Stephen Keel (born April 11, 1983) is an American former professional

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player who played as a defender

Career

College and amateur

Keel was born in

Littleton, Colorado Littleton is a home rule municipality city located in Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson counties, Colorado, United States. Littleton is the county seat of Arapahoe County and is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Stati ...

. He played college soccer at

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University (WFU) is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The R ...

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 USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States, forming part of the United States soccer league system. The league will featu ...

Professional

On July 11, 2005, Keel signed a developmental contract with the

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Founded in ...

. During the 2006 season Keel spent time on loan with the Seattle Sounders of the

USL First Division The USL First Division (USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the second tier of the United States league system. It was organized by the United Soccer League as its premier league for men from 1996 to 2010, above the USL Second ...

, 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. He was waived by the Rapids on March 13, 2009, and subsequently signed for the

Portland Timbers The Portland Timbers are an American professional Association football, soccer club based in Portland, Oregon. The Timbers compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The Timbers have p ...

on March 16, 2009. 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 Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is best known for its men's professional Association football, football team which, since its promotion in 1913 ...

in a friendly played at PGE Park. On March 9, 2011, Keel joined

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional association football, soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conferenc ...

after a trial stint. On March 26, 2011, Keel made his official debut for New York playing the full 90 in a 0–0 draw against

Columbus Crew The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 cha ...

. 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. Keel chose to enter the

2012 MLS Re-Entry Draft The two-stage 2012 MLS Re-Entry Draft took place on December 7, 2012 (Stage 1), and December 14, 2012 (Stage 2). All 19 Major League Soccer clubs were eligible to participate. The Stage 1 and Stage 2 Drafts were conducted in the same order as th ...

held in December 2012. He was selected by

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The franchise be ...

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. During a 2014 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup semifinal game against the

Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the Union began ...

, 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 and did not appear in any first team games. Keel became a free agent after the 2015 season and was not re-signed by FC Dallas.

Honors

Portland Timbers *

Commissioner's Cup:

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

References

External links

* *
Wake Forest Demon Deacons bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keel, Stephen 1983 births Living people American men's soccer players Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's soccer players IMG Academy Bradenton players Colorado Rapids players Seattle Sounders (1994–2008) players Portland Timbers (2001–2010) players New York Red Bulls players FC Dallas players USL League Two players Major League Soccer players USL First Division players USSF Division 2 Professional League players Soccer players from Colorado Men's association football defenders