U-Sector – The Original Toronto FC Supporters Group

Super Stefan Frei

Saturday, October 16, 2010

For the first time in the short history of the award, U-Sector’s Player of the Year will not be a Canadian.

Swiss goalkeeper Stefan Frei, the second-year standout who is asked to perform miracles game in and game out, was the top vote getter for 2010.

The 24-year-old continued his rise as arguably the best young keeper in MLS with a season full of impressive performances. Frei has posted 11 clean sheets so far in 2010, with eight of those coming in league play. Frei is among the league leaders in both shots faced and saves made, so the increased workload hasn’t deterred has progression as a premier shot stopper in the league. Despite a sometimes very leaky defence in front of him, the former UC Berkeley man always stood out as a giant in the defensive end, coming up with many world class saves to keep his side in the game.

While he was also a great shot stopper in his rookie year, Frei’s confidence grew in 2010, which could be seen by his new-found aggressiveness and superior positional play. This all-round growth contributed to a landslide victory for Frei in this year’s Player of the Year voting, with the keeper amassing 50 per cent of the votes, more than double that of the second-highest vote-getter, last year’s winner Dwayne De Rosario.

Congrats to Stefan Frei for his standout season. He will receive his award — along with De Rosario for 2009 — in a ceremony at a later date.