Bradley Howard Friedel was born on May 18,1971 and is an American professional soccer coach and former player who played as a goalkeeper.
38 Facts About Brad Friedel
2.
Brad Friedel is the current holder of the Premier League record for most consecutive appearances with 310, a feat he achieved during spells at Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur.
3.
Brad Friedel is officially Aston Villa's oldest-ever player, a record he set on February 1,2011, by playing in the club's Premier League fixture away at Manchester United.
4.
On May 6,2012, Brad Friedel became the oldest player to appear in a competitive match for Tottenham when he played in the club's Premier League fixture at Aston Villa, beating Jimmy Cantrell's near-80-year-old record.
5.
Brad Friedel ended his Premier League career after a total of 450 appearances, which remains a record for any North or South American player.
6.
Brad Friedel earned Bay High's Outstanding Athlete of the Year award in 1989.
7.
Brad Friedel began as a forward on his youth soccer team before moving into goalkeeping.
8.
Brad Friedel played college soccer at the University of California, Los Angeles.
9.
Brad Friedel was selected as the first team All-American goalkeeper in 1991 and 1992, and won the Hermann Trophy in 1993 as the top collegiate soccer player.
10.
Brad Friedel played 66 games for the UCLA, all of which he started.
11.
Brad Friedel began by attempting to sign with Nottingham Forest under Brian Clough, but was denied a work permit, the first in several such failed attempts to move to England.
12.
Brad Friedel was signed by manager Kevin Keegan of Newcastle United, but again was denied a work permit.
13.
Brad Friedel stayed with that club for several months in 1995, as back-up to Mogens Krogh.
14.
When Brad Friedel again failed to receive a British work permit, his agent negotiated a $1.1 million transfer from the USSF to leading Turkish team Galatasaray in 1995.
15.
In July 1996, following the end of the Turkish season, Brad Friedel moved to the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer.
16.
Brad Friedel made his debut against Aston Villa on February 28,1998.
17.
Brad Friedel was signed to Blackburn Rovers by Graeme Souness on a free transfer in November 2000 after a work permit was secured.
18.
On February 21,2004, in an away game against Charlton Athletic, Brad Friedel scored a goal from open play in the 90th minute, from a corner kick.
19.
Brad Friedel became just the second goalkeeper in Premier League history to score, after Peter Schmeichel for Aston Villa in 2001.
20.
Brad Friedel extended his contract with Blackburn Rovers on April 14,2006, stating his love for the club as a reason.
21.
Brad Friedel had asked Blackburn for permission to let him speak with Aston Villa if an offer was accepted, with Manchester City reportedly interested in signing the American.
22.
Brad Friedel was sent off against former club Liverpool at Anfield by referee Martin Atkinson.
23.
Brad Friedel's run of 310 consecutive Premier League games was ended on October 7,2012, when he was named on the bench behind Lloris against Aston Villa.
24.
Brad Friedel returned in goal for the next match on October 20,2012, against Chelsea.
25.
On December 26,2012, it was announced that Brad Friedel had signed a new contract with Spurs, keeping him at the club until 2014.
26.
On June 9,2014, Brad Friedel signed a one-year contract extension with Tottenham, which would keep him at the club until 2015.
27.
Brad Friedel is the fourth-most capped goalkeeper in US national team history, and gained his first international cap against Canada in 1992, a game in which he managed to keep a clean sheet.
28.
Brad Friedel was the first-choice goalkeeper for the US 1992 Olympic team; however, he was unable to beat out Tony Meola as first-choice keeper for the US team at the 1994 World Cup.
29.
Brad Friedel's chance came, and Friedel made his World Cup debut, in the 1998 World Cup, where he conceded one goal as the US lost to Yugoslavia.
30.
Brad Friedel became the second keeper to save two penalty kicks during regular play in a World Cup finals tournament.
31.
Brad Friedel was dubbed "The Human Wall" by fans during the spectacular 2002 World Cup run.
32.
Brad Friedel announced his retirement from international soccer on February 7,2005.
33.
Brad Friedel was a studio pundit for BBC's 2014 World Cup coverage in Brazil on both television and BBC Radio Five Live, later appearing on RTE's coverage in Ireland after returning home.
34.
On January 5,2016, Brad Friedel was named the United States under 19s head coach.
35.
Brad Friedel won the 2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship as assistant coach of the US team with Tab Ramos and Omid Namazi.
36.
On November 9,2017, Brad Friedel was named head coach of the New England Revolution, replacing Jay Heaps who was fired by the club in September 2017.
37.
Brad Friedel is a fan of the NFL's Cleveland Browns, which former Aston Villa Chairman Randy Lerner owned until August 2012.
38.
In 2007, Brad Friedel launched a non-profit soccer academy in Lorain, Ohio, at a cost of approximately $10 million, providing coaching on a full-tuition scholarship basis to youths aged 12 and older.