 Friedel withTottenham Hotspur in 2011 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bradley Howard Friedel[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1971-05-18)May 18, 1971 (age 54) | ||
| Place of birth | Lakewood, Ohio, United States | ||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1990–1993 | UCLA Bruins | 66 | (0) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1995 | Brøndby | 0 | (0) |
| 1995–1996 | Galatasaray | 30 | (0) |
| 1996–1997 | Columbus Crew | 38 | (0) |
| 1997–2000 | Liverpool | 25 | (0) |
| 2000–2008 | Blackburn Rovers | 288 | (1) |
| 2008–2011 | Aston Villa | 114 | (0) |
| 2011–2015 | Tottenham Hotspur | 50 | (0) |
| Total | 547 | (1) | |
| International career | |||
| 2000 | United States Olympic (O.P.) | 4 | (0) |
| 1992–2005 | United States | 82 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2016–2017 | United States U19 | ||
| 2017–2019 | New England Revolution | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Bradley Howard Friedel (born May 18, 1971) is an American professionalsoccer coach and formerplayer who played as agoalkeeper.
Friedel played 84 games for theUnited States national team between 1992 and 2005, and represented his country at threeFIFA World Cup tournaments. He is the current holder of thePremier League record for most consecutive appearances with 310, a feat he achieved during spells atBlackburn Rovers,Aston Villa andTottenham Hotspur.[3] Until he was left out of the Tottenham team on October 7, 2012, the last Premier League games Friedel missed were Blackburn's final two fixtures of the2003–04 season against Tottenham andBirmingham City, on May 10 and 15, 2004, respectively.
Friedel is also officially Aston Villa's oldest-ever player, a record he set on February 1, 2011, by playing in the club's Premier League fixture away atManchester United. Friedel's age of 39 years and 259 days surpassed the previous record held byErnie Callaghan, who last played for Villa againstGrimsby Town in April 1947, aged 39 years and 257 days.[4] Friedel's last appearance for Villa was on May 22, 2011, in a 1–0 home win againstLiverpool, aged 40 years and four days.[5]
On May 6, 2012, Friedel also became the oldest player to appear in a competitive match for Tottenham when he played in the club's Premier League fixture at Aston Villa, beatingJimmy Cantrell's near-80-year-old record. He ended his Premier League career after a total of 450 appearances, which remains a record for any North or South American player.[6]
Born inLakewood, Ohio, Friedel grew up inBay Village, where he attended Westerly Elementary School, Bay Middle School andBay High School. Growing up, Friedel played several sports, including soccer,basketball andtennis, and excelled at all three. He earned Bay High's Outstanding Athlete of the Year award in 1989. As an All-State basketball player in Ohio, he was invited to try out as awalk-on forUCLA'sbasketball team in 1990. He began as aforward on his youth soccer team before moving intogoalkeeping. Friedel graduated from Bay High in 1989.[7] In 2007, he was inducted into the Bay High Hall of Fame.[8]
Friedel playedcollege soccer at theUniversity of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In 1990, he kept goal for the Bruins to theNCAA championship. He was selected as thefirst team All-American goalkeeper in 1991 and 1992, and won theHermann Trophy in 1993 as the top collegiate soccer player.[7] He played 66 games for the UCLA, all of which he started.[9]Soccer America magazine named Friedel to itsCollege Team of the Century.[citation needed]
Friedel left UCLA early to pursue a professional career. He began by attempting to sign withNottingham Forest underBrian Clough, but was denied awork permit, the first in several such failed attempts to move to England.[10] Following a brief trial in Scotland withCeltic,[11]Friedel instead registered with theUnited States Soccer Federation (USSF) and played exclusively with theUnited States national team as it prepared for the1994 FIFA World Cup. Following the end of the World Cup, Friedel began searching for a professional club.[citation needed]
Friedel was signed by managerKevin Keegan ofNewcastle United,[12][failed verification] but again was denied a work permit.[13] While awaiting approval from the British authorities, he practiced with Newcastle as an on-loan player from the USSF.[14]
Friedel joinedDanish Superliga clubBrøndby IF in the spring of 1995.[9][15][16] He stayed with that club for several months in 1995, as back-up toMogens Krogh.[17] Friedel remained with Brøndby until he returned to the U.S. to rejoin the national team, then preparing for the1995 U.S. Cup andCopa America.
After the two tournaments, Friedel attempted a third time to join an English club, this timeSunderland.[13] While awaiting a decision regarding his latest application for a work permit, Friedel spent time training withLeague of Ireland sideSt. Patrick's Athletic, who were managed at the time byBrian Kerr, a friend of Sunderland managerPeter Reid's.[18] When Friedel again failed to receive a British work permit, his agent negotiated a $1.1 million transfer from the USSF to leadingTurkish teamGalatasaray in 1995. Galatasaray were managed by Friedel's futureBlackburn Rovers managerGraeme Souness. In July 1996, following the end of the Turkish season, Friedel moved to theColumbus Crew ofMajor League Soccer (MLS). In February 1997, he signed a three-year contract with the Crew as he was named the team's starter.[19] That season, he was selected to theMLS Best XI and named theMLS Goalkeeper of the Year.
Friedel completed a transfer toLiverpool, worth £1.7 million, in 1997. On December 23, 1997, Liverpool gained a work permit for Friedel on appeal after the first request was denied.[13][20] He made his debut againstAston Villa on February 28, 1998. While Friedel had some initial success with the Reds, he soon had a difficult time, managing just over 30 games in almost three years, including two appearances in theUEFA Cup, as he sat behind firstDavid James and laterSander Westerveld.
Having not played for over a year due to competition from Westerveld andPegguy Arphexad, Friedel's work permit at Liverpool expired in 2000.[21]
On November 7, 2000 Friedel was signed toBlackburn Rovers by his former Galatasaray managerGraeme Souness, on afree transfer.[21] He made his debut in theFootball League First Division on November 18 in a 1–0 home win overWolverhampton Wanderers, in which he made a close-range save fromTony Dinning.[22] His team ended the2000–01 season with promotion, ending a two-year spell outside the Premier League.[23]
Freidel was namedman of the match as Blackburn beat the odds to win the2002 Football League Cup final on February 24, 2–1 againstTottenham Hotspur. He and goalscorerAndy Cole were singled out for praise by Souness after the match.[24]
At the end of the2002–03 season, Friedel's 15clean sheets earned him Blackburn's Player of the Year award, as well as selection to the Premiership Starting XI. On February 21, 2004, in an away game againstCharlton Athletic, Friedel scored a goal from open play in the 90th minute, from a corner kick. Friedel's goal equalized the game at 2–2, but seconds later Charlton scored again throughClaus Jensen, and went on to win the match 3–2.[25] He became just thesecond goalkeeper in Premier League history (excluding own goals) to score, afterPeter Schmeichel for Aston Villa in 2001.
Friedel signed new contracts in September 2005,[26] April 2007[27] and February 2008, stating on the last occasion that, "I am delighted to have extended the agreement. It was not a difficult decision to make. Blackburn Rovers is home to me. This is my club and I have a special affinity with it."[28] He would, however, leave the club at the end of that season to join Aston Villa, just two league appearances short ofTerry Gennoe's club record of 289 for a goalkeeper.
In February 2019 he was one of the first seven players to be inducted into the club's Hall of Fame.[29]
Friedel had asked Blackburn for permission to let him speak with Aston Villa if an offer was accepted, withManchester City reportedly interested in signing the American. The club accepted a transfer bid for Friedel, thought to be in the region of £2.5 million, subject to Blackburn themselves having a bid accepted for a replacement goalkeeper. Villa held talks with Friedel on July 25, and he signed a three-year contract with Villa the day after. He was unveiled athalf-time during Villa'sIntertoto Cup match againstOdense, and made his debut againstReading on August 2 at theMadejski Stadium; just ten minutes in, the hosts were awarded a penalty, which Friedel then saved. His competitive debut came in theUEFA Cup second qualifying round, first leg, againstHafnarfjorður away from home. Villa won the match 4–1. Friedel played his first league match for Villa on August 17, 2008, the first match for Villa in the2008–09 season, in which Villa beat Manchester City 4–2 at home.
He broke the record for continuous games played in the Premier League on November 30, 2008, after his 167th finished in a 0–0 draw withFulham. He was sent off against former club Liverpool atAnfield by refereeMartin Atkinson. Liverpool were awarded a penalty thatSteven Gerrard converted against Villa's second-choice goalkeeper,Brad Guzan, who was interestingly another American keeper named Brad and was also signed in the same season as Friedel. Friedel'sred card, which he received on the Sunday beforehand, was overturned by the FA on March 24, meaning that he was able to continue his streak of consecutive Premiership appearances. On January 16, 2011, he reached the landmark of 250 consecutive league games. Friedel became the oldest player ever to play for Villa following their 3–1 loss toManchester United on February 1.
Friedel's contract with Aston Villa expired after the 2010–11 season. On June 3, 2011,Tottenham Hotspur announced that they had signed Friedel on a two-year deal.[30] On August 22, 2011, Friedel started in goal for Tottenham atOld Trafford against Manchester United, after Tottenham's first home fixture of the season againstEverton the previous week was rescheduled due torioting in North London. This meant that Friedel further extended his run of consecutive games in the Premier League after his transfer from Aston Villa.[31] During the2011–12 campaign, Friedel also became the oldest player to make an appearance in the Premier League.
The arrival of theFrench national team's goalkeeper and captain,Hugo Lloris, to the end of the2012 summer transfer window cast some doubt on Friedel's status as Tottenham's first-choice goalkeeper for the2012–13 season. However, following an impressive display by Friedel againstNorwich on September 1, 2012, managerAndré Villas-Boas said that Friedel would remain number one.[32] Friedel's run of 310 consecutive Premier League games was ended on October 7, 2012, when he was named on the bench behind Lloris against Aston Villa.[33] Friedel, however, returned in goal for the next match on October 20, 2012, againstChelsea.[34]
On December 26, 2012, it was announced that Friedel had signed a new contract with Spurs, keeping him at the club until 2014.[35][36]
Following Lloris' failure to fully recover from ahead injury, Friedel returned to the starting lineup in a league match on November 10, 2013, but was unable to prevent Tottenham from losing 1–0 toNewcastle United, with the winning goal being scored byLoïc Rémy.[37]
On June 9, 2014, Friedel signed a one-year contract extension with Tottenham, which would keep him at the club until 2015. In addition, Friedel also became a club ambassador, focusing on Tottenham's presence in theUnited States, a role he continues to fulfill.[38] On May 14, 2015, Friedel announced that he would retire at the end of the2014–15 season.[39][40]
Friedel is the fourth-mostcapped goalkeeper in U.S. national team history, and gained his first international cap againstCanada in 1992, a game in which he managed to keep aclean sheet. He was the first-choice goalkeeper for the U.S.1992 Olympic team; however, he was unable to beat outTony Meola as first-choice keeper for the U.S. team at the1994 World Cup. His chance came, and Friedel made his World Cup debut, in the1998 World Cup, where he conceded one goal as the U.S. lost toYugoslavia. He lived up to his growing reputation in the2002 World Cup as the U.S. went on a surprising run to the quarter-finals, which included a 3–2 victory overPortugal in group play, and a 2–0 second-round win over arch-rivalMexico before a loss toGermany (the eventual runner-up). He also became the second keeper (afterJan Tomaszewski) to save twopenalty kicks during regular play (as opposed topenalty shootouts) in a World Cup finals tournament. He was dubbed "The Human Wall" by fans during the spectacular 2002 World Cup run.[41]
Friedel announced his retirement from international soccer on February 7, 2005.[42][43]
Friedel was a studio pundit for theBBC's2014 World Cup coverage inBrazil on both television andBBC Radio 5 Live, later appearing onRTÉ's coverage inIreland after returning home. For the 2014–15 season, he appeared on the BBC'sMatch of the Day and Ireland'sSetanta Sports.
On January 5, 2016, Friedel was named the United States under 19s head coach.[44] He won the2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship as assistant coach of the U.S. team withTab Ramos andOmid Namazi.[45]
On November 9, 2017, Friedel was named head coach of theNew England Revolution, replacingJay Heaps who was fired by the club in September 2017.[46]
On May 9, 2019, Friedel was fired by the Revolution after a 12-21-13 career record and a 2-8-2 record to open the 2019 season.[47]
Friedel was appointed Advisor to the Board of Directors at TurkishSüper Lig clubBeşiktaş on June 7, 2024, a position that lasted until November of the same year.[48]
Though raised in themidwestern state ofOhio, Friedel developed a slightEnglish accent. In 2008, having lived in England for over a decade, he said "The English don't think I have an accent at all. They think I sound American. And Americans think I sound English. I think I'm caught in the middle."[49]
Friedel is a fan of theNFL'sCleveland Browns,[50] which former Aston Villa ChairmanRandy Lerner owned until August 2012.[51]
Friedel also names former American international goalkeeperTim Harris as his all-time soccer hero. Friedel credits Harris as "the person who started my journey."[52]
In 2007, Friedel launched a non-profit soccer academy inLorain, Ohio, at a cost of approximately $10 million, providing coaching on a full-tuitionscholarship basis to youths aged 12 and older.[53][54] Premier Soccer Academy had difficulty retaining and obtaining corporate sponsorship after the2008 financial crisis, however, and closed in 2011.[55] In January of that year, Friedel filed forbankruptcy protection in the United Kingdom as a result of debts arising from the academy.[54]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Brøndby IF | 1994–95 | Danish Superliga | 0 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 0 | ||||||
| Galatasaray | 1995–96 | Süper Lig | 30 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | — | — | 37 | 0 | |||
| Columbus Crew | 1996 | Major League Soccer | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3[c] | 0 | 12 | 0 | ||
| 1997 | Major League Soccer | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 4[c] | 0 | 33 | 0 | |||
| Total | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | 45 | 0 | ||||
| Liverpool | 1997–98 | Premier League | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| 1998–99 | Premier League | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | — | 16 | 0 | ||
| 1999–2000 | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | |||
| Total | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 31 | 0 | |||
| Blackburn Rovers | 2000–01 | First Division | 27 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 0 | ||
| 2001–02 | Premier League | 36 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | — | 45 | 0 | |||
| 2002–03 | Premier League | 37 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4[d] | 0 | — | 47 | 0 | ||
| 2003–04 | Premier League | 36 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[d] | 0 | — | 40 | 1 | ||
| 2004–05 | Premier League | 38 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 45 | 0 | |||
| 2005–06 | Premier League | 38 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | — | 46 | 0 | |||
| 2006–07 | Premier League | 38 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8[d] | 0 | — | 53 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08 | Premier League | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6[d] | 0 | — | 48 | 0 | ||
| Total | 288 | 1 | 29 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 20 | 0 | — | 357 | 1 | |||
| Aston Villa | 2008–09 | Premier League | 38 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5[d] | 0 | — | 46 | 0 | |
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 38 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 42 | 0 | |||
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 38 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 42 | 0 | |||
| Total | 114 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 131 | 0 | |||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2011–12 | Premier League | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | Premier League | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7[e] | 0 | — | 20 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6[e] | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 50 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 0 | — | 67 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 546 | 1 | 47 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 668 | 1 | ||
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | Ref. | |||
| New England Revolution | November 19, 2017 | May 9, 2019 | 47 | 12 | 13 | 22 | 62 | 88 | −26 | 025.53 | |
Galatasaray
Blackburn Rovers
Aston Villa
United States
Individual
Friedel's link to Ireland
Feb. 24 — The Crew and MLS re-sign goalkeeper Brad Friedel to a three-year deal.
Select season in the "Filter by season" drop-down menu.
United States squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| International | |
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| National | |
