With mighty Manchester United set to invade the home of Seattle Sounders netminder Kasey Keller on Wednesday (10 pm ET, Fox Soccer), let's take a quick look back at his 12 showdowns with the Red Devils in England, in which his teams compiled a 2-7-3 record.
Nov. 27, 1996 (Leicester City 2, Manchester United 0)
In Keller's first battle against the Red Devils, he backstopped eventual champions Leicester City to a 2-0 home victory in the fourth round of the League Cup. Not only would it be the only time he faced Sir Alex's men in cup play, but the Foxes went on to raise the trophy at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield.
Nov. 30, 1996 (Manchester United 3, Leicester City 1)
Three days after the big cup triumph, the Red Devils got revenge at Old Trafford. The hosts bagged three goals in the final quarter hour to post the 3-1 win, with Nicky Butt's brace wrapped around Ole Gunnar Solskjær's 85th-minute winner.
May 3, 1997 (Leicester City 2, Manchester United 2)
It was round 36 of 38, with Keller's promoted Leicester still sweating the return drop and United trying to clinch the title. The Foxes thrilled the home fans with an early two-goal lead, but a pair of Solskjær goals just before and after the break forced a 2-2 share.
Aug. 23, 1997 (Leicester City 0, Manchester United 0)
Keller dueled goalkeeping legend Peter Schmeichel to a draw for the second straight time as Leicester were busy opening the new season on a four-game unbeaten run. This scoreless home match marked his first league clean sheet against United.
Jan. 31, 1998 (Manchester United 0, Leicester City 1)
The soon-to-be US World Cup custodian moved to three straight without a loss against United by notching a second consecutive shutout in a 1-0 victory at Old Trafford. Tony Cottee's first-half goal and plenty of stubborn play from Keller earned his only win at the Theater of Dreams.
Aug. 15, 1998 (Manchester United 2, Leicester City 2)
The American looked well on his way to another Old Trafford blinder after Leicester took an early two-goal edge on opening day. Keller made stunning stops to deny David Beckham and Roy Keane just before being forced to leave at the hour with an injury. His stand-in, Peguy Arphexad, was 12 minutes from preserving the win, only to eventually leak a stoppage-time Beckham free kick as the Foxes bitterly settled for a 2-2 draw.
Jan. 16, 1999 (Leicester City 2, Manchester United 6)
Clearly fed up with Keller's mastery of them, United exploded for a 6-2 win at Leicester. CONCACAF rival Dwight Yorke bagged a hat trick as the Mancunians started what would end up a six-game win EPL streak against the American. This game also ended his Schmeichel war, with the great Dane compiling a slight 2-1-2 advantage.
Sept. 21, 2002 (Manchester United 1, Tottenham Hotspur 0)
In his first Man. United tilt in a Tottenham kit, Keller dropped a tough 1-0 away decision in a dazzling 'keeper duel. Ruud van Nistelrooy's 63rd minute spot kick was the lone difference in his first showdown with Fabien Barthez, in which both 'keepers were absolutely shelled.
April 27, 2003 (Tottenham Hotspur 0, Manchester United 2)
It got worse for Keller as United put 15 shots on goal to grind out a 2-0 win at Spurs. The former castle dweller held out until Paul Scholes broke through with 20 minutes left and van Nistelrooy added in near time. The win put the eventual champs clear of Arsenal with two to play and they would clinch the following weekend.
Dec. 21, 2003 (Tottenham Hotspur 1, Manchester United 2)
Tim Howard and the Red Devils escaped White Hart Lane with a 2-1 victory thanks to early strikes from John O'Shea and van Nistelrooy. It would stand as Keller's only clash with his 2006 World Cup understudy.
Mar. 20, 2004 (Manchester United 3, Tottenham Hotspur 0)
Spurs fell 3-0 on the road in this one, but it was a lot closer (and stranger) on the field than it looks in the results archive. Despite outplaying United for much of the day, Tottenham were only down a Ryan Giggs stunner as the clock wound down. Keller superbly denied Diego Forlán to keep the game alive, but David Bellion and Cristiano Ronaldo piled on in stoppage time.
Dec. 4, 2004 (Manchester United 3, Southampton 0)
Keller faced United in England for the final time while on loan to Southampton. Despite notching 11 saves, he went down in defeat 3-0 due to second-half tallies from Scholes, Wayne Rooney and Ronaldo.
