On a night where the score sheet will shine brightly on Jesús Ferreria, who scored his first goal in Rave Green in a 1-0 win over San Diego FC at Lumen Field, Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei put in a vintage performance to seal the clean sheet and the three points.
Frei made seven saves in the win and earned his 121st career MLS shutout, second all-time in league history. Even at 39 years old, Frei recently recorded his 400th career appearance with the Sounders and is showing no signs of slowing down.
“Stefan Frei is the best goalkeeper in this league,” said Sounders Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “You can talk about goalkeepers who play with their feet and help in possession and all that, but Stef makes every save that he has to, and their guy tonight didn’t.”
Frei’s biggest stop came in the 44th minute when Alex Mighten broke free down the left flank, cut inside and unleased a low drive destined for the far post. Frei reacted quickly, getting down to his left to parry it away.
Twenty minutes into the second half, Frei’s reactions were called upon again. He initially started tracking a shot to his right, but it took a deflection through traffic and was headed behind Frei to his left. He stopped his momentum before laying out to kick away with the shot with his trailing legs.
Frei’s ability to come up clutch is palpable for his teammates, and his work rate and effort are contagious.
“He has a lot of experience,” Ferreira said of Frei. “Everyone in the league knows him. Even me, when I was in Dallas, we knew how important he is to the team. Being here and seeing him make those plays makes us want to work hard to be able to make plays on the other end.”
The Sounders will need some more big performances from Frei in the near future. On the heels of back-to-back 1-0 shutout wins, Frei and the Sounders will look to make it a nine-point week at home this coming weekend.
Before embarking on their FIFA Club World Cup journey on June 15, Seattle will host Minnesota United on Sunday (3 p.m. PT; MLS Season Pass on Apple TV | TICKETS) before visiting the Western Conference-leading and Cascadia rivals the Vancouver Whitecaps on June 8.
“Stefan Frei is the best shot-stopping goalkeeper in this league,” said Schmetzer. “Bar none. I don’t care. It’s just a fact.”
