The University of Portland has long been known as a successful gateway to professional and international prominence in the soccer world and never has the case been truer than the present. Former Pilots from the men’s program are thriving as Nate Jaqua was recently named the Major League Soccer Player of the Week two days prior to Portland products Kasey Keller, Steve Cherundolo and Conor Casey helping the U.S. Men’s National Team defeat Panama 3-0 in a World Cup Qualifying match.

Jaqua recorded his first professional hat trick as he led the Chicago Fire to a 5-2 victory over Chivas USA on Saturday. Keller made three impressive saves and Cherundolo played all 90 minutes on defense to help the U.S. move one step closer to qualifying for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

Below is a rundown regarding some notable Portland alumni and their success on the pitch:

Kasey Keller

UP Goalkeeper, 1988-91

Current Affiliations: U.S. Men’s National Team, Borussia Möchengladbach - German Bundesliga

Keller has sparkled as the USA’s primary goalkeeper during qualifying for the 2006 World Cup which is to be held in Germany. Keller has started 10 of the 11 qualifying matches, allowing only eight goals in 900 minutes for a 0.80 goals-against average. He has three straight shutouts in qualifying, has been named the ussoccer.com Man of the Match two times running with a current shutout streak of 327 minutes. The goalkeeper has 39 clean sheets in his 81-game U.S. MNT career.

On the club scene, the longtime Tottenham netminder packed a travel bag for much of the 2004-05 season after playing every minute of every match for the Hotspurs the previous year. Tottenham went with young goalkeeping star Paul Robinson at the start of the 2004-05 season and Keller was granted a loan spell to Southhampton where he was successful in four starts. In January 2005, he joined a Borussia Mönchengladbach squad struggling to stave off relegation in the German Bundesliga. Keller thrived in 17 matches as the everyday keeper and helped the team climb the Bundesliga ladder and remain in the first division.

Steve Cherundolo

UP Defender, 1997-98

Current Affiliations: U.S. Men’s National Team, Hannover 96 - German Bundesliga

Cherundolo has started five matches during World Cup qualifying, recording a pair of assists in 420 minutes of action. A right back defender, Cherundolo has recorded 25 career caps and three assists throughout his national team tenure. In Wednesday’s qualifying shutout against Panama, he helped limit the opposition to just three shots in the important road victory. In a 2-1 win over Trinidad and Tobago on February 9, Cherundolo notched an assist on the first goal of the match.

The savvy veteran recently concluded his sixth season at Hannover where he has established himself as a starting right back since 2000. Hannover, which moved up from the 2.Bundesliga to the Bundesliga after the 2001 season, finished 10th in the 2004-05 league standings.

Conor Casey

UP Forward, 1999-00

Current Affiliations: U.S. Men’s National Team, FSV Mainz 05 - German Bundesliga

At the age of 23, Casey has earned a spot on the U.S. Men’s National Team and participated in six matches since his promotion in 2004. He earned his first international cap against Poland on March 31, 2004 and recorded his first career assist in a 4-0 win over Honduras nearly two months later. He has six caps in all and was with the team in Panama for the 3-0 rout. Casey has participated in three of the eleven World Cup qualifiers.

His German club team Mainz was recently selected to participate in the 2005 UEFA Cup. Mainz finished 11th in the Bundesliga standings as Casey netted two goals this past season. Originally signed by Borussia Dortmund in 2000, Casey was transferred to Mainz in June 2004 for a Bundesliga record-breaking transfer fee of approximately 400,000 Euros. For his career, Casey has recorded nine goals in 37 professional games.

Josh Simpson

UP Midfielder, 2001-03

Current Affiliations: Canadian Men’s National Team, Millwall FC - English League Championship

Simpson has become a regular contributor for the Canadian World Cup Team, earning his first senior cap versus Barbados on January 18, 2004 after successful stints with the Under-20 squad at the 2003 FIFA World Championships and the Olympic Team thereafter. Simpson has earned seven caps with the World Cup squad and will join the team on its upcoming tour which will include a friendly against Honduras on July 2 and the Gold Cup which runs throughout July and will pit Canada versus the United States in Seattle on July 9.

Simpson recently completed his first full professional season with Millwall FC of the English League Championship. He made 22 appearances in 23 games for Millwall scoring one goal while helping the squad to a 10th place finish in the league table.

Heath Pearce

UP Midfielder, 2002-04

Current Affiliations: FC Nordsjælland - Danish SAS Ligaen

Pearce wasted little time cracking the starting rotation after foregoing his senior season and signing with FC Nordsjælland this spring. Following his acquisition, Pearce has started the last 12 games at left back.

Alejandro Salazar

UP Forward/Midfielder, 2002-04

Current Affiliations: Sydney FC - Australian A-League

Salazar has seen action off the bench in Sydney FC’s run at securing a place among the six-team FIFA World Club Championships during the Oceania Qualifying Tournament. Sydney has stormed to the finals of the qualifying, scoring an average of six goals per game in Oceania contests and is one win away from claiming a berth in the December club championships alongside the likes of European League Champion Liverpool FC. Salazar has played in three qualifying matches and registered his first two professional goals. The A-League season will start in late August and run into February.

Nate Jaqua

UP Forward, 2000-02

Current Affiliations: Chicago Fire - Major League Soccer

Jaqua was named the MLS Player of the Week following his three-goal performance in a 5-2 win over Chivas USA on Saturday, June 4. The third pick in the 2003 MLS Superdraft, Jaqua has found his stride in 2005 with four goals and an assist in 11 games. Throughout his three-year career with the Fire, Jaqua has seen action in 57 contests with 34 starts. He has 10 career goals along with seven assists.

Kelly Gray

UP Forward/Midfielder, 1999-01

Current Affiliations: Chicago Fire - Major League Soccer

Gray, Chicago’s first pick in the 2002 MLS Superdraft, has appeared in at least 25 games in each of his first three complete seasons and is a versatile veteran of a young Fire squad. Throughout his career, Gray has played nearly every position with the exception of goalie. He has played in 84 career games with 68 starts. Gray has six career strikes and six assists all-time. This season he has started five games and made six appearances while recording one goal. The Fire are 6-5-1 on the season and in second place of the Eastern Standings.

Chris Brown

UP Midfielder, 1995-98

Current Affiliations: Real Salt Lake - Major League Soccer

Brown broke into the MLS with the Kansas City Wizards in 1999 and has had stints with the New England Revolution and San Jose Earthquakes before being acquired this year by Real Salt Lake. He has started nine games in 2005 and recorded one assist. During his six-year MLS career, Brown has started 94 games while playing in a total of 147 contests. He has 20 career goals to go along with 13 assists and helped Kansas City claim the 2001 MLS Cup.

Other Pilot Professionals:

Scott Benedetti (1985-88), Portland Timbers - USL First Division

Brian Winters (1996-99), Portland Timbers - USL First Division

Jarrod Weis (2000-03), Portland Timbers - USL First Division