Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei driven off field by ambulance with apparent head injury

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei was driven off the field by ambulance with an apparent head injury at the end of a Major League Soccer match against the Columbus Crew on Sunday.

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 immediately signalled to the sideline for help.

With the match tied at 1-1 deep in stoppage time, Crew coach Wilfried Nancy and Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer appealed to the referee to end it.

As Frei was carried on a stretcher to the waiting ambulance, Seattle fans chanted his first name.

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.

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.

Frei was drafted in the first round (13th overall) by Toronto FC in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft. He spent five seasons with TFC before being traded to Seattle in December 2013 for a conditional first-round draft pick.

Frei made 99 appearances in all competitions for Toronto, with 28 clean sheets.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer