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Stefan Frei may have been robbed of his rightful Goalkeeper of the Year award, but at least Seattle Sounders fans delivered him the 2018 MLS Save of the Year for his still unbelievable stop on Shkëlzen Gashi.
SUPER. STRETCH. STEF.@Stefan24Frei takes 2018 Save of the Year honors! pic.twitter.com/fBIjYfa1c6
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 13, 2018
The save wasn’t just great because of the skill required to pull it off, but because of when it happened. The Sounders were leading the Rapids 2-1 late in their road affair and desperately needed the three points if they had any hope of turning around their season. With Gashi all alone at the far post, it looked like the Rapids had their equalizer.
Instead, Frei kept it out and the Sounders won. It turned out to be the start of a 12-game unbeaten run that ended with a nine-game winning streak and set the tone for an end-of-season run that saw them win 14 of their final 17 games.
This is the third time a Sounders goalkeeper has won the award with Kasey Keller winning in 2010 and 2011.