Brad Friedel has taken a lot of dives in his lengthy soccer career. It's to be expected, the 40-year-old goalkeeper has been a fixture in the English Premier League for over 15 years. The American born Friedel has enjoyed a storied career that shows little sign of slowing.
By Glyn Kirk, AFP/Getty Images
Tottenham Hotspur's U.S. goalkeeper Brad Friedel is still in prime form at 40.
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"Some of it's down to luck," Friedel said. "Some it's down to hard work. From about the age of 31 or 32, I took up yoga and that has helped a lot. I've been really fortunate where I haven't had any [injuries], I think mentally, if you're a goalkeeper, you stay fit, keep your weight down, and keep your reactions strong, you can play for a long time."
Friedel will take the pitch Sunday for Tottenham as the Hotspurs hope to gain a spot in the top four of the EPLahead of Arsenal and Newcastle. Finishing fourth or higher earns the Spurs a berth in next year's UEFA Champions League.
"We have a home game and that's good since Arsenal and Newcastle are both away," Friedel said. "We just need to focus on ourselves; when you have control of your future, there isn't much else to worry about. It's important to use to get the Champions League to attract more top players to the club."
Friedel's career is serving as a blueprint for American players like Fulham midfielder Clint Dempsey and Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard.
"It took me five years to get a work permit," Friedel. "I went to Liverpool and was in and out for about two seasons, went to Blackburn and that's where things started to progress for me. And same with Tim, he was in and out at Manchester United and got to a point where he had to move and look how well he's done - he's the first name in the [starting lineup]."
Dempsey is no slouch either - finishing fourth in the Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year Award this year.
"Clint wasn't always in the [starting lineup], be he stayed with Fulham and now he can have a big smile on his face because there are some big boys - big clubs - that want him now," Friedel said.
Despite another strong campaign in 2011-12, Friedel knows the years are against him and his contract at Tottenham expires at the end of the 2012-13 season.
"At 35, I started playing contract to contract," "I wouldn't sign anything unless I knew I could physically fulfill it. I knew at [Tottenham] I could fulfill a two-year contract."
There is no question Friedel's career will reach a proud finish in the coming years. A more compelling riddle is which continent - and team - he will choose to end a career spanning three decades.
"At the end of next year, I think it's pretty safe to say I won't be able to fulfill a two-year contract - I'll be 44," Friedel said with a laugh. "Could I possibly play a role somewhere for a year? Possibly. We'll have to see where my legs are and will I even want to? Who knows."
Where many American players have returned to Major League Soccer after spells abroad, Friedel's time in America was fleeting, and his career has been made in England.
"I've never really thought about where I want to finish, other than at the highest level," Friedel said. "I'd love to play in the U.S. again, but the years are against me now andMLS is just so much better now than when I played it in it, it's not something you can breeze through."
Friedel's contract with Tottenham runs through the 2012-13 season, and U.S. fans will have the opportunity to see Spurs and their American goalkeeper this summer. Tottenham is schedule to play three exhibition matches in the U.S., including a particularly compelling tilt against fellow EPL side Liverpool July 28 in Baltimore.
"If I had my way, I'd never stop," "Reality is going to set in at some stage, I'm going to carry on next year through the end of my contract and then we'll see what it brings."
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