Seattle Sounders FC just handed out the press release officially announcing goalkeeper Kasey Keller of Olympia as their second player signing.

GM Adrian Hanauer calls Keller “arguably the top goalkeeper that the United States has ever produced.” Keller has appeared in four World Cups and has 102 international caps and 53 wins for the national team, including 47 shutouts. He has played in England’s Premier League, Spain’s La Liga and Germany’s Bundesliga.

Keller comes to the team through MLS allocation. Financial details are not part of this media release.

However, the deal is for two years, and

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This is from the Olympian, one of our sister papers:

Kasey Keller is coming home to play soccer.

Keller, who grew up in Lacey and has played soccer in Europe since 1991, will be introduced Thursday as the new goalkeeper for the Seattle Sounders MLS team.

He’s expected to sign a two-year contract, allowing him to finish an illustrious career in his home state. The Sounders FC MLS team begins play next spring.

"We’ll, I’m not officially with them. So, until it’s official I can’t make any comment," Keller said in a phone interview this morning

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The Charleston Battery will meet DC United for this year’s US Open Cup.

The Battery eliminated the Seattle Sounders on penalty kicks Tuesday in an all USL match, while United defeated the New England Revolution, 3-1, in an all-MLS match.

Here’s a running blog account of the Sounders disappointment in South Carolina.

The Seattle Sounders meet the Charleston Battery at 4:30 this afternoon in the semifinals of this year’s US Open Cup.

There’s no local TV, but the game in available for free online at usllive.com. Also Emerald City Supporters have organized a viewing party at Atlantic Crossing Pub, 6508 Roosevelt Way NE Seattle.

If Seattle wins, the Sounders will host the final at Qwest Field against the winner of tonight’s DC United-New England Revolution match.

Here’s the information from the Sounders’ Web site and a preview from the Charleston side.

Seattle Sounders FC is inviting its fans to attend what it is calling “a special player announcement” at 2 p.m. Thursday at Qwest Field. The invitation goes on to call it a “historic event as the Sounders FC adds another to their 2009 roster.”

Fans can park in the north lot of Qwest Field, and enter the stadium through the NW VIP gate where they will be directed to the field.

Youth players are encouraged to wear their team uniform, as there will also be an informal clinic led by members of the Sounders FC staff.

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This was passed along to us from TNT baseball writer Ryan Divish, who besides having a sick sense of humor, is a massive soccer fan.

Here is a good ESPN preview of the US Open Cup semifinal matches, coming up Tuesday.

And this week we received word that if the Sounders advance past Charleston to the final, that championship game against either D.C. United or New England Revolution will be played at Qwest Field.

"We’re ecstatic to have the chance to host the U.S. Open Cup final in what is the final USL season for the Sounders," Sounders general manager Bart Wiley through a media release. "Of course, we have work to do and a tough game in Charleston but we’re confident

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A season-high crowd of 12,000+ at PGE Park witnessed a relatively comfortable win for the away side in the last regular-season clash, for now, between the Northwest rivals.

Seba LeToux got what proved to be the winner at 20 minutes, and then the Sounders got the man advantage when Scot Thompson was sent off in the 33rd for serious foul play. Boaz Herzog’s report in The Oregonian is here.

Reports of the death of the rivalry, however, are clearly premature. There will be U.S. Open Cup meetings, and “friendlies,” after the Sounders go up next season –

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