Soon after the final whistle of the Seattle Sounders’ 1-0 home loss to the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday, defender Román Torres walked directly toward goalkeeper Stefan Frei. Torres, who entered at halftime for an injured Chad Marshall, consoled Frei, who minutes earlier had given away a pass to Fafa Picault that led to a shorthanded Union win in stoppage time.
“I really appreciate the support I get,” said Frei. “I know it’s there. I’m humble that I have such great support around me.”
Frei tried to take responsibility for the match afterward, but his teammates and coaches wouldn’t let him. They were quick to shake off that type of talk from a player who has been in the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year discussion all season long and who has covered for his defense more than several times, especially on the Sounders’ MLS-record nine-match winning streak.
Stefan Frei with Club Director of Goalkeeping Tommy Dutra after the Philadelphia match | Jane Gershovich
“Stef has saved our a-- a bunch of times, more times than we can imagine,” said Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “Goalkeepers have a very tenuous position in the sense that if they make a mistake, it usually costs a goal.”
The play was an anomaly for Frei, who sports an MLS-best 0.96 Goals Against Average, having only allowed 26 goals in 27 matches. He leads all MLS goalkeepers in expected goals against difference, having bailed out the Sounders on numerous occasions, and also leads MLS in save percentage at 77.8 percent.
“It wasn’t his fault by any means,” midfielder Cristian Roldan said of Frei. “I put this game on players like myself, who can’t finish opportunities. We put Stef in that situation. We’re not chasing the game if I score that goal. We’re not chasing the game if we put two goals away in the first 20 minutes. It’s a team sport. Mistakes happen. The storyline is going to be, ‘Stef made a mistake.’ But we all made mistakes in the final third and it cost us the game. If we put the game away 2-0 or 3-0 in the first 20 minutes, then it’s a different storyline.”
Frei is not going to forget what happened anytime soon, but he’s ready to put it behind him and get back on the pitch on Sunday at the LA Galaxy (4 p.m. PT; FS1, YouTube TV, 950 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM) with another crucial three points up for grabs as the race for the postseason intensifies.
“That [play] is going to be on loop for a bit, and it needs to be,” said Frei. “You can’t be like, ‘That doesn’t faze me.’ It’s not how you really move past it. I’ve made many mistakes in my career, but I’ve figured out how to cope with most of them now. It doesn’t make it any easier, trust me.
“I have to deal with it, I will. I’ll show up to work to get better. It’s really nice to know that [Club Director of Goalkeeping] Tommy [Dutra] will be there and the other goalkeepers and my teammates to push me and keep going and be ready for the next game.”
