1989 college off-season, he played for the Portland Timbers of the Western Soccer Alliance. His outstanding play led to his selection as league MVP that year. In 10 games, he allowed only four goals for a 0.38 goals-against-average and eight clean sheets.

In 1989, he split his time between the Portland Timbers and the U.S. U-20 national team which finished fourth at the 1989 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Keller once again excelled and was awarded the tournament's Silver Ball as the tournament's second best player.

Millwall

After being a member of the US National Team in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, he was signed by the English club Millwall, playing there and becoming a fan favorite between 1992 and 1996. Keller made his Millwall debut on May 2, 1992 and played his last game on May 5, 1996, making 202 overall appearances for The Lions. Keller was voted Player of The Year 1992-93 by the Lions fans and also picked up the Junior Lions and Disabled Millwall Fans' awards. When Millwall were relegated to the Second Division, the team transferred Keller to Leicester City for £900,000 on August 15, 1996.

Leicester City

In his first year with Leicester City, Keller played a vital part in the team's success in both a strong league position and winning the 1997 League Cup. The team reached the final again in 1999, a last minute goal lost them the match. That summer, he left the club for Spain on a free transfer.

Rayo Vallecano

Keller signed with the newly promoted Spanish club Rayo Vallecano for the 1999-2000 season and played there for two years.

Tottenham Hotspur

Keller went back to England and the Premier League in 2001, signing with Tottenham Hotspur. Relegated to backup duty for Neil Sullivan early on, he won the starting spot, and played every minute for Spurs in both the 2002-03 and the 2003-04 seasons.

In the 2004-05 Premiership season, Keller fell out of favor at Tottenham as Paul Robinson became the first choice keeper. In November 2004, Kasey was loaned out to Southampton, a Premiership club ravaged by injuries to its goalkeepers, for one month.

Borussia Mönchengladbach

On January 15, 2005, Keller joined German Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach on a free transfer during the Bundesliga's winter break. He got off to a good start in the Bundesliga, keeping a clean sheet in his first appearance for Borussia. Keller played every minute in the second half of the season and kept a total of seven clean sheets in that period, playing an important role in saving the club from relegation.

On August 10, 2006 Keller was selected by his teammates to captain club side Borussia Mönchengladbach during the 2006-07 campaign. He is the second American (after Claudio Reyna) to captain a top level German club.

Fulham

In August 2007, Keller returned to the Premier League, signing for Fulham. The length of Keller's contract and financial details were not disclosed by the club. He was bought as a back-up to goalkeeper Antti Niemi, but some niggling injuries to Niemi saw him take over as principal goalkeeper at Fulham. However, the day before the Premier League match against Derby County in October, Keller injured his arm in training and was on the sidelines until late January. He returned as a substitute keeper in the 2-1 win over Aston Villa on 3 February. From then on he was only second choice until Fulham's match against Blackburn where he started the game, with Niemi on the bench. He then went on to start Fulham's remaining games as they defied all odds and avoided relegation on the last day of the season with a 1-0 win over Portsmouth at Fratton Park.

Seattle Sounders FC

On August 14, 2008, Keller returned to the United States to sign with 2009 MLS expansion team Seattle Sounders FC. He was the starting goalkeeper for the MLS team's first-ever match, on March 19, 2009, which the Sounders won 3-0. He continued to have a clean sheet in each of his next three starts, with a score of 2-0 per start. He also set the record for most minutes without a goal to start a season in MLS history.

Keller played his final regular season home game for the Sounders on October 15, 2011, a game in which the Sounders beat the San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 with goals from Sammy Ochoa and Fredy Montero to send Keller out in style. A record crowd of 64,140 people were present.

November Happy Hour

For November's ECS Monthly Happy Hour, we are collaborating with American Outlaws Seattle and the Armed Services Group to celebrate Veterans Day and a US Mens National Team viewing on Friday, November 11th @ The Atlantic Crossing Pub.

The US Mens National Team play France in an international friendly. Though the match will be played live at 12pm, we will be showing a repeat at 7pm. If you know the outcome of the match, please do not share it so that those in attendance can enjoy!

Please do not feel any pressure to do so, but if you feel so inclined, take a moment to thank the armed services members who will be in attendance and possibly buy them a beer for their services.

Find out more!

Seattle Sounders FC have finished their third MLS season and there is much to celebrate: advancement in CONCACAF Champions' League, our Third US Open Cup, and the besting of our Cascadia rivals. It's time to party with some of our favorite players!

Join us Saturday, December 3rd, 2011 for our end season celebration and awards ceremony at Republiq Nightclub.

This year's event will open with an ECS business meeting. Leadership will go over the past year and members will find out what they can look forward to in the coming year. After the meeting, we'll open up the backroom for food and you will get your first opportunity to pick up your 2012 ECS membership kits. We will then go right in the our awards presentations including the Jon Glyer Memorial ECS Player of the Year.

Tickets are now on sale! ECS Members who purchase them before November 15th will save $10 off the door price! Non-members can still save $5 before November 15th! You won't want to miss out. Get your tickets NOW!

Want to know more? More details as they're revealed can be found on the ECS Forums!

2012 ECS Memberships ON SALE on
Monday, 14 November, 2011!

Join the Emerald City Supporters' ranks in 2012!

Be a proud member of the best and biggest supporters group in North America

Become (or remain!) a participatory member in the tightly-knit community of passionate supporters in the Brougham End.

Gain access to discounts to ECS events, activities, and merchandise on the ECS Store

Get priority on the season ticket waiting list for the 2012 Supporters Section (http://www.weareecs.com/about/tickets/)

Gain valuable discounts at ECS partner establishments

Be sure to check out the ECS Store on Monday, 14 November at around noon when ECS will reveal the design of the shirt, scarf, and membership card! You can be among the first to renew your membership or join the ECS ranks for 2012!

(Psst…if you order early, you'll be able to pick up your membership kits at the Year End Party on December 3rd! Don't be THAT GUY. Order on 14 November!)

(No, the new kit is not all black with lots of white question marks on it. Smartass. OK, maybe it is. Maybe it's not. We're not telling. You'll just have to check the store on the 14th! Or maybe that IS the reveal up there and we're just messing with your head. Would you WEAR a scarf that was all black, and had nothing but question marks on it? Who are you? The Riddler? Knock it off. OK, OK…you got us. That ISN'T the kit up there, but we had to put SOMETHING up there. So that's what we like to call a "Placeholder Image." Learn something new every day, don't you? On the 14th, you can learn what the new kit looks like. And buy a membership and get one of your very own! But not the scarf with the question marks on it. No.)

"I guess I could have poisoned him if we had made dinner"

-Kasey Keller when asked about Bruce Arena after the 2006 World Cup

Humbly submitted for your information and entertainment, and not necessarily in that order,

Emerald City Supporters