Stefan Frei enters Decision Day with a chance at making club history

Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei is putting up career numbers this year as he continues to demonstrate what it means to be an impactful piece to his team’s success.

“Frei’s has been awesome this season\],” said center back [Jackson Ragen. “He's bailed us out of a lot of games when maybe we didn't deserve to get a shutout, and he's made some big stops to help us hold on to wins.”

Of the 31 matches played this season, Frei has contributed to 13 clean sheets, placing him in the No.1 position for most shutouts in MLS. If Frei holds St. Louis CITY SC (6 p.m. PT; Watch free on Apple TV, iHeartRadio and El Rey 1360AM) to another scoreless affair this weekend, he will set a club record for most clean sheets in a single season.

The support system that makes up the backline has been vital in the amount of shutouts Frei’s been able to tally, but it’s the way he’s been able to communicate with his teammates as the last man that allows him to reach such a feat.

“He's a real calming presence on the guys with his voice back there,” said Assistant Coach Andy Rose. “It gives them a real level of comfort when you have a guy like that in goal.”

Frei’s willingness to adapt and improve is also a contribution to his achievements on the pitch.

“The intelligence of understanding how we've changed our team tactically this year and his role in that has been very vital in terms of his calmness on the ball and his decision making of when we play out,” said Rose.

Frei’s goalkeeping statistics indicate how impressive he is in the net, but it’s his leadership qualities that give him that extra edge to stand out above the rest.

“The biggest testament I’ll give to him is just that he's such a fantastic leader,” Rose added. “He's such a respected member of the locker room and he's one of these guys who chooses the right time to speak up and when he does, everybody really listens.”

His role as a captain and veteran player of the Sounders squad will be especially vital as the team looks ahead to the 2023 Audi MLS Cup playoffs.

“He's done it before,” said Ragen. “He's showing the ropes to a lot of guys who have not been a part of that process and he’s just leading by example and showing what you need to do every day to win a trophy.”