Seattle Sounders 2024 Offseason recap - Who is having contracts renewed or extended?

Stefan Frei

Stefan Frei, born in Switzerland in 1986, is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Seattle Sounders FC. He moved to the United States with his family at the age of 15 and played college soccer at the University of California, Berkeley. He was drafted by Toronto FC in 2009 and played for them for five seasons, making 82 appearances and winning the Canadian Championship in 2009.

Frei became a Seattle Sounders FC player in 2014 after a trade from Toronto. He is now a club legend and one of the most successful goalkeepers in MLS history. He has the most appearances (353), shutouts (86) and saves (889) for the club in league play. He also helped Seattle win several titles, such as two MLS Cups (2016 and 2019), one Supporters' Shield (2014), one U.S. Open Cup (2014) and one Concacaf Champions League (2022).

Frei had an outstanding season as the first-choice keeper for his team in 2023. He played in 32 games and made 77 saves, which gave him a save percentage of 73.3. He was also very reliable in keeping the opponents from scoring, as he achieved 14 clean sheets, the highest number in MLS this year. He broke the club record for most shutouts in a single season, which he himself had set four years ago in 2017.

Frei was named Sounders FC Team MVP three times (2018 and 2022, and 2023), Defender of the Year twice (2015 and 2019) and Humanitarian of the Year five times (2018, 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2023). He signed a new two-year contract with Seattle in December 2023 after a great season with the Rave Green. His previous contract ended in the 2023 season.