In the Seattle Sounders’ 2-1 win at the Portland Timbers on Sunday, goalkeeper Stefan Frei became only the eighth player in Major League Soccer history to record 1,000 career saves.
Frei, 35, entered the weekend on 998 and finished with three saves to move to 1,001. The 13-year veteran is one of the most decorated goalkeepers in MLS history and is currently fourth all time in clean sheets as well.
“I’ve been blessed to be on teams where I don’t have to make too many saves,” said Frei. “It’s a weird stat because I’m totally happy if I don’t touch the ball at all in any game…Goalkeepers never want to have too much action, but I’m happy that I’ve been able to play for a while.”
Frei is the longest-tenured Sounders player, having joined the club ahead of the 2014 Supporters’ Shield-winning season. He is second all time in the Sounders’ MLS history in games played and minutes and leads every major goalkeeping category.
“I have good people around me that have helped me, great teammates that lessen my workload, and so I’m blessed and very happy that I’ve been able to keep this going,” said Frei. “I have no stop in sight. I want to keep going as long as I can.”
Despite the personal accolade, Frei was just as quick to defer to his teammates and the performance that they put in on Sunday afternoon. The Sounders finished Week 4 of the MLS season first in the Supporters’ Shield standings with 10 points from four matches, all of which have been against incredibly difficult opposition.
“I’m really happy,” said Frei. “This is a big deal to come down here to your archrival’s home and get a win. It’s massive.
“We’ve had quite a few challenges that we’ve already faced, and this was another one,” he continued. “If you can overcome these difficult challenges, this is where you grow the most as a team and where you can gain the most confidence…So far it’s been great, and we’re going to try and extend this for as long as we can.”
