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Behind The Shield: Stefan Frei's Quest to Find Balance

Presented by Regence BlueShield

By Seattle Sounders FC

April 30^th, 2024

Stefan Frei is intimately familiar with pressure.

First signed ahead of the 2014 season, Frei has helped usher in a new era of success for the Seattle Sounders. The veteran goalkeeper has won four Western Conference championships, two MLS Cup titles, the 2022 Concacaf Champions League, the 2014 Supporters’ Shield and the 2014 U.S. Open Cup.

Behind The Shield: Stefan Frei's Quest to Find Balance

Frei has continually reached the pinnacle of American soccer while playing arguably the most difficult position.

“For me, as a goalkeeper, you’re under a lot of pressure, a lot of stress, and you want to do everything really well,” said Frei. “There’s not much room for error. Sometimes that can get tough.

“I’m very fortunate that, as a family, we’ve created an oasis over here on Bainbridge Island where it’s tranquil, it’s peaceful. It feels safe. It’s so far away from stress. Obviously, I have an amazing family – a wife that supports me and dogs that love me. All of these things take me so far away from the pressure that I feel as a goalkeeper and it really helps me to balance.”

Goalkeeping is the perfect allegory for balance. It’s a delicate mixture of art and science. It’s thousands of hours of training that produce reflexive, instinctive saves that occur in the blink of an eye. Goalkeepers are often on an island by themselves but are critical to the team’s overall success.

Many of the lessons Frei has learned about life and holistic wellness stem from his experiences on the pitch.

“When we win a trophy and [your teammates] come rushing on the field to enjoy that moment together, that means everything,” he said. “That makes that success worthwhile because you know that it’s not just you. It’s not just you in this fight to be great and to achieve something. It’s so many more people, and all of their sacrifices and willingness to be there, that makes it worthwhile.”

Throughout his 17-season tenure in MLS, Frei has amassed one of the most impressive resumés in league history. Since coming to Seattle, he has enjoyed an unprecedented run of success, routinely lifting trophies and receiving recognition as one of the all-time greats.

But despite all of the accolades and magical moments, there have been hardships along the way.

Being a goalkeeper comes with intrinsically high levels of stress, as a seemingly small mistake can take a substantial toll. The strain of building a new home for his family on Bainbridge Island was overwhelming at times. On top of all that, experiencing a family member battling sickness has weighed on him.

“It all started kind of closing in a bit,” recalled Frei. “That’s when you realize you have to be careful. As men in particular, I think we’re always taught to ‘tough it out’ and ‘you’ll be fine’. But I think the number one thing is you have to recognize it first so you can say ‘maybe I do focus a little bit more on myself.’”

One endeavor that has brought a sense of equilibrium to Frei’s life is his passion for art. It all started a few years ago when his brother and mom got him a pen tablet as a gift. Having the ability to dive into his artistic ventures for a few hours every day has helped him escape the pressures of his daily life.

The more that Frei has delved into his artwork, the more his appreciation for the importance of wellness and balance has grown. That evolved perspective has enriched the indelible moments of triumph on the pitch by embracing the grit it took to get there, and the shared journey with his teammates.

“The beauty of a team sport is that you can achieve something that you simply cannot achieve by yourself,” noted Frei. “That’s why when we’ve won, when we’ve had our big moments, I remember looking for my fellow goalkeepers first and foremost and getting into a circle and everyone just bawling [and] crying. I think that’s because everyone remembered all the hard work we put in every day… That’s why we win trophies. Those are the special moments for me – the people you’re able to reach success with and what you had to go through to achieve that.”

Since putting down roots on Bainbridge, Frei has felt a deeper sense of community in the region. He especially loves the duality of his new home, appreciating both the intensity of his work in Seattle with the tranquility of his daily life on the island.

“On Bainbridge in particular, you’re so far away yet so close,” said Frei. “We’re 35 minutes away from a bustling city, neon lights, life, cars, energy. Here [on Bainbridge] we’re surrounded by nature. There’s eagles flying around and deer eating grass 10 yards away while I’m painting my paintings. It’s almost surreal. Having those two worlds be so close together makes this a pretty unique space.”

Now in his 11th season in Seattle, Frei has already begun to formulate what his post-playing life will look like. He wants to find the right balance of his two greatest passions – soccer and art – so he can achieve holistic fulfillment in the next phase of his life.

“I have an education of 30 years in goalkeeping, so why not try to pass that on to the youth, to the next generation that saw me in goal when they were 4 or 5 years old and had a dream of being in that stadium themselves as players. Maybe I can pass on some of that knowledge and help make some of those dreams come true. I think that would be huge. On top of that, I think I am somewhat known in the area as the goalkeeper. I would love to share my second side again as a passionate artist and have people get to know me as that as well and make more connections that way.”

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