Stefan Frei #24 of the Seattle Sounders stops Michael Bradley #4 of the Toronto FC during the penalty kick phase during the 2016 MLS Cup at BMO Field on December 10, 2016 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Claus Andersen/Getty Images/AFP
Toronto, Canada: Seattle Sounders' Swiss-born goalkeeper Stefan Frei produced the only highlight-reel worthy moment of the MLS Cup championship match on Saturday with a spectacular save curtailing his former club, Toronto FC's hopes of winning on home soil.
A looping header from Jozy Altidore looked to have beaten Frei and won the game for Toronto but the 30-year-old arched back and reached out his left hand to palm the ball to safety.
"Sometimes as a goalkeeper you feel like you are not going to get to a ball but you never know until you try," said Frei.
"I tried to keep my feet moving and give it my best shot and luckily I was able to get there," he said.
Then in the penalty shoot-out, Frei did his job well, keeping out a soft penalty from Toronto captain Michael Bradley which helped the Sounders on their way to a 5-4 shoot-out win which gave them their first ever title.
Frei who was drafted by Toronto in 2009 after playing college soccer for the University of California, Berkeley, did not have the happiest of times with the Canadian club.
It was a time when Toronto were still finding their feet in MLS, having joined in 2007, with the playoffs, let alone the MLS Cup, a distant dream.
Three years after signing for the club, Frei broke his leg and made just one appearance in the next two years.
In 2013 he was traded to Seattle where he has been a regular and where is now a league champion.
Frei, who was 15 when he left Switzerland with his family after his father was offered a job in the San Francisco area, said it had been a hard experience at Toronto.
"I started my career here. It was tough performance-wise on the field. I was fortunate to be able to play, early in my career, which is important for a keeper," he said.
"But you play to win and obviously during my time here we had limited success but the fans were always the highlight, they were very supportive," added Frei, who nonetheless wasn't in a mood to be too sentimental about his former club.
"But to be honest with you I'm focused on Seattle now and the final could have been anywhere. We had a chance to make history and this is what you live for."
