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In return, the Olympia native gave the record crowd of 64,140 at CenturyLink Field a performance for the ages.
He also helped give his club a 2-1 Major League Soccer win over the San Jose Earthquakes.
After the game, a ceremony honoring Keller was held on the pitch. He received his gifts, watched a tribute to his long career on the stadium video boards, and then addressed the crowd.
“I’m just so humbled and honored to be here today with what this club means to me,” he said. “I grew up watching the Sounders play, like all of you did. So to be able to finish my career playing with the Sounders is the biggest honor I could have in my career.”
MLS commissioner Don Garber sent a Twitter post calling it “A great tribute for a legendary American soccer star.”
The crowd was the largest to watch the Sounders in a league match, and the third largest ever to watch an MLS game that wasn’t part of an international doubleheader. The Sounders ended their third MLS season with a league-record attendance average of 38,498.
In terms of MLS standings, the game was meaningless to both sides. Seattle (17-7-9) has clinched the second spot in the Western Conference, while the Earthquakes (7-12-14) already had been eliminated from playoff contention.
After giving up a goal in the 25th minute, the Sounders got even on Sammy Ochoa’s goal in the 82nd minute then won it on Fredy Montero’s career-high 12th goal five minutes later.
