SEATTLE – Perhaps lost in the Seattle Sounders' crushing Western Conference Championship exit at the hands of the LA Galaxy was the culmination of goalkeeper Stefan Frei’s ascent from struggling newcomer to established starter.
Frei’s improvements have been a highlight of Seattle’s defensive evolution at the back end of their season, but this year’s MLS Cup Playoffs, presented by AT&T, afforded the 28-year-old the opportunity to shine when the lights were at their brightest.
He didn’t disappoint.
Frei was lights out for Seattle during the postseason, allowing just one penalty kick goal in the first leg of the conference semifinals against FC Dallas. The two tallies that the Galaxy managed on Seattle in the conference championship were each virtually impossible to stop.
He was fundamentally sound and crisp with his reads throughout the playoffs, looking every bit like the promising MLS starter that Seattle hoped they were getting when they acquired him from Toronto FC prior to the start of the season.
Following Sunday night’s second leg against LA, Seattle head coach Sigi Schmid pointed to Frei as a standout performer on a team that is mostly known for its high-powered offensive attack.
“[We] had a goalkeeper that improved throughout the year,” Schmid said. “I thought Stefan Frei tonight was outstanding. … I thought all four playoff games he was really solid.”
After dealing with questions surrounding his status as Seattle’s starter after some shaky play earlier in the season, some felt the Sounders had ample reason to turn to veteran backup Marcus Hahnemann or even 27-year-old third-stringer Josh Ford.
“I think we stuck with him early on when I’m sure some people thought, ‘Why are you staying with him?’” Schmid said. “But I think over the last eight, nine games everyone could see the reason why we made the trade and the reason why I feel he has the potential to be one of the top goalkeepers in the league.”
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Frei said the faith his coaches placed in him was instrumental in maintaining his confidence as he re-acclimated to a starting role after missing much of the last two years with injuries.
“It was really tough, and I was really upset with myself, but it allowed the coaches to show me the faith they had in me,” Frei said of his early season struggles. “[Normally], I would be depressed after those mistakes. But Sigi and [Seattle goalkeeper coach] Tommy Dutra would pump me back up and tell me, ‘Listen, don’t worry. We got your back.’ It lifted me up a little bit. That’s hard to find.”
For Frei, the sting of the playoff exit is fresh. But going into next year, Seattle now seem to be rock solid at a key position.
