Perhaps the most unwelcome news of the Seattle Sounders’ offseason traveled north from Los Angeles. Just days into his first camp with the U.S. Men’s National Team in mid-January, Stefan Frei announced he was withdrawing. A right ankle sprain forced the in-form Sounders goalkeeper to head home just days into camp.
If the Sounders could ill-afford to lose anyone to start the year, it was Frei. Fresh off an MLS Cup save that made him a folk hero in Seattle, Frei has become one of the league’s elite ‘keepers over the last few years.