Fed up with certain media types and detractors claiming soccer as a gentle game, Fulham keeper Kasey Keller shot down the assessment with his usual sharp wit.

The American Abroad says those who think the sport is filled with athletes afraid of contact are fooling themselves.

"There's a whole generation of Americans growing up playing the sport and the idea that soccer is a soft option goes out of the window as soon as kids suffer their first kick," said Keller.

"I remember a world champion boxer from Colombia telling me the most pain he ever endured was on a soccer pitch."