Latest news with #Schmetzer
Edmonton Journal
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Seattle goalkeeper Stefan Frei taken off field by ambulance after collision with opponent's knee
Article content Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei was driven off the field by ambulance and taken to a hospital to be evaluated for head and neck injuries at the end of a Major League Soccer match against the Columbus Crew on Sunday. Article content Frei was alert as he left the field, Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said. Article content Article content 'His fingers were moving, so he was OK in that regard. No paralysis, nothing major, but obviously I don't want to downplay it,' Schmetzer said. Article content Article content Late Sunday night, Frei posted on social media that he had returned home from the hospital. Article content Article content 'Still trying to figure out what happened at the end of the game,' he said, 'but I'm incredibly grateful to all the staff that looked after me and happy to be back home resting now. What resonates is all the messages, calls, and love I've received from so many of you. Thank you — truly. It means more than I can put into words. I feel the support, and I'm thankful for every single one of you.' Article content Frei jumped forward to make a play on a free kick, and as he came down, his head collided with the knee of a Crew player. Frei dropped to the turf at Lumen Field and teammates signaled to the sideline for help. Article content With the match tied at 1-1 deep in stoppage time, Schmetzer and Crew coach Wilfried Nancy appealed to the referee to end it. Article content As Frei was stretchered to the waiting ambulance, Seattle fans chanted his first name. Article content Article content Schmetzer became emotional when describing how Nancy agreed to call the game, although the Crew had won a corner kick in the final moments. Article content 'I appreciate what he did, because the ref wasn't going to stop the game, and everybody knew the game should have been stopped,' Schmetzer said. 'So good on him. So thank you, Wilfried.' Article content Frei, 39, has played for the Sounders since 2014. He helped Seattle win the MLS Cup in 2016 and 2019, and he was named MLS Cup MVP in 2016. He was an All-Star in 2017. Article content The Sounders said Frei made his 1,000th regular-season save with the team in the first half. Only former Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando (1,128) has more with a single team.
Daily Mirror
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Manager screams at referee 'stop the game' as keeper collapses with head injury
Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei suffered a head injury during his side's 1-1 draw with Columbus Crew in the MLS and the game was ended early as a result An MLS game between Seattle Sounders and Columbus Crew was called off in the final seconds of stoppage time after goalkeeper Stefan Frei suffered a head injury. The incident occurred as Frei came out to claim a set piece and his head accidentally collided with the knee of an opposition player. Medical staff immediately tended to the 39-year-old and he had to be taken off the field in an ambulance. And with just seconds left to play, both Seattle manager Brian Schmetzer and Columbus boss Wilfried Nancy agreed the game should be ended with the score 1-1. Schmetzer could be seen saying "just stop the game" on the sidelines, with Nancy also gesturing towards the referee that he agreed. The official then spoke with both managers and blew the final whistle. Schmetzer later thanked Nancy for agreeing to stop the match and said Frei was "fine". Schmetzer said: "Stefan is being evaluated for a head and neck injury. He got hit pretty hard. We're in the early stages of that evaluation. "As soon as we get a definitive, a real, good clarity on the extent of the injury, we'll give you more. I don't want to speculate. He is going to the hospital, but he is fine. "He was alert when he was loaded onto the ambulance … I'm very happy for our medical staff because they did a good job to be careful. We can't underestimate that type of stuff. "I appreciate what he [Nancy] did, because the ref wasn't going to stop the game, and everybody knew the game should have been stopped. So good on him. So thank you, Wilfried." Seattle midfielder Cristian Roldan added: "We know Stef, he's resilient. He's going to fight his way back, and having gone through concussions [myself] before, you know he's going to get all the support he needs, and he's going to be better in no time. "But you know the most important thing after an injury like this is to give him space and be patient and listen to his body, his brain, his symptoms, and in the end, he's going to be just fine." Frei later shared an update on social media, thanking fans for their support. "Still trying to figure out what happened at the end of the game, but I'm incredibly grateful to all the staff that looked after me and happy to be back home resting now," he wrote. "What resonates is all the messages, calls, and love I've received from so many of you. Thank you — truly.... It means more than I can put into words. I feel the support, and I'm thankful for every single one of you." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Hamilton Spectator
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei driven off by ambulance after head collides with opponent's knee
SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei was driven off the field by ambulance and taken to a hospital to be evaluated for head and neck injuries at the end of a Major League Soccer match against the Columbus Crew on Sunday. Frei was alert as he left the field, Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said. 'His fingers were moving, so he was OK in that regard. No paralysis, nothing major, but obviously I don't want to downplay it,' Schmetzer said. Frei jumped forward to make a play on a free kick, and as he came down, his head collided with the knee of a Crew player. Frei dropped to the turf at Lumen Field and teammates signaled to the sideline for help. With the match tied at 1-1 deep in stoppage time, Schmetzer and Crew coach Wilfried Nancy appealed to the referee to end it. As Frei was stretchered to the waiting ambulance, Seattle fans chanted his first name. Schmetzer became emotional when describing how Nancy agreed to call the game, although the Crew had won a corner kick in the final moments. 'I appreciate what he did, because the ref wasn't going to stop the game, and everybody knew the game should have been stopped,' Nancy said. 'So good on him. So thank you, Wilfried.' Frei, 39, has played for the Sounders since 2014. He helped Seattle win the MLS Cup in 2016 and 2019, and he was named MLS Cup MVP in 2016. He was an All-Star in 2017. The Sounders said Frei made his 1,000th regular-season save with the team in the first half. Only former Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando (1,128) has more with a single team. Born in Switzerland, Frei's family moved to the United States when he was a teenager and he was a standout at the University of California. ___ AP soccer:
Fox Sports
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Sounders Goalkeeper Stefan Frei Driven Off by Ambulance After On-Field Collision
Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei was driven off the field by ambulance and taken to a hospital to be evaluated for head and neck injuries at the end of a Major League Soccer match against the Columbus Crew on Sunday. Frei was alert as he left the field, Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said. "His fingers were moving, so he was OK in that regard. No paralysis, nothing major, but obviously I don't want to downplay it," Schmetzer said. Frei jumped forward to make a play on a free kick, and as he came down, his head collided with the knee of a Crew player. Frei dropped to the turf at Lumen Field and teammates signaled to the sideline for help. With the match tied at 1-1 deep in stoppage time, Schmetzer and Crew coach Wilfried Nancy appealed to the referee to end it. As Frei was stretchered to the waiting ambulance, Seattle fans chanted his first name. Schmetzer became emotional when describing how Nancy agreed to call the game, although the Crew had won a corner kick in the final moments. "I appreciate what he did, because the ref wasn't going to stop the game, and everybody knew the game should have been stopped," Nancy said. "So good on him. So thank you, Wilfried." Frei, 39, has played for the Sounders since 2014. He helped Seattle win the MLS Cup in 2016 and 2019, and he was named MLS Cup MVP in 2016. He was an All-Star in 2017. The Sounders said Frei made his 1,000th regular-season save with the team in the first half. Only former Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando (1,128) has more with a single team. Born in Switzerland, Frei's family moved to the United States when he was a teenager and he was a standout at the University of California. Reporting by The Associated Press. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Get more from MLS Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
The Guardian
10-03-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
MLS talking points: Inter Miami sees red, Crew misses Cucho and more
It's time for celebration in Seattle – the Sounders have vanquished their bogey team. After knocking LAFC out of the playoffs with a 2-1 win in November, Saturday's 5-2 result felt like conformation that LAFC no longer has Seattle's number after they knocked the Sounders out of the Open Cup and Leagues Cup in 2024. Those results were part of a 10-match unbeaten run against Seattle that dated back to May 2021. 'Yes it feels really good,' admitted Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer, 'but our record against them is still 4-9-4, so we still have some work to do.' Despite the five goals scored, this was hardly a Sounders team at its best, with Schmetzer resting some of his top players ahead of a critical Concacaf Champions Cup contest against Cruz Azul on Tuesday. After being unable to build any advantage in last week's scoreless draw, the Sounders need to score in Mexico and likely will have to do it without Pedro de la Vega. The Argentine attacker has provided a spark in CCC contests, an encouraging sign after the club's record signing missed much of 2024 with injuries. Unfortunately, that trend continued – de la Vega left the field in the 36th minute Saturday. Luckily, the Sounders got attacking contributions from Paul Rothrock, Jesús Ferreira and from Kalani Kossa-Rienzi, a second-team member who may have earned a first-team deal with his performance during an emergency loan spell this month. Getting past La Maquina in Mexico City will be daunting. The Sounders haven't won in their last seven matches in Mexico and have been eliminated four times when playing the second leg of a series on the road. They did, however, advance with a draw against León during their historic run to the title in 2022. Have the Sounders vanquished a domestic bogeyman only to be cowed by another? Or will Schmetzer's streak-breakers do it again? That would be real cause for a party in Seattle that even the manager wouldn't try to tone down. JA Until Saturday, the Cucho Hernández-less Columbus Crew still looked like the dynamic Columbus Crew we've come to know in recent years. Hernández's replacement, Jacen Russell-Rowe, netted in back-to-back games as Wilfried Nancy's side started the season with wins over Chicago and New England. Against the Houston Dynamo, though, Cucho's absence was obvious – this was the sort of game he would have decided in the past. In fact, he had decided this sort of game in the past. Cucho was crucial in a Champions Cup meeting between these sides almost exactly 12 months ago, scoring to knock out the Dynamo when the Crew otherwise struggled for attacking ideas. With the Colombian now a Real Betis player, though, there was no knockout blow on Saturday in a goalless draw. Many of the usual Nancy-ball hallmarks were there in the Crew's performance. Wingbacks Max Arfsten and Mo Farsi pushed into central areas – and frequently into the opposition box. Russell-Rowe and Diego Rossi drifted between the lines as Columbus dominated the ball. And yet from 64% possession came just 0.65 expected goals (xG) and one 'big chance,' per Opta. Russell-Rowe failed to muster a single shot. A new designated player will surely arrive to boost the attack at some point in 2025. Palmeiras forward José Manuel 'Flaco' López has been linked. For the time being, though, Columbus must find a way to recreate Cucho in the aggregate because Saturday's draw against Houston proved it's unrealistic to ask Russell-Rowe to step up in every game. GR It's the second year of a new era for Minnesota United, one marked by new leadership in sporting director Khaled El-Ahmad and head coach Eric Ramsay. With them in place, the club has shown impressive commitment to finding every little advantage possible. That's demonstrated off the field with the recently-announced a partnership with stats blog American Soccer Analysis, which will aid them with player recruitment and opposition analysis. On the field, Ramsay has shown a clear commitment to maximizing value on set pieces. Both of Minnesota United's goals in 2025 have come in solid 1-0 wins, and both have come from long set pieces finished off by star striker Kelvin Yeboah. The first, against CF Montreal, came from an intentional long throw-in routine from the left side of the field. It's not a coincidence that Minnesota are chucking the ball into the box: The Athletic found that throws into the penalty area result in more than twice the amount of xG as short throws in the final quarter of the field in the Premier League. Minnesota United know the value of a free box entry, where they're one bounce away from a shot on goal: A similar principle led to Minnesota's second goal of the year against the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday, where a long free kick led to a scramble in the box and a finish from Yeboah: Sign up to Soccer with Jonathan Wilson Jonathan Wilson brings expert analysis on the biggest stories from European soccer after newsletter promotion Minnesota United haven't been winning flashy this year. But they've been winning smart. JL At the beginning of the 2010s, Sporting Kansas City was known throughout MLS as an example of the value of strong, decisive change. The MLS original altered its name, built a stadium, drew bigger crowds, and experienced a renaissance on the field led by Peter Vermes, the team's technical director who added 'manager' to his responsibilities in 2009. Today, SKC may stand as a testament to the dangers of staying the course. With their 2-1 loss at DC United on Saturday, Sporting has now lost 10 consecutive competitive matches in all competitions going back to last season. The picture gets worse if you include noncompetitive matches – KC failed to win any of its six preseason games, bringing the grand total winless run to 16 games, with the last victory coming on 18 September 2024. Making matters worse: streaks like this are nothing new for SKC. The team suffered a seven-game winless run in 2022, a 10-game winless run to open 2023, and another 10-game winless run earlier in the 2024 season (all in the league). The last of those streaks ended with seven straight losses, and when the team won to end the run, they then lost three more in a row. The Sporting KC team that was once a reliable contender has failed to qualify for the playoffs in two of the last three seasons, and 2025 isn't looking too promising so far. Vermes has been in charge for all of this, only recently shedding his front office title to focus on coaching. He has said he wants to lead a rebuild, and unlike virtually any other coach that had overseen the exact same record, there is no indication he is on the hot seat. That rebuild may yet come to fruition, but in the meantime KC looks to be playing the same uninspiring soccer that got them into this mess. Unlike 15 years ago, if change is coming, it won't come quickly. AA The record-breaking 2024 MLS Supporters' Shield winner Inter Miami has not done things the easy way so far in 2025. Javier Mascherano's team being without Lionel Messi for three of its six games has gotten headlines, but the team has also played 44% of its MLS matches down to 10 men. Tomás Avilés' sending-off in the first half of February's opener against New York City FC was described as 'Inter Miami's first red card of the season,' inadvertently suggesting there were more to come soon; that the tally had merely just begun. Ian Fray was sent off after the final whistle in the subsequent MLS fixture against Houston Dynamo and goalkeeper Oscar Ustari was shown red after felling Wilfried Zaha in the first half against Charlotte FC on Sunday. Of the six sendings-off in all of MLS so far in 2025, half of them have been Inter Miami players. This has not stopped Mascherano's mostly Messi-less team from picking up points. They drew that opener against New York City thanks to a late goal from Telasco Segovia, and held on to a 1-0 lead against Charlotte after Tadeo Allende scored less than 20 seconds into the second half. Messi or no Messi, 11 players or 10, Miami is once again finding a way to get results and stack points in 2025. JN
