Stephen Keel (born April 11, 1983 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 ...

) is a former American soccer player who most recently played for

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise began play in 1996 as a charter club of the le ...

in Major League Soccer.

Career

College and amateur

Keel played college soccer at

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

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 IMG Academy Bradenton is an American soccer team based in Bradenton, Florida, United States. Founded in 1998, the team plays in USL League Two, the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. The team is associated with IMG Academy and the ...

in the

USL Premier Development League USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United States soccer league syst ...

Professional

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

Colorado Rapids The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver metropolitan area. The Rapids compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference. Founded in 1995, as part of the Anschutz Corporation, lat ...

. During the 2006 season Keel spent time on loan with the

Seattle Sounders Seattle Sounders Football Club is an American professional men's soccer club based in Seattle. The Sounders compete as a member of the Western Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was established on November 13, 2007, and began ...

of the

USL First Division The USL First Division (usually referred to as USL-1) was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010. During its existence, it formed the second tier of soccer in the United States soccer league system ...

, 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 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

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. On March 9, 2011 Keel joined

New York Red Bulls The New York Red Bulls are an American professional 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. The club was established in October 1994 and be ...

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, formerly known as Columbus Crew SC, is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The Crew competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference and began play in 1996 as one ...

. 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 the t ...

held in December 2012. He was selected by

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, 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 (1): 2009

References

External links

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Wake Forest Demon Deacons bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keel, Stephen 1983 births Living people American 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 Association football defenders