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Engergie boost U.S. goalkeeper Friedel gets Bundesliga trial
COTTBUS, Germany (AP) -- Bundesliga club Energie Cottbus said Friday it is bringing in FC Liverpool reserve Brian Friedel for trial training next week in hopes the U.S. national team goalie can solve the struggling club's problems inside the cage. Last place Cottbus has yielded a league high 17 goals in seven matches and lost backup 'keeper Thomas Koehler Thursday to a knee injury. "We expect Friedel next week. He comes without a [transfer] fee," said Cottbus manager Klaus Stabach. The club said it wants a subsitute goalie on the bench by the Oct. 14 match against Bayern Munich. The 29-year-old started 27 matches for Liverpool during the 1998-99 season, then lost his starting role. The English club has acquired several goalies since then, reducing Friedel's playing time to just four appearances last season. He has also suffered under the rule that a club is allowed only three non-European players on the pitch and those spots are wrapped up by other players. Friedel helped lead the U.S. soccer team to a fourth-place finish at the Sydney Olympics, the best performance by an American team in history. If Friedel is signed by Cottbus, he will be joining a club that already has players from 14 differerent countries.
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