http://www.soccernet.com/england/2000/20020824/reports/54427_full.html Brad Friedel and his Blackburn Rovers beat Stern John and his Birmingham City 1-0 today in week 2 action of the EPL. Apparently Friedel was in top form and made some outstanding saves in the game. I think he's really done great in England, especially since his move to the Rovers. I'm curious to see how Stern is going to do this year in the EPL. Keep in mind, BC have both John and Jovan now... God they must be desperate.
Brad was awesome last weekend too vs. Sunderland and Reyna. He made several challenging saves, including 2 or 3 off of Claudio. Stern had 3 or 4 chanes last weekend vs. Arsenal in BC's 2-0 loss. Seaman saved a couple, and Stern put a couple off goal.
(Before the subject comes up, no, they never played together for the crew. Brad left after the 1997 playoffs. Stern was signed as a Discovery player after working out for Fitz during the 1998 preseason. Close, no cigar) (OK, just to show off - Actually, Brad was originally signed by Dallas on a discovery, and then traded to the Crew (it was prearranged - Brad wanted to come home to Ohio). Name the player the crew sent to Dallas for the rights to Brad Friedel. ((Answer at the bottom)) Sky: MAN OF THE MATCH: Brad Friedel (Blackburn) An absolutely world class save denied John a late equaliser. The Rovers keeper was outstanding throughout. ...City had numerous chances to equalise but were constantly denied by some world class goalkeeping from Brad Friedel. A Johnson right-wing cross found John on the rise, the striker hanging in the air superbly before powering in a header destined for the top left-hand corner, only to be denied by a world class save from Friedel. TEAMTALK: Birmingham showed courage as Stern John's effort was cleared off the line before Blackburn keeper Brad Friedel made wonderful blocks to deny a Martin Grainger free-kick and goal-bound John and Darren Purse headers. Soccernet: Before the break, Stern John saw a thunderous drive cannon off the legs of Craig Short, while United States international Brad Friedel superbly tipped away a Martin Grainger 22-yard free-kick. After the interval, the pressure remained intense with Friedel first plucking a Geoff Horsfield flick header out of the air, prior to a moment of inspiration which seemed to take the heart out of City. A Damien Johnson right-wing cross found John on the rise, the striker hanging in the air superbly before powering in a header destined for the top left-hand corner, only to be denied by the brilliance of Friedel as the American somehow clawed the ball away. The player the Crew traded for Friedel? Dante Washington. Fitz reacquired Dante the next year, trading the third pick in the draft for him. (That same pick, incidentally, was later traded to Colorado, who used it to select: Adin Brown)
Sky Sports News was raving about Freidel as well. Kasey Keller also gave a good performance according to them.
Since SOME of you (Eggy) are such big Keller fans, (little whiney bitch that he is) here's a snippet from Sky yesterday that may make you happy: Sir Alex Ferguson is keen, however, on Spurs' Welsh international Simon Davies, according to the News of the World, and could take his Tottenham team-mate Neil Sullivan as cover for first-choice Fabien Barthez. Sully sitting behind that bloody mad frog.
The reason Sullivan is not the first-team choice is in part to his erratic play .... in other words, he has worse lapses in goal than ManUre's bald-headed frog.
I always was a Keller fan. But for awhile you could never see Freidel play before he went to Blackburn. Now that he is there he's my favourite player. Should have seen me in England watching the Blackburn vs. Newcastle game. Everytime Freidel made a save I went mad. People thought I was a Blackburn supporter so I had to explain myself.
In addition, it seems he's broken his thumb in a training excercise. http://msn.skysports.com/skysports/article/0,,1860-1062166,00.html