American goalkeeper Brad Friedel to retire at end of season

Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Brad Friedel will retire at the end of the Premier League season, closing a 23-year professional career to become a television announcer for Fox Sports in his native United States. Friedel made the announcement Thursday, saying “it is a good time to call it a day” with his 44th birthday approaching. Friedel made 82 appearances for the U.S. team and was in goal for all five games during the run to the quarterfinals in the 2002 World Cup. He holds the record for consecutive starts in the Premier League at 310, set across his time at Blackburn, Aston Villa and Tottenham, which he joined in 2011. – AP