The Sounders entered Red Bull Arena in the second leg of their Concacaf Champions League semifinal series with New York City FC with a 3-1 lead thanks to a strong showing in Seattle in the first leg a week prior. Raúl RuidÃaz found a crucial away goal in the first half to up the pressure on NYCFC, who threw everything and more at Seattle over the final hour of the match.
The Sounders needed a big performance from goalkeeper Stefan Frei, who time and time again throughout his illustrious career has come up clutch when it matters most, and that’s just what they got. Frei made seven saves on the night, including two point-blank denials of Talles Magno.
In the 68th minute, Magno ripped a shot from 10 yards out that Frei reacted quickly to and parried over the crossbar with his left hand.
Five minutes later, Taty Castellanos broke free down the righthand side and crossed a beautiful ball into the path of an onrushing Magno. The Brazilian teenager thought he had a sure goal, but Frei came out strong and incredibly kicked away the effort.
Then in the 88th minute, Keaton Parks clipped a ball to the back post looking for Castellanos, who couldn’t quite reach it. Expecting a deflection, Frei stayed glued to his line before diving to his left and pushing it wide.
The Sounders would go on to become the first MLS team in the new iteration of the tournament to win CCL when they defeated Mexico’s Pumas in the final, but they would have never gotten there if their veteran goalkeeper hadn’t stood on his head on multiple occasions in the semis.
