Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei driven off field by ambulance with apparent head injury
Frei jumped forward to make a play on a free kick, and as he came down, his head collided with the knee of a Crew player. Frei dropped to the turf at Lumen Field and teammates immediately signalled to the sideline for help.
With the match tied at 1-1 deep in stoppage time, Crew coach Wilfried Nancy and Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer appealed to the referee to end it.
As Frei was carried on a stretcher to the waiting ambulance, Seattle fans chanted his first name.
Frei, 39, has played for the Sounders since 2014. He helped Seattle win the MLS Cup in 2016 and 2019, and he was named MLS Cup MVP in 2016. He was an All-Star in 2017.
Born in Switzerland, Frei's family moved to the United States when he was a teenager and he was a standout at the University of California.
Winnipeg Jets Game Days
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘There's more pressure for them'
Do you believe in miracles? Valour FC better, because that's what it's going to take to escape BC Place Wednesday night with a win over Major League Soccer's Vancouver Whitecaps in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Championship. It all comes down to this match — which kicks off at 9 p.m. CT — as the two sides settled for a 2-2 draw when they met in the first leg back in Winnipeg on May 20. 'It would be a miracle, and that's the truth,' admitted Valour head coach and general manager Phillip Dos Santos on Monday. 'But we've seen it. It's football, it's pro sports. These things could happen.' In their first meeting, Vancouver fielded a starting 11 of mostly backups, but with this showdown taking place in their own building, they're expected to roll with a roster that closer resemblances the one that has them in second place in the MLS Western Conference standings at 11-4-5. The Canadian Championship features pro and semi-pro teams across the country battling for the Voyageurs Cup and the right to represent the nation at the CONCACAF Champions Cup. 'It's the Cup, anything is possible, and for me, that's what I believe. That's always kind of the mentality in England is anything can happen in Cup (tournaments),' said Valour midfielder Kian Williams, who hails from Leicester. 'I feel like there's no pressure. There's more pressure for them… I'm just looking forward to it, to be honest.' The last time Valour hit the road to play the Whitecaps was in the preliminary round of the 2022 Canadian Championship where they fell 2-0. In last year's Canadian Championship, Forge FC made the CPL proud by knocking out MLS' CF Montreal in the quarters. 'It's gonna take a lot, and I think we know that. I know for me, I'm willing to give everything and for sure all the boys are,' said Williams. 'As soon as you go to a team like the Whitecaps, you know it's going to be a tough game. You've got to be switched on for the full 90 minutes and you've got to give everything you can… I think you just go in there and just execute everything we've worked hard on this week, and I believe we can do that.' While the Whitecaps are dominating the MLS, Valour is crumbling in the Canadian Premier League. Winnipeg's professional soccer club has lost three straight and has been outscored 11-1 during that stretch. Their most recent defeat was a 3-1 loss on Canada Day against the HFX Wanderers. Valour has eight points in 12 league tilts, which has them in seventh place in the eight-team circuit with a 2-8-2 record. 'We need to find a way to turn things around. For me, the first thing is the guys can't quit. It's going to be about the mentality of the guys, the locker room, and that in challenges we stay together,' said Dos Santos. 'And you know, what a game. What a game when you think about it… If you would've asked me (if) this could be the game that turns the season around, or which game you want to play to turn a season around, I would tell you that this is the best one.' The Whitecaps have won the Canadian Championship three years in a row. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. They're a franchise Dos Santos knows very well as he was an assistant with them from 2018-21 under his brother Marc Dos Santos. The two were let go on Aug. 27, 2021, shortly after the Whitecaps were upset by the CPL's Pacific FC in the Canadian Championship. Vancouver was in last place in the Western Conference at the time. 'Yes, football wise, there were challenges. There were a lot of struggles with the early days of the foundation that they built today. But at the end of the day, you were part of an organization that is now, how can I say, collecting the fruits of hard work and the struggles that they had to go through,' said Dos Santos. 'I keep an eye on them and have a lot of friends there still… There's a lot of people in that organization that I still care for and that I still love so, yeah, it's always good to get to play them.' Valour will head to Toronto for their next CPL outing when they square off against York United (4-6-3) on Sunday. Taylor AllenReporter Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor. Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Kershaw appreciates his latest All-Star Game selection while understanding its unusual circumstances
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw appreciates his 11th career All-Star Game selection while acknowledging this one's a little different from the rest. The three-time Cy Young Award winner has made only nine starts this season but still got selected to the National League team as a Legend Pick by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, under a provision in the collective bargaining agreement. 'You never take for granted getting to go to an All-Star Game, regardless of the circumstances,' Kershaw said Monday before the Dodgers played the Milwaukee Brewers. 'Obviously, I don't deserve to get to go this season. I haven't pitched very much.' This marked the first time Manfred made a Legend Pick for the All-Star Game since 2022, when Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols both received that designation. 'I didn't really actually know that was a thing,' Kershaw said. 'At the end of the day, it's weird, but it's cool, so I'm just going to enjoy it.' The honor comes less than a week after Kershaw recorded his 3,000th career strikeout, becoming just the 20th pitcher to reach that plateau. He's in his 18th season with the Dodgers, tying Hall of Fame outfielder Zack Wheat and shortstop Bill Russell for the franchise record. The 37-year-old left-hander didn't make his season debut until May 17 as he worked his way back from toe and knee surgeries. He also had undergone shoulder surgery after the 2023 season. He owns a 4-0 record and 3.43 ERA with 32 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings. 'I think it's mixed,' Kershaw said. 'I think there's some good and some bad. I think it's helpful to be able to get the reps, go back out and be able to feel OK in between starts to work on some stuff and try to figure out some things mechanically and pitch-wise and stuff. I'd say overall, I wouldn't say I'm happy, but I wouldn't say I'm disappointed, either. Just kind of right in the middle.' All these career milestones naturally lead to questions about Kershaw's legacy and future. Kershaw says he's just focusing on the here and now. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. 'I don't know what's going to happen in the future,' he said. 'I really have no idea when it comes to the years beyond this one, so I'm just trying to enjoy it, trying to be part of a really good team this year. We've still got a lot to accomplish, and we still have October. It's really hard to look at stuff individually when you're trying to accomplish something as a team.' But he still appreciates this latest honor, no matter how he was selected. 'I'll never pass up that opportunity,' Kershaw said. 'It's a tremendous honor. Super thankful to get to go. Regardless of the situation or how I maybe snuck into the All-Star Game, it's pretty cool to get to be able to go.' ___ AP MLB:
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Magic and Paolo Banchero agree on a 5-year extension. Total value could reach $287 million
Paolo Banchero has checked a lot of boxes since joining the Orlando Magic. Won rookie of the year, been an All-Star, helped the team to the playoffs twice. And now, the Magic are betting on there being more — much more. Banchero has agreed to the richest contract in Magic history, a five-year extension that is worth $239 million and could reach about $287 million should he become eligible for a supermax deal, a person with knowledge of the agreement said Monday. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the signing had not been announced by either Banchero or the Magic. ESPN, which first reported the agreement, said it also included a player option for the final year. The agreement means the Magic have four players — Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs and the newly acquired Desmond Bane — under contract for the next four seasons. And in the cases of Banchero, Wagner and Suggs, the terms extend out at least five seasons. Banchero was the rookie of the year in 2022-23, living up to his billing after being the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA draft. He was an All-Star in his second season and was well on his way to that again last season before an early-season oblique injury. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. He finished the season averaging 25.9 points and 7.5 rebounds, both career highs, and led the Magic to the playoffs for a second consecutive year. He'll play the final year of his rookie deal this season, at about $15.3 million. His salary — depending on whether the supermax provisions are met or not — would then jump to either around $41 million or $49 million for 2026-27, when the extension kicks in. The contract tops the $224 million extension that Wagner signed last summer to stay with the Magic. That was a team record at the time, though it was expected then that Banchero's next deal with the Magic would surpass it. ___ AP NBA:
