Stefan Frei facts for kids
Frei playing for Seattle Sounders FC in 2014
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stefan Frei | ||
| Date of birth | 20 April 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Altstätten, Switzerland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Seattle Sounders FC | ||
| Number | 24 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2006 | San Francisco Seals | 6 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | San Jose Frogs | 18 | (0) |
| 2009–2013 | Toronto FC | 82 | (0) |
| 2014– | Seattle Sounders FC | 325 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 2001 | Switzerland U15 | 1 | (0) |
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Stefan Frei, born on April 20, 1986, is a professional footballer from Switzerland. He plays as a goalkeeper for the Major League Soccer team Seattle Sounders FC. Stefan moved to the United States with his family when he was a teenager. He has spent his entire professional career playing in Major League Soccer.
Contents
Early Life and College Soccer
Stefan Frei moved from Switzerland to the United States with his parents and brother. He was about 15 years old at the time. He went to De La Salle High School in Concord, California.
He played college soccer at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2008, he was recognized as one of the best players. He was named to the All-Pac-10 first team. He also played for two teams during his college years: San Francisco Seals and San Jose Frogs. These teams were part of the USL Premier Development League.
Club Career Highlights
Playing for Toronto FC
In 2009, Stefan Frei was named the most valuable player (MVP) at a special event for new MLS players. He then signed a contract that helped young players join the league. He was chosen by Toronto FC in the first round of the 2009 MLS draft.
Stefan played his first professional game on March 21, 2009. It was Toronto's first game of the 2009 MLS season. He quickly became the team's main goalkeeper. Soon after, he was named Toronto FC Player of the Month for April 2009. Frei also won the "Save of the Week" award multiple times in 2009.
He helped Toronto FC win their first trophy in the 2009 Canadian Championship. He played well in three games, making important saves.
On April 25, 2010, Frei achieved his first "clean sheet" of the 2010 season. A clean sheet means the goalkeeper prevents the other team from scoring any goals. This happened in a 2–0 home win against Seattle Sounders FC. Frei had another great season as Toronto's main keeper. He improved his statistics from his first year.
In 2011, the new coach, Aron Winter, said that Stefan would be one of the key players. Frei recorded his first clean sheet of the 2011 season on March 26. He also got his third assist, helping set up a goal. When the team captain left, Frei became the vice-captain. He even wore the captain's armband for the first time on April 13.
Stefan faced some injuries in 2011. After resting, another keeper, Miloš Kocić, played well. This created a lot of competition for the goalkeeper spot. At the end of the season, it was announced that Frei would train with Liverpool in England.
In 2012, Frei suffered a broken bone in his leg during training. He also needed surgery on his ankle. This meant he would be out of play for many months. This injury put his whole season at risk.
After a year of recovery, Frei was expected to be the main keeper in 2013. However, a small injury allowed backup keeper Joe Bendik to start. Bendik played very well, so the coach kept him as the starter. Frei got his first start in over a year on April 24, 2013. This was in a Canadian Championship match, which Toronto won 2–0.
Moving to Seattle Sounders FC
Stefan Frei was traded to Seattle Sounders FC on December 10, 2013. This trade involved a future draft pick.
Frei was one of the best goalkeepers in the league during the 2016 MLS Season. He had eight clean sheets in 33 games. Seattle made it to the playoffs. He only let in three goals during the MLS Cup playoffs. He also had four clean sheets in six playoff matches. Frei was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the MLS Cup 2016 final. He made seven saves during the game. He also made a crucial save in the penalty shootout, helping Seattle win 5–4 against his old team, Toronto. His save on Jozy Altidore's header was called "one of the best saves in MLS Cup history."
In the 2017 MLS season, Frei continued to show he was one of the league's top goalkeepers. He started 33 games and made 84 saves. He also had 13 clean sheets, more than any other goalkeeper that year. In the playoffs, Frei made four saves and kept four clean sheets in a row. Seattle reached the final without letting in any goals. On December 9, 2017, he played in the 2017 MLS Cup Final against Toronto FC. Toronto won 2–0. However, Frei was praised for his amazing performance. He made many impressive saves to keep the score close. He finished third in the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award. The next year, he placed second for the award.
On November 10, 2019, Frei started for Seattle in the 2019 MLS Cup Final. Seattle won the game 3–1 against Toronto FC.
On May 12, 2021, Frei got a left knee injury. The club later announced he had a blood clot because of the injury. He was out for a while during the 2021 season. Frei returned to play on September 11, helping his team win 1–0.
Frei played very well in the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League. In the semifinal, he made seven critical saves. After winning the final, Frei received the tournament's Best Player Award and Best Goalkeeper Award. He had four clean sheets in eight games.
On June 3, 2023, against the Portland Timbers, Frei recorded his 100th MLS clean sheet. He became only the third player in league history to achieve this.
International Career
Frei was a member of the Swiss U-15 national team.
In January 2017, Frei was invited to train with the United States national team. Frei became a U.S. citizen in June 2017.
Personal Life
Stefan is a second-cousin of Alexander Frei. Alexander is a famous retired captain of the Switzerland national football team. He is also their all-time leading scorer.
Stefan announced on Twitter that he officially became a U.S. citizen on June 13, 2017. He lives with his wife, Jennifer, and their two dogs on Bainbridge Island. He is building a home there. Frei also enjoys painting in his free time. He has worked with companies and charities using his artwork.
Career Statistics
| Club | Season | League | Playoffs | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Toronto FC | 2009 | MLS | 26 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 0 | |||
| 2010 | 28 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 32 | 0 | ||||
| 2011 | 27 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 34 | 0 | ||||
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 82 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 99 | 0 | ||||
| Seattle Sounders FC | 2014 | MLS | 34 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 41 | 0 | ||
| 2015 | 31 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 35 | 0 | |||
| 2016 | 33 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 41 | 0 | |||
| 2017 | 33 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 37 | 0 | ||||
| 2018 | 33 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 39 | 0 | |||
| 2019 | 34 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 0 | ||||
| 2020 | 22 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 0 | |||
| 2021 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 20 | 0 | ||||
| 2022 | 27 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 0 | |||
| 2023 | 32 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |||
| 2024 | 29 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 34 | 0 | |||
| Total | 325 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 387 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 407 | 0 | 36 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 486 | 0 | ||
Awards and Achievements
Toronto FC
- Canadian Championship: 2009, 2010, 2011
Seattle Sounders FC
- MLS Cup: 2016, 2019
- Supporters' Shield: 2014
- U.S. Open Cup: 2014
- CONCACAF Champions League: 2022
Individual Awards
- NCAA First-Team All-American: 2007
- Red Patch Boys Player of the Year: 2010
- MLS Cup MVP: 2016
- MLS All-Star: 2017
- MLS Save of the Year Award: 2018, 2021
- CONCACAF Champions League Golden Ball: 2022
- CONCACAF Champions League Golden Glove: 2022
- CONCACAF Champions League Best XI: 2022
See also
In Spanish: Stefan Frei para niños
