1. Stefan Frei was born on 20 April 1986 and is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Seattle Sounders FC.
26 Facts About Stefan Frei
1. 2.
Stefan Frei has spent his entire professional career playing in Major League Soccer.
3.
Stefan Frei moved from Switzerland to the United States with his parents and brother in the late 1990s at the age of 15.
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Stefan Frei attended De La Salle High School in Concord, California.
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Stefan Frei played college soccer at the University of California, Berkeley.
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Stefan Frei was named MVP at the 2009 MLS Player Combine in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and signed a Generation Adidas contract.
7.
Stefan Frei was drafted in the first round of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft by Toronto FC.
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Stefan Frei made his professional debut on 21 March 2009, in Toronto's first game of the 2009 MLS season against Kansas City Wizards, and soon established himself as the team's first choice goalkeeper.
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Shortly after, Stefan Frei was named Toronto FC Player of the Month for April 2009.
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Stefan Frei won MLS's Save of the Week for week 15 and then three times consecutively for weeks 24,25 and 26 of the 2009 season.
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Stefan Frei had another standout season as Toronto's first choice keeper.
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In January 2011, newly hired coach Aron Winter stated in an interview that Julian De Guzman, Dwayne De Rosario and Stefan would be the key players of the upcoming season and he was impressed with Frei's abilities.
13.
Stefan Frei earned his third assist since playing with Toronto setting up the second goal for Javier Martina; it was later awarded the Goal of the Week in MLS.
14.
Stefan Frei started most games in the first half of 2011 but faced some injuries; after resting a few games, backup keeper Milos Kocic strung together several strong performances, creating a highly competitive environment at the position.
15.
Much speculation began to arise with rumors of Stefan Frei being traded; however, the following week he sustained a broken fibula during training.
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Two weeks later the club announced that Stefan Frei would have to undergo surgery to repair ligaments in his left ankle and was expected to be out for four to six months, putting his entire season in jeopardy.
17.
Stefan Frei was traded to Seattle Sounders FC on 10 December 2013 in exchange for a conditional pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft.
18.
Stefan Frei was one of the best goalkeepers in the league during the 2016 MLS Season, keeping eight clean-sheets in 33 appearances, as Seattle qualified for the playoffs after finishing fourth in the Western Conference.
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Stefan Frei only conceded three goals in the MLS Cup playoffs, keeping four clean sheets in six postseason matches.
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Stefan Frei finished in third place in the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award, behind Tim Melia and Andre Blake.
21.
Stefan Frei returned to form in the 2022 CONCACAF Champions League.
22.
Stefan Frei kept four clean sheets in all eight games he started for Seattle.
23.
On June 3,2023 against the Portland Timbers, Stefan Frei recorded his 100th MLS clean sheet, becoming the third player in league history to do so.
24.
In January 2017, Stefan Frei was called into camp for the United States national team by Bruce Arena.
25.
Stefan Frei announced on Twitter that he officially became a US citizen on 13 June 2017.
26.
Stefan Frei began painting in his spare time and has collaborated with companies and charitable organizations for his pieces.