SEATTLE - Erik Friberg is back. In a big way.
The Swedish midfielder put in an inspired performance in the Seattle Sounders’ 2-0 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday, including his first assist of the season on Clint Dempsey’s goal in the 26th minute and a slew of other key plays that fueled the Sounders’ win.
The game marked Friberg’s first start since March 12, when he suffered a sprained MCL in his knee. According to captain Brad Evans, having Friberg back in the fold changes the Sounders’ chemistry entirely, and forces opposing teams to recalculate their game plan.
“When somebody sees Erik on the field, you know that if you don’t pressure him at the right time, he’s going to find the forward pass,” Evans said. “He just sees the game different than most, but he can also defend … Tonight, he found a lot of space and a lot of high quality passes.”
In addition to logging the assist on Dempsey’s early goal, Friberg completed 87 percent of his 53 passes, had 69 touches on the ball, and created three chances.
“He’s very two-way in his approach,” head coach Sigi Schmid said. “His ability to find those forward passes and get those balls through the gaps was something he did very well tonight.”
Friberg appeared in 13 games after re-joining the Sounders midseason last year, but he’s been limited to just four league appearances this year. He suffered a concussion during the team’s CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series in February and then went down just 18 minutes into the team’s second game of the season with a knee injury, which sidelined him until a substitute appearance vs. Columbus on April 30.
“I thought we had a good game for sure,” Friberg said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve played … but I feel good.”
