Sounders FC goalkeeper Stefan Frei returned to Seattle from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, with some new body art.
No, he didn’t add to his collection of intricate tattoos. Rather, he came back sporting some serious marks from some studs he took to the rib cage as he fearlessly came off his line in Leg One of Seattle’s series with C.D. Olimpia in the Concacaf Champions League.
In the 24th minute, the hosts whipped in a teasing in-swinging cross from the right side of the pitch. Undaunted by the play, Frei hurled himself forward and punched away the ball. While he was exposed in the air, an Olimpia player lunged his foot forward, connecting with Frei’s rib cage.
Reminiscent of the 2015 matchup between Seattle and Olimpia, a scuffle broke out on the pitch as tempers flared. In the aftermath, both Frei and the Olimpia player were cautioned.
“Our goalkeeper played within the rules,” Sounders FC Head Coach Brian Schmetzer said during his post-match press conference. “He shouldn’t have been called for a yellow card because it was foul on him inside the penalty box.”
Seattle enters Leg Two of the series on Thursday (7:00 p.m. PT; FS2 | TICKETS) level 2-2 with Olimpia, although the Rave Green hold the advantage due to the away-goals tiebreaker.
