Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Stefan Frei was taken to the hospital by ambulance Sunday night after suffering a head and neck injury during the final moments of a 1-1 draw against the Columbus Crew at Lumen Field.
Frei was injured when he leapt to defend a free kick and collided midair with a Crew player’s knee.
He immediately collapsed to the turf, prompting urgent calls for medical assistance from teammates.
“He was alert,” Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer said after the match. “His fingers were moving, so he was OK in that regard. No paralysis, nothing major, but obviously I don’t want to downplay it.”
The incident occurred deep in stoppage time.
As Frei lay on the turf receiving treatment, both Schmetzer and Columbus head coach Wilfried Nancy asked the referee to end the match.
The Crew had just been awarded a corner kick, but Nancy agreed to stop play for Frei’s safety.
“I appreciate what he did, because the ref wasn’t going to stop the game, and everybody knew the game should have been stopped,” Schmetzer said.
Nancy responded: “So good on him. So thank you, Wilfried.”
Still trying to figure out what happened at the end of the game 😜
— Stefan Frei (@Stefan24Frei) July 7, 2025
but I’m incredibly grateful to all the staff that looked after me and happy to be back home resting now.
What resonates is all the messages, calls, and love I’ve received from so many of you. pic.twitter.com/fE9JqNgE3P