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Meet John Friedl, Season Seat Member of the Match

By Tyler Vaughn, 08/12/18, 5:00PM CDT

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John Friedl, one of the "green hair guys", was recognized on the pitch as our Season Seat Member of the Match prior to the win Saturday night. Even if you don’t know him by name, if you’ve been to a match at Taft Stadium, you’ve very likely seen (or heard) John.

Having played soccer his whole life, John knew he had to be part of the Energy FC family as soon as he found out OKC was getting a team. Not only did he want to do so for his own enjoyment, but John wanted to contribute to the atmosphere at matches and support the organization trying to build something special in Oklahoma.

John and his crew are diehard Greens to say the very least. He, his best friend Nicholas, Nicholas’ dad and brother-in-law and their wives and kids all attend every home match. You might think never missing a match is enough to earn John this recognition, but he takes his fandom and banter to the next level. John is known for trying to get in the head of opposition players and coaches, so before each match, he researches anything and everything relevant that he can use to throw them off!

John is also a bit superstitious when it comes to matchdays. In addition to wearing his “good luck outfit” and scarf, they always listen to a special playlist in the car, sit in the same seats during the ride to the stadium and only get up during matches for emergencies because “it’s only silly if it doesn’t help!”

Since joining the Energy FC family, John and his family have made countless friends at the stadium. From the people that sit right next to them, to the other fans in their section that also get swept up in the emotion of the game, they've met many passionate Greens over the years. And of course, they've developed relationships with some of the players over the years who are always so good about acknowledging the fans.

Speaking of players, John and the Friedl Family have greatly enjoyed several over the years. Michael Thomas was his first favorite, and MT’s parents actually used to sit behind them at matches. Gareth Evans was his daughter’s first crush, and they even had an autographed photo on their living room wall! Currently, Jose Barril is top of the list. Not only because he’s a tremendous footballer, but because he takes time after every match to stop and chat with them for a few minutes.

Everyone at Energy FC would like to thank John and the rest of the family for being part of the fabric of the club since day one!