Soccer is a cruel game.
A result seems imminent, until it isn’t. This was certainly the case on Sunday when a shot in second-half stoppage time slipped by Stefan Frei, giving LAFC the 1-0 victory.
“I’ve said this before and I will say it again, that’s [the nature of] this position,” Frei told media this week. “It wasn’t my first mistake and it won’t be my last one. We all make mistakes, that’s the thing. In this position, it gets amplified. It’s a brutal thing because you’re really letting down the hard work your teammates put in.”
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As for Frei, though, he isn’t worried when the club returns to the pitch on Saturday afternoon against Columbus Crew SC (1 p.m. PT; JOEtv, YouTube TV, Univision-Seattle, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM | TICKETS). It’s the nature of the goalkeeping position – an unfortunate symptom to a heavily scrutinized position.
“I think what makes goalkeepers good is how do you respond?” Frei said, “Like I said, everybody will go through that. It can destroy you. I have had my fair number of blunders, but I’ve always come out the other way.”
Head Coach Brian Schmetzer has his keeper’s back, too. Following the match, Schmetzer said that there is no need for Frei to apologize to the team because he has saved more points than he has lost for the club since the 2014 season.
“It helps to have teammates and coaches and people around you who believe in you and assure you that they have your back,” Frei added.
