Kasey Keller has 33 shutouts in 67 international matches, the highest total in U.S. soccer history. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

SALT LAKE CITY -- As recently as the spring of 2004, goalkeeper looked as if it would be the most competitive position during World Cup qualifying for the U.S. national team. Kasey Keller and Brad Friedel figured to continue waging their decade-long seesaw battle for the spot, while Tim Howard's sudden success at Manchester United only added to the intrigue.

But then Howard had an up-and-down sophomore season at Man U, and Friedel announced his international retirement. The result? These days the 35-year-old Keller probably has more security as the No. 1 U.S. keeper than at any point of his 16-year national-team career.

Times certainly have changed since Keller considered his own retirement from international soccer after the bitter disappointment of serving as Friedel's backup during the 2002 World Cup. As the U.S. prepares for two crucial World Cup qualifiers -- here Saturday against Costa Rica and next Wednesday at Panama -- I sat down for an interview with Keller, a veteran of three World Cup teams (1990, '98 and 2002) and the Yanks' all-time leader among goalkeepers in wins (43) and shutouts (37).

Keller gave his take on Costa Rica, the changing U.S. defense, his club status at Borussia Mönchengladbach and his funky new home in Germany: a thousand-year-old castle.

SI.com: How big is this Costa Rica match on Saturday?

Keller: If you win your home games, you'll qualify for a World Cup [berth]. We put ourselves in a good position winning the first game away from home in Trinidad, and then we had a difficult game in Mexico. But then we came back to beat Guatemala. So we're in a good position, but we know things can change in a hurry like they did in the last round of qualifying. And even when Costa Rica isn't playing well, it seems to play well against us. So we know we're in for a tough game.

SI.com: Why has Costa Rica been so tough historically?

Keller: I think they match up well against us. They have good size and speed, and maybe their concentration wavers a bit when they're not playing against us. But they really put it together against us, especially when they're down in Saprissa. But even here at home they've given us a hard run.

SI.com: Are you satisfied with how the U.S. has played so far in the final round?

Keller: I think so. I thought we did well for a majority of the time in Trinidad. Guatemala was a good game. The only complaint was we could have put them away a lot earlier than we did. We created lots of chances, and it took us a while to get the second goal. But I was happy [with] the way we responded after Mexico, which was a disappointment in the first half of that game. We didn't compete. We weren't blown out of the water, but we gave away a couple bad goals. But I was happy the way we responded in the second half and gave ourselves an opportunity to get back in the game. We can't afford to play a half or 60 minutes. We need to put together the total package. Hopefully it'll be in the next two games.