Biography
Who is Brad Friedel?
Early life and education
Brad grew up in Bay Village, Ohio, after being born in Lakewood. He attended Westerly Elementary School and Bay Middle School before graduating from Bay High School in 1989. During his youth, he participated in tennis, basketball, and soccer.
In 1989, he received the Outstanding Athlete of the Year award at his high school. He was also an All-State basketball player in Ohio and later tried out for the UCLA basketball team as a walk-on in 1990. He was eventually inducted into the Bay High Hall of Fame in 2007.
College soccer career
Brad Friedel played university soccer at the University of California, Los Angeles. During his time with the Bruins in 1990, he helped the team reach the NCAA championship. He started every one of his 66 games for UCLA.
His collegiate success included being named a first team All-American goalkeeper in both 1991 and 1992. In 1993, he won the Hermann Trophy as the top player in college soccer. Soccer America magazine later included him on its College Team of the Century.
Professional career highlights
After leaving college, Brad attempted to join several English clubs but faced work permit issues with Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United. He played for Brøndby IF in Denmark during 1995 before moving to Galatasaray in Turkey. In 1996, he joined the Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer, where he earned MLS Goalkeeper of the Year honors in 1997.
He moved to Liverpool in 1997 for a fee of £1.7 million. Later, he joined Blackburn Rovers in 2000, where he won the Football League Cup in 2002. While playing for Blackburn, he even scored a goal from open play during a match against Charlton Athletic in 2004. He also earned the club's Player of the Year award following the 2002-03 season.
Brad Friedel also played for Aston Villa, where he became the oldest player in the club's history. He finished his Premier League career with 450 total appearances, which is a record for a player from North or South America. He also played for Tottenham Hotspur and represented the United States national team in three FIFA World Cup tournaments.
Birthday and age
Brad Friedel was born on May 18, 1971, which makes Brad 55 years old today. That birthday falls under the Taurus sign. Brad shares the date with 71 other famous people.
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