How Acquired: Selected by the Galaxy in the first round (3rd overall) of the 2011 MLS Supplemental Draft.
Now in his second season with the Galaxy, Keat looks to continue to grow as a player while providing depth and versatility in the squad. Capable of playing anywhere in the midfield as well as all across the defense, the New Zealand international is calm and composed on the ball, as well as adept at reading the game, allowing him to often get out of tight situations.
MLS Highlights
2011: Led all Galaxy rookies with five league games played despite missing all of the preseason and the first month of the season while recovering from a fractured left heel that he suffered at the MLS Combine. He was in Galaxy’s 18-man squad for the first time on 7/30 at Vancouver, coming on for the final five minutes of that game for his MLS debut. He also came off the bench in the second half at Portland (8/3), vs. San Jose (8/20) and vs. Vancouver (9/17) before making the first start of his career in the regular season finale at Houston on 10/24, playing the full 90 minutes in central midfield. Keat, who played in eight of LA’s nine Reserve League games, also played in each game of the Herbalife World Football Challenge against Real Madrid and Manchester City.
College Highlights
A four-year starter at Dartmouth, Keat finished his career with 20 goals and 14 assists in 64 games for the Big Green, leading them to the NCAA Tournament four times in five years. He was a Third Team All-American as a junior in 2009 when he set careerhighs with eight goals and six assists with one of those goals coming in the NCAA Tournament. Behind Keat’s leadership, Dartmouth reached the Third Round of the Tournament in 2010 before falling to UCLA. Despite missing the 2008 season because of a knee injury, Keat was an All-Ivy League selection all four years that he played their, earning First Team honors in his freshman, junior and senior years and a Second Team berth as a sophomore.
National Team
A member of New Zealand’s Under-20 National Team from 2006-07, he captained his country at the 2007 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in each of their first two group games against Gambia and Portugal. He was in contention for a spot in New Zealand’s squad at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, only to suffer an injury in the Spring of that year that ruled him out of the tournament. He earned his first call-up to the full national team in February 2012 ahead of All Whites’ friendly against Jamaica in Auckland on 2/29/12.