New Spurs In Old Boots: Friedel at Tottenham

Brad better get some PT in one of the next two games.

 

All the YA weekly updates are going to miss him:

Goalkeeper Brad Guzan was in the 18 but did not play

 

I think fighting might be a leetle bit strong. Poccetino is on record as saying he doesn't want to play in the Europa at all because it's a distraction from breaking into the top 4 and requires a bigger and stronger squad.

Anyway, The Guardian have a nice article on Friedel's retiring. Money quote:

I think back to that day, in December of 1998, when I was just impressed to see Friedel in a Liverpool uniform, wondering to myself how long it would be before he was back in MLS. He certainly would have been given a hero’s welcome had he ever returned to play in the US.

Instead, 17 years later, he gets a hero’s send-off in England.

Well-deserved, I might add.

http://www.theguardian.com/football...s-players-what-they-wanted-in-england-respect​

 

Nice video of Brad answering fan tweets. He loves jokes about his hair evidently.




The best line is a fan tweet about Guzan:
Guzan looks like someone put Friedel in the microwave on high for 60 minutes

 

And who could forget the goal.

 

Remember that well. Too bad Charlton retook the lead about a minute later .

 

Depending on whether Petter Villegas manages to play next year, he'll be the last player from the inaugural MLS season to retire.

 

Pretty sure the best tweet was the one about his accent. Just sayin'.

 

His career by the numbers from ESPN:

http://www.espnfc.us/blog/five-aside/77/post/2448736/brad-friedel-career-by-the-numbers

 

A good profile at American Soccer Now:

http://americansoccernow.com/articles/brad-friedel-43-hangs-up-boots-retires-from-soccer

 

Grabbed the wrong Brad... how embarrassing.

 

Not in the 18 today at home.

For the final time at White Hart Lane @friedel_b has come out for his pre-match routine to warm applause. #COYS

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) May 16, 2015

 

I thought it was a comment about Guzan being benched so as to take Friedel's place in the writeups.

 

Here's @friedel_b after a special presentation marking his retirement at the Training Centre today. pic.twitter.com/XxAuUJkqEd

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) May 22, 2015

 

JOHN TODD/ISIPHOTOS.COM

 

Is Friedel older than AVB?

 

Absolutely, Villas-Boas was born on 17 October 1977.

Pretty sure Brad is older than Moses.
Recently he found and defeated a Sasquatch in a lumberjack wrestling match.
Before the event, he drank some radioactive waste to get ready . . .

(Ahhh, I stand corrected, Freidel born on May 18, 1971. The other stuff, of course, is accurate).

 

What a LEGEND. The only keeper who I feel could ever replicate his career accomplishments would be Howard and even then, it'd take a lot (I'm sure).

 

Yep.

Then again, most players are older than AVB.

 

Then again, most managers are younger than Friedel??

 

For the amount of time he played, and at the level he played, he really didn't win many trophies. He's like the Julio Franco of soccer.

 

Well considering he played with small teams, that's quite understandable right. The biggest club he played for was Liverpool and yeah he did play for big teams in smaller leagues (Brondby/Galatarsaray) but still.

 

Goodbye to Friedel. A true Legend with the stats to back it up.

 

This may be a dead thread but hope its okay to write here but is it a controversial belief that he extended his career by ending his NT career? I mean dude got to play for bigger and more ambitious clubs like AV and Spurs. Even Liverpool wanted him as no2 behind Reina. Keller stayed as no1 far too long in my opinion but honestly Id say Friedel made the right decision. It also helped the careers of Howard and Guzan who may never have had call ups if the Friedel and Keller situation continued for many more years.

 

Don't think it's inconceivable that Friedel could have maintained both NT and club if he wanted to. The lack of travel and the 10-20 added games a year are the only things he's missing. Not the easiest of tasks but for a professional you make it happen.

Howard and Guzan would have still been in camps so I don't think I'd credit him with that. I do think Friedel added to the rep that paved the way for Howard and Guzan in England (plus any future others). That may be his lasting contribution to the USMNT.