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Keeping up appearances Freidel, Keller could clash in League Cup finalPosted: Saturday February 23, 2002 12:54 PMLONDON (AP) -- American goalkeepers Brad Friedel and Kasey Keller both contest an English soccer final Sunday -- but only one of them is likely to play. Friedel's Blackburn Rovers and Keller's Tottenham Hotspurs meet in the League Cup final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, for English soccer's first trophy of the season. The winner advances to next season's UEFA Cup. Spurs, a three time winner, last won the League Cup in 1999. Blackburn is seeking its first cup trophy since it won the FA Cup in 1928, although it won the Premier League in 1995. Friedel, 30, is guaranteed a start Sunday, but Keller, 32, has struggled since moving to Spurs six months ago. Friedel and Keller have only faced each other once this season - with Tottenham winning 1-0 on New Year's Day. Blackburn beat Tottenham 2-1 in the first week of the season in August. Keller could use a good showing in front of U.S. team officials. Keller has seen Friedel move ahead of him for playing time with the World Cup-bound American team. "I feel I am at my peak now, but I am a little confused with the situation at Spurs," Keller, from Lacey, Washington, told London's Evening Standard. "The more I stay on the bench, the more I fear people will start to think I am happy doing that. I am not. "I have no clear indication of where I stand at the present time because I came here to fight for the No. 1 spot. Yet I still don't know why I was left out after the last three games I played." Keller, who joined Tottenham from Spain's Rayo Vallecano, only got his start in December because of the good form of regular goalkeeper Neil Sullivan. Sunday's game culminates tournament action in England's second tier Cup competition, underway since August between 92 of England's professional teams from the third division up. "Nobody remembers who finishes second. People remember who won the cup, and that's what we want to do," said Friedel, a native of Bay Village, Ohio. "As a professional athlete, I think you get a little greedy when you get a chance to win something." Blackburn entered this weekend second from bottom in the Premier League, with a meager record of 6-13 with 7 ties. But the Rovers were unstoppable in tournament play topping Oldham, Middlesbrough, Manchester City, and league-contender Arsenal, before outscoring Sheffield 6-3 in a pair of semifinal matches. Tottenham started the weekend No. 8 in the league at 10-11 with 5 ties, and arrived in Cardiff after wins over Torquay, Tramere, Fulham, and Bolton. Spurs beat cross-town rival Chelsea 7-2 on aggregate, in a pair of semifinal games. Both are members of U.S. squad, and each outing brings them closer to a June 5 World Cup opener against Portugal in South Korea. And only one goalkeeper will start. "Brad Friedel is my main competitor for the USA team and he has had a very good year with Blackburn," Keller said when the pair met in January. "I have a good history with the national side but it is difficult for the manager to choose you if you are not playing regularly." Friedel started in the last U.S World Cup warmup game, a 1-0 loss to Italy on Feb. 13, while Keller watched from the bench. But Keller will be back in the U.S. for a March 2 warmup match against Honduras in Seattle, Wash. Keller and Friedel traveled similar collegiate paths on the U.S. West Coast before turning pro. Keller was a freshman member of Portland's (Ore.) 1988 final four team. Friedel was a freshman on UCLA's 1990 national champion, but left after his junior season, having won the Hermann Trophy, as the best college player. Friedel was a three-time All-American selection. Sunday's game could be held indoors if Millennium Stadium officials decide the afternoon weather is too cold, or wet, and close the retractable roof.
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