Soccer: Keat extends his Swedish stay

Dan Keat will spend another two seasons at Swedish football club Falkenbergs FF after he recently helped them win promotion to the top flight for next year. Photo / Getty Images.

Dan Keat will spend another two seasons at Swedish football club Falkenbergs FF after he recently helped them win promotion to the top flight for next year.

The five-cap All White enjoyed a solid maiden campaign for Falkenbergs with 20 appearances in 2013 as they won the second-tier Superettan, which finished earlier this month meaning they will join the Allsvenskan next March.

Keat, who attended Dartmouth College in the US from 2006-2010 and then spent two years on the books of the LA Galaxy, said he was pleased to ink another contract with Falkenbergs.

"I'm really happy to get the new deal done. There were a couple of other options to move but for me it's about playing football games right now and I think the Allsvenskan is a good stage to show myself at the next level,'' he said.

"We have a young, exciting team that I think is going to cause a lot of teams problems next year, which is why I was happy to sign for two years. I think we will only get better and better.''

It's understood one of those teams who were interested in Keat were the Wellington Phoenix, which could have represented a smart fit for club and player given Keat grew up in the capital and played his junior football for Stokes Valley in Lower Hutt.

But now the versatile midfielder will have the opportunity to reprise an old rivalry against former Taita College student and fellow All White Craig Henderson who plays for Mjallby AIF in Sweden.

"It will also be nice to have a backyard re-match from my childhood in Stokes Valley against Craig Henderson,'' Keat said.

Keat was one of the more puzzling omissions from the All Whites squad for their recent intercontinental playoff against Mexico after being a regular in the group since making his debut last year.

New Zealand were subsequently hammered 9-3 over two legs by a rampant Mexican outfit as the All Whites struggled in the midfield, particularly in the first game.

The 26-year-old has also represented New Zealand at under-20 and under-23 level.