37-Year Old for Sale! What? No takers?

Kasey Keller wants to come to MLS. There's just one problem. MLS doesn't want him.

The league has grown to the point where it is free to turn away talent, especially a name talent like Keller, who has spent the past 15 years in the English, Spanish, and German top flights. He was the second American to ever captain a side in the German top division: having held the captains armband at Borussia Mochengladbach since 2005, (shown here leading 'Gladbach's proverbial horse to water AND making him drink.). He was Man of the Match in the United States' draw with Italy at the World Cup last summer, and has been capped by the US National team almost 100 times.

With a resume like that, Jonah Freedman of SI.com wonders why any team wouldn't be banging down the door for someone of Keller's pedigree. The answer as always in sports. Money.

While MLS is growing, its salaries are still in line with early cost-control measures the league undertook to ensure its survival. Keller feels that he deserves more than the "Max Salary" of $400,000, which essentially means that he would require a designated player or "Beckham Rule" slot. Problem is, teams only get one slot for a player to be paid outside the cap.

No team is going to use their designated player slot, or their money outside the cap, on a goalkeeper, no matter how legendary he might be. The fact is, while Keller is an amazing goalkeeper, he unfortunately plays a position that Americans are very good at. American keepers man the sticks at three English Premiership clubs(Brad Friedel at Blackburn, Tim Howard at Everton, and Marcus Hannehman at Reading). The supply of potential champion goalkeepers is at an all time high.

Keller's age and health are also an issue. While goalkeepers can keep their careers going longer than field players, you can get a goalkeeper like New England's Matt Reis, who just turned 32, and can do about 95% of what Keller can do , for a fraction of the price. Perhaps even more importantly, that team then leaves their Beckham Rule slot open for another player who decides they fancy a career in America. These days, everybody's name is being tossed around. "Zidane to LA" "Drogba to New England" and so on. Why waste a chance to get a fantastic player on an aging goalkeeper who just got hurt?

Keller is either going to have to take a pay-cut, or sign a low-level contract with another European team. Sadly, this fact appears obvious to everyone following these developments except Keller and Freedman.