Brad Friedel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Brad Fiedel.
Brad Friedel

Friedel with Tottenham Hotspur in 2011
Personal information
Full nameBradley Howard Friedel
Date of birth (1971-05-18) May 18, 1971
Place of birthLakewood, Ohio, United States
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[1]
Playing positionGoalkeeper
Club information
Current clubTottenham Hotspur
Number24
Youth career
1990–1992UCLA Bruins
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1994–1995USSF0(0)
1994→ Newcastle United (loan)0(0)
1995→ Brøndby (loan)10(0)
1995–1996Galatasaray30(0)
1996–1997Columbus Crew38(0)
1997–2000Liverpool25(0)
2000–2008Blackburn Rovers287(1)
2008–2011Aston Villa114(0)
2011–Tottenham Hotspur50(0)
National team‡
1992–2005United States82(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:54, 10 November, 2013 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 13:08, September 29, 2008 (UTC)

Bradley Howard Friedel /ˈfriːdəl/ (born May 18, 1971) is an American association football goalkeeper for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

He played 82 games for the United States national team between 1992 and 2005, and represented his country at three FIFA World Cup tournaments. He is the current holder of the Premier League record for most consecutive appearances with 310, a feat he achieved during spells at Blackburn Rovers, Aston Villa, and Tottenham Hotspur. Until he was left out of the Tottenham team on October 7, 2012, the last Premier League games Friedel missed were Blackburn's final two fixtures of the 2003–04 season against Tottenham and Birmingham City, on 10 May and May 15, 2004 respectively.

He is also officially Aston Villa's oldest ever player, a record he achieved on February 1, 2011 by playing in the club's Premier League fixture away at Manchester United. Friedel's age of 39 years and 259 days surpassed the previous record held by Ernie Callaghan who last played for Villa against Grimsby Town in April 1947, aged 39 years and 257 days.[2] Friedel's last appearance for Villa was on May 22, 2011 in a 1–0 home win against Liverpool, aged 40 years and 4 days.[3]

On May 6, 2012 he also became the oldest player to appear in a competitive match for Tottenham Hotspur when he played in the club's Premier League fixture at Aston Villa, beating Jimmy Cantrell's near-80-year-old record.

Youth and college

Born in Lakewood, Ohio, Friedel grew up in Bay Village, where he attended Westerly Elementary School, Bay Middle School and Bay High School. Growing up, Friedel played several sports, including soccer, basketball and tennis and excelled in all three. He earned Bay High's Outstanding Athlete of the Year award in 1989. As an All-State basketball player in Ohio, he was invited to try out as a walk-on for UCLA's basketball team in 1990. He began as a forward on his youth soccer team before moving into goal. Friedel graduated from Bay High in 1989.[4] In 2007, he was inducted into the Bay High Hall of Fame.[5]

Friedel played college soccer at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In 1990, he kept goal for the Bruins to the NCAA championship. He was selected as the first team All American goalkeeper in 1991 and 1992 and won the Hermann Trophy in 1992 as the top collegiate soccer player. SoccerAmerica magazine named Friedel to its College Team of the Century.

Professional career

Early career

Friedel left UCLA early to pursue a professional career. He began by attempting to sign with Nottingham Forest under Brian Clough, but was denied a work permit, the first in several such failed attempts to move to England.[6] Instead, Friedel signed a contract with the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) to play exclusively with the United States national team as it prepared for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Following the end of the cup, Friedel began searching for a professional club.

Friedel was signed by manager Kevin Keegan of Newcastle United,[7] but was again denied a work permit.[8] While awaiting approval from the British authorities, he practiced with Newcastle as an on loan player from the USSF. When the work permit was not approved, Friedel negotiated a loan from the USSF to Danish Superliga club Brøndby IF.[9] He stayed at the club for several months in 1995, as back-up to Mogens Krogh, without playing any games.[10] Friedel remained with Brøndby until he returned to the U.S. to rejoin the national team, then preparing for the 1995 U.S. Cup and Copa America.

After the two tournaments, Friedel attempted a third time to join an English club, this time Sunderland.[8] However, when Friedel again failed to receive a British work permit, his agent negotiated a $1.1 million transfer from the USSF to leading Turkish team Galatasaray in 1995. Galatasaray were managed by Friedel's future Blackburn manager Graeme Souness. In July 1996, following the end of the Turkish season, Friedel moved to the Columbus Crew of MLS. In February 1997, he signed a three year contract with the Crew as he was named the team's starter.[11] That season he was selected to the MLS Best XI and named the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.

Liverpool

Friedel completed a transfer to Liverpool worth £1.7 million in 1997. On December 23, 1997, Liverpool gained a work permit for Friedel on appeal after the first request was denied.[8][12] He made his debut against Aston Villa on February 28, 1998. While Friedel had some initial success with the Reds, he soon had a difficult time, managing just over thirty games in almost three years, including two appearances in the UEFA Cup, as he sat behind first David James and later Sander Westerveld.

Blackburn Rovers

Friedel warming up for Blackburn Rovers

He was signed to Blackburn Rovers by Graeme Souness on a free transfer in November 2000 after a work permit was secured.

Friedel outside Loftus Road following Queens Park Rangers vs Blackburn Rovers match on April 7, 2001.

Joining during Rovers' promotion winning 2000–01 season, Friedel's consistently assured performances helped ensure Blackburn's return to the Premiership and then consolidate their top division status in the followings seasons.

Memorable performances for Blackburn include playing against Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup Final in early 2002 when he was named Man of the Match. In a 2–1 win over Arsenal at Highbury, Friedel made several immense saves and was only beaten by a deflected free kick. A stunning performance away at Southampton prompted Gordon Strachan to liken him to Superman, "Friedel must have got changed in a telephone box. I wouldn't be surprised if when he takes his shirt off there's a blue jersey with an `S' on underneath it."

At the end of the 2002–03 season, Friedel's 15 clean sheets earned him Blackburn's Player of the Year award as well as selection to the Premiership Starting XI. On February 21, 2004, in an away game against Charlton Athletic, Friedel scored a goal from open play in the 90th minute, from a corner kick. Friedel's goal equalized the game at 2–2, but seconds later Charlton scored again through Claus Jensen and went on to win the match 3–2.[13] He became the second goalkeeper in Premier League history (excluding own goals) to score after Peter Schmeichel for Aston Villa in 2001.

Friedel extended his contract with Blackburn Rovers on April 14, 2006, stating his love for the club as a reason.[14] Two years later, on February 5, 2008, he again signed an extension to his Rovers contract stating that "I am delighted to have extended the agreement. It was not a difficult decision to make. Blackburn Rovers is home to me. This is my club and I have a special affinity with it."[15] He would, however, leave the club at the end of the season to join Aston Villa.

Aston Villa

Friedel playing for Aston Villa.

Friedel had asked Blackburn Rovers for permission to let him speak with Aston Villa if an offer was accepted, with Manchester City reportedly interested in signing the American. The club accepted a transfer bid for Friedel, thought to be in the region of £2.5 million, subject to the club themselves having a bid accepted for a replacement goalkeeper.

Aston Villa were holding talks with Brad Friedel on July 25. Friedel signed a three-year contract with Aston Villa the day after. Friedel was unveiled at half time during Aston Villa's Intertoto Cup match against Odense.

He made his debut against Reading on August 2 at the Madejski Stadium. Just ten minutes in the hosts were awarded a penalty which Friedel then saved. His competitive debut came in the UEFA Cup second qualifying round, first leg against Hafnarfjordur away from home. Villa won the match 4–1. Friedel played his first Premiership match for Aston Villa on August 17, 2008, the first match for Aston Villa in the season 2008–09, in which Villa beat Manchester City 4–2 at home.

He broke the record for continuous games played in the Premier League on November 30, 2008, after his 167th finished in a 0–0 draw with Fulham. He was sent off against former club Liverpool at Anfield by referee Martin Atkinson. Liverpool were awarded a penalty that Steven Gerrard converted against Villa's second choice goalkeeper, Brad Guzan. Friedel's red card, which he received on the Sunday beforehand, was overturned by the FA on March 24, meaning that he was able to continue his streak of consecutive Premiership appearances. On January 16, 2011, he reached the landmark of 250 consecutive league games.

Friedel became the oldest player to ever play for Aston Villa following the 3–1 loss to Manchester United on February 1, 2011.

Tottenham Hotspur

Friedel's contract with Aston Villa expired after the 2010–11 season. On June 3, 2011, Tottenham Hotspur announced that they had signed Friedel on a two year-deal.[16] On August 22, 2011, Friedel started in goal for Tottenham at Old Trafford against Manchester United, after Tottenham's first home fixture of the season against Everton the previous week was rescheduled due to rioting in North London. This meant that Friedel further extended his run of consecutive games in the Premier League after his transfer from Aston Villa.[17] During the 2011–12 campaign, Friedel became the oldest player to make an appearance in the Barclays Premier League.

The arrival of the French goalkeeper and captain of France, Hugo Lloris to the end of the 2012 summer transfer window cast some doubt on Friedel's status as Tottenham's first choice goalkeeper for the 2012-13 season. However, following an impressive display by Friedel against Norwich on September 1, 2012, manager Andre Villas-Boas said that Friedel would remain number one.[18] Friedel's run of 310 consecutive Premier League games was ended on October 7, 2012, when he was named on the bench behind Lloris against Aston Villa.[19] Friedel, however, returned in goal for the next match on October 20, 2012 against Chelsea.[20]

On December 26, 2012, it was announced that Friedel had signed a new contract with Spurs, keeping him at the club until 2014.[21][22]

Following Lloris' failure to fully recover from a head injury, Friedel returned to the starting lineup in a league match on 10 November 2013, but was unable to prevent Tottenham losing 1–0 to Newcastle United.[23]

International career

Friedel is the fourth most-capped goalkeeper in U.S. national team history and gained his first international cap against Canada in 1992, a game in which he managed to keep a clean sheet. He was the first choice goalkeeper for the U.S 1992 Olympic team; however, he was unable to beat out Tony Meola as first choice keeper for the U.S. team at the 1994 World Cup. His chance came, and Friedel made his World Cup debut in the 1998 World Cup where he conceded one goal as the U.S. lost to Yugoslavia. He lived up to his growing reputation in the 2002 World Cup as the U.S. went on a surprising run to the quarterfinals, which included a 3–2 victory over Portugal in group play and a 2–0 second-round win over arch-rival Mexico before a loss to Germany (the eventual runner-up). He also became the first keeper to save two penalty kicks during regular play (as opposed to penalty shootouts) in a World Cup finals tournament since 1974. He was dubbed "The Human Wall" by fans during the spectacular 2002 World Cup run.[24]

Friedel announced his retirement from international soccer on February 7, 2005.[25][26]

Personal life

Though raised in the Midwestern state of Ohio, Friedel developed a slight English accent having lived in the north of the country for more than a decade. "The English don't think I have an accent at all. They think I sound American. And Americans think I sound English. I think I'm caught in the middle."[27]

Friedel is a fan of the NFL's Cleveland Browns,[28] a gridiron football team which Aston Villa chairman Randy Lerner owned until August 2012.[29]

He also names former American international goalkeeper Tim Harris as his all-time football hero. Friedel credits Harris as "the person who started my journey."[30]

In 2007 Friedel launched a non-profit soccer academy in Lorain County, Ohio at a cost of approximately $10,000,000, providing coaching on a full-tuition scholarship basis to youths aged 12 upwards.[31][32] The academy had difficulty obtaining corporate sponsorship after the 2008 financial crisis and closed in 2011.[33] In January of that year Friedel filed for bankruptcy protection in the United Kingdom as a result of debts arising from the academy.[32]

Career statistics

Club

As of 08:35, December 10, 2013 (UTC)[34][35]
Club performance League Cup League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Denmark League Danish Cup League Cup Europe Total
1994–95BrøndbySuperliga0000000000
Turkey League Türkiye Kupası League Cup Europe Total
1995–96GalatasaraySüper Lig30070--370
USA League Open Cup League Cup North America Total
1996Columbus CrewMajor League Soccer90003000120
1997290004000330
England League FA Cup League Cup Europe Total
1997–98LiverpoolPremier League110---110
1998–99120-2020160
1999–200020-20-40
2000–01Blackburn RoversFirst Division28060--340
2001–02Premier League3703060-450
2002–03370303040470
2003–04361101020401
2004–0538070--450
2005–063802060-460
2006–07380601080530
2007–08380103050470
2008–09Aston Villa380300050460
2009–10380301000420
2010–11380302000430
2011–12Tottenham Hotspur 380000000380
2012–13110200070200
2013–141000203060
Total Denmark 0000000000
Turkey 300700000370
USA 380007000450
England 47814002903605781
Career total 54614703603606601

Honors

College

UCLA

Club

Galatasaray
Blackburn Rovers

International

United States

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Player Profile". Retrieved March 10, 2011. 
  2. ↑ Mat Kendrick (December 23, 2010). "Aston Villa: Brad Friedel's future to be decided in February". Birminghammail.net. Retrieved July 10, 2013. 
  3. ↑ http://www.timeanddate.com/date/durationresult.html?d1=18&m1=may&y1=1971&d2=22&m2=may&y2=2011
  4. ↑ "Profile: Brad Friedel". Soccertimes.com. Retrieved July 10, 2013. 
  5. ↑ "Bay High School Hall of Fame" (PDF). Retrieved July 10, 2013. 
  6. ↑ "Friedel rejected, won't play for Forest". Long Beach: Press-Telegram. April 15, 1993. Retrieved April 30, 2012. 
  7. ↑ Nance, Roscoe (May 23, 1994). "USA's Friedel moves up to England's top league". USA Today. Retrieved April 30, 2012. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 "Friedel Will Finally Play For Liverpool". New York Times. December 25, 1997. Retrieved April 30, 2012. 
  9. ↑ September 8, 2000 12AM (September 8, 2000). "Olympics: U.S. men's bios (goalkeepers) 09/08/2000". SoccerAmerica. Retrieved July 10, 2013. 
  10. ↑ "Brøndby-målmand til Galatasaray", Ritzaus Bureau, September 1, 1995
  11. ↑ "Important Dates". www.thecrew.com. Columbus Crew. Retrieved August 19, 2013. "Feb. 24 - The Crew and MLS re-sign goalkeeper Brad Friedel to a three-year deal." 
  12. ↑ "Friedel Is Cleared To Join Liverpool". New York Times. December 20, 1997. Retrieved April 30, 2012. 
  13. ↑ "Charlton 3–2 Blackburn". BBC. February 21, 2004. Retrieved August 16, 2009. 
  14. ↑ Friedel Agrees to Rovers Deal
  15. ↑ "Press Release". BBC News. February 5, 2008. Retrieved July 10, 2013. 
  16. ↑ "Friedel agrees to join Tottenham". BBC News. June 3, 2011. 
  17. ↑ Kennedy, Paul (August 22, 2011). "Friedel extends EPL record". SoccerAmericaDaily. Retrieved December 3, 2011. 
  18. ↑ Hirst, Paul (September 3, 2012). "Andre Villas-Boas warns Hugo Lloris about fight with Brad Friedel to become Tottenham number one". The Independent. 
  19. ↑ "Andre Villas-Boas plays down Brad Friedel omission". BBC Sport. October 7, 2012. 
  20. ↑ "Tottenham 2-4 Chelsea". BBC Sport. October 20, 2012. 
  21. ↑ "NEW CONTRACT FOR BRAD". Tottenham Hotspur Official Website. December 26, 2012. Retrieved December 26, 2012. 
  22. ↑ "Brad Friedel signs new Tottenham deal until 2014". BBC Sport. December 26, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2012. 
  23. ↑ "Premier League: Newcastle dig in to grind out narrow win at Tottenham". Sky Sports. 10 November 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2013. 
  24. ↑ "Blackburn Rovers - Friedel Grabs The Rovers Plaudits". Blackburn.vitalfootball.co.uk. Retrieved July 10, 2013. 
  25. ↑ "Friedel Retires From U.S. National Team". The Washington Post. February 8, 2005. Retrieved September 4, 2012. 
  26. ↑ "Friedel retires from U.S. national team". USA Today. February 8, 2005. Retrieved September 4, 2012. 
  27. ↑ The Official Site of U.S. Soccer – Center Circle
  28. ↑ "Brad Friedel’s words as safe as his hands – Birmingham Mail". Birminghammail.net. Retrieved December 13, 2008. 
  29. ↑ Rosenthal, Gregg (August 2, 2012). "Cleveland Browns' sale to Jimmy Haslam complete". Around the League. National Football League. Retrieved August 20, 2012. 
  30. ↑ "Brad Friedel answers our questions". www.visitbirmingham.com. Marketing Birmingham. Archived from the original on March 1, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2013. 
  31. ↑ Friedel's youth academy unique in the U.S ESPN 22 June 2008, Retrieved August 13, 2013
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Soccer start Brad Friedel files bankruptcy in the UK. Chronicle 21 January 2011, Retrieved August 13, 2013
  33. ↑ Lorain soccer academy going up for auction Chronicle 5 April 2011, Retrieved August 13, 2013
  34. ↑ "Brad Friedel Career Stats". Soccerbase. November 12, 2010. Retrieved November 12, 2010. 
  35. ↑ "Brad Friedel | Aston Villa | Team | 1st Team Profiles". Avfc.premiumtv.co.uk. Retrieved July 10, 2013. 
  36. ↑ "30. Bradley Howard Friedel - Kalecinin kralları - Sporx Galeri". Live.sporx.com. Retrieved July 10, 2013. 

External links

Tottenham Hotspur F.C. – current squad
Authority control
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.