Having a former professional athlete as a father could dictate which path a young player takes, but Alex Freeman has created his own path en route to a thriving soccer career.
Freeman is in the midst of a break MLS campaign for Orlando City, which has led to the young defender being part of the current U.S. men’s national team squad. The 20-year-old is the son of former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Antonio, who played nine NFL seasons and won a Super Bowl in 1996.
Athletic spirit has certainly transferred to Alex, who has contributed four goals and one assist in 17 appearances for the Lions during the first half of the season. That early season success has led to the right back earning his first USMNT opportunities this year, serving as one of the youngest players on the current Gold Cup roster.
Along with fellow right backs Sergino Dest, Joe Scally, and others, Freeman will be aiming to be part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup roster, knowing the competition gets underway in less than one year’s time. Overall inexperience might be against him in the head-to-head battles with Dest and Scally for a starting role, but Freeman’s confidence remains sky high after choosing soccer over football.
“Growing up, I always got asked if [American] football was the path, but when I was younger, I always had a secret love for soccer, and I feel like it was more than any other sport,” Freeman said Tuesday in a conference call. “I had to pick, and I think soccer was the clear choice by far.
“What’s happening this year, I feel like it’s an honor,” Freeman added. “I feel like it’s a blessing. Obviously the World Cup in 2026 is always something that I’m going to work to.”
Freeman has started two of the USMNT’s three matches during the June window and remains a high option to start against Saudi Arabia on Thursday night in Austin, Texas. The USMNT will be seeking to clinch a knockout round berth with a home victory.
I think De La Torre should utilize the backwards pass strategy more often
This is ridiculous to see not a full stadium. USMNT fans should be ashamed of themselves.
Same XI from the weekend. Wright, Harriel, and Brady sitting this one out. Only 23 can dress, no report yet if those three were coaches decisions or the flu bug has gotten to them too, but a Coventry fan account congratulated Haji on his wedding?
Johnnyrazor,
Rotation makes sense, especially in a tournament setting, but most important is 3 points today, and since Saudi’s are the most challenging opponent in the group phase, Pochettino will go with his best 11 to secure said points, and if they accomplish today’s goal, then he will make changes with a focus on player rotation.
Agyemang
Luna – Tillman – McGlynn
DLT – Adams
Tolkin – Ream – Richards – Freeman
Freese
From a sporting standpoint, Pochettino seems to favor Agyemang…from a non-sporting standpoint, I think he is favoring players from the January camp, or who are currently in camp, to send a message to the UMSNT pool, as a whole, especially those not in this camp.
I agree with bizzy, no way BA gets the nod over McGlynn.
I’m torn between Cardoso and LDT, but LDT gets the nod based on recent game performances in this camp.
Tolkin over Arfsten. Arfsten is not ready, and we will need to defend against the Saudi’s.
Pochettino values Ream’s leadership and ability to play out of the back.
Would definitely like to see Ian Fray given an opportunity as long as he can stay healthy. Talented young CB.
Think we’ll see a small about of rotation but not a ton. Something like this. Get 3 pts and then you can rotate more.
————Haji————
Luna-Malik-BA
——-Luca-Johnnny—
Tolkin-McK-Rich-Freeman
———Freese———-
Lol….No way Brendon Aaronson starts over Jack McGlynn……on the right no less. Haji Wright over Patrick Agyemang seems logical but Poch seem to like PA because he’s always involved in the press. Also I’ll be surprised if Ream doesn’t start at CB
Immediately after a 5-0 win, I doubt there will be much (if any) changes
You’ve got to rotate a few it’s a long tournament and what left footed player are you going to play at RW, Jack can’t play there every minute. I also forgot about Tyler so maybe he starts and goes 45.
True but you do not rotate this early in the competition. With a new team like this you are looking for consistency and stability……Haji Wright and Brenden Aaronson DID come in and make a GREAT impact but the team that started, initiated / dictated the pace and tempo of the game. Changes will come eventually but it will be gradually……not 4 players right out the gate after the 1st game lol
Didn’t count my own number of changes, that probably is too many. I’ll leave Arfsten and Jack on. Still think they’ll rest Ream and either a Tyler or Johnny start in the middle. I haven’t been overly impressed with Pat, but maybe Poch and staff are.
JR,
Rotation makes sense but you want to make sure you get 3 points here.
Saudi Arabia is supposedly understaffed but Henard is not to be underestimated.
That’s why included only the guys that played well previously and Johnny who they seem to rate. Not a time for Harriel or Downs to start.
i will give concacaf this. for all the corruption and greed, they aren’t dumb enough to be running games 12 noon in the middle of the summer on a workday.
if you’re gonna run the games at daytimes for european audiences, why not 9am to mirror back the traditional 3pm UK start? that’s the difference between 70s and nearing 90. and the businessmen playing hooky just take off before lunch rather than after it.
Because that 3 pm UK start is on a weekend. No one is home to watch TV in the UK at 3 pm on Wednesday. They pushed that first game each weekday back as far as they could for European audiences. It’s 5 I think in London, 6 in Germany and Spain. Juve fans get screwed because they had to play on same day as Real Madrid and Man City, but probably better on their recovery. It’s about TV viewers not in stadium audiences for these 12:00 est kickoffs. Also unless you work right by the stadium pretty optimistic you could get out of a game ending around 11:00am and still get to work for a half day. Adding game traffic to rush hour at 9:00am wouldn’t be much fun either. I appreciate the outside the box thinking but earlier kickoffs would have just many problems if not more. With the exception of Chelsea/LAFC all have had bigger attendance than MLS stadiums, you’ll see bigger crowds on the weekends.
JR,
Logical and sensible explanations for scheduling?
As a long time SBI person you should know better than to chuckle at IV’s expense.
I mean he is right, it’s stupid to play in that heat, but if no one is going to be able to make it to the stadium or be home to watch it there’s no prize money. No prize money, no play. Honestly they should probably play the ‘26 WC in October and November. But then all the fields would be torn up by the NFL.
JR,
This was an issue back in 1994.
Either the powers that be forgot or don’t care.
Money talks.
V: 48 teams instead of 24 makes it tougher. At least there are 5 domes this time, plus Toronto which is typically cooler.
Julian Eyestone looks to be getting promoted to Brentfords senior team.
Fulham inquiring about Pepi.
Downs garnering interest from Southhampton.
Musah to Napoli has hit a snag.
-Eyestone won’t actually play for the first team anytime soon. Like Kochen often sits on the bench for Barcelona as the 3rd keeper.
-Pepi to Fulham???? They’ve already got two reasonably productive forwards unless one of them is moving.
– Downs just helped win promotion why go to a team going down? That one doesn’t make sense to me.
-Musah sounds back on, Napoli officials traveling to Milan today. Price tag supposedly around 25 million.
It seems Muniz is really being chased by Leeds. Maybe Pepi is the replacement. In theory I would love that to happen… Gotta keep the Fulhamerica vibe going. How long has it been since there WASN’T an US player at Fulhman Hasn’t gone without US player since 2004. If Jedi gets plucked there needs to be a replacement.
Moo: I saw that about Muniz, I assume it will go how Leeds transfer rumors usually go. A lot of leaks about a potential move and then nothing comes of it or they get out bid.
What makes Dest and Jedi so good is their ability to be outlets out of the back. Then provide a linking pass to flip the field or do the same with the dribble, all prerequisite for a back. The plus is not only being part of the attack but chance creation with unlocking passes or breaking down the defensive shape with a dribble. Truly skilled is finding a run with a cross or finding s late runner.
The USMNT have yet to find a solid back at RB or LB that does not adversely affect the manner in which they want to play. When you hear so and so is a really good defender at either back position they are not good enough to play another position
He started as a winger in his career. He also has 4 goals and two assists for Orlando this season. I just think Poch is asking him to defend first.
we don’t know how dest will be used when he returns. people confuse him and weah’s reds. dest last played for the US march 2024 at that nations league. he didn’t play for mikey and he hasn’t yet played for poch.
jedi played for poch. jedi is the only back we’ve done the assymetric slide thing for. it’s not so much an overall tactic as a specific player concept. we don’t do it for tolkin or arfsten. it’s thus disappeared of late.
can you really trust dest to hold down his right and cover ground, to allow jedi forward? we haven’t had to test that yet. personally i think holland showed throwing dest and jedi forward against elite opposition might get punished.
so, i disagree we have some “way of playing.” it changes game to game the past 2 weeks. it changes depending if jedi shows up.
and i think at least the jedi way he wanted scally back staying home while jedi took the risks. in which case the RB can be a stay home type. setting aside i think both should be.
last, bluntly, i think the US remains largely a team who just fields big name hype players. i see a lot of interest in who is a Big Deal in europe. i don’t see consistent use of heuristics. dest is ok even if his defense stinks. jedi’s glitches are tolerated. harriel is out there still. and yet ledezma being defensive shy but a crosser is a bridge too far. if you take a step back that feels more like a snob talent assessment than like we were insisting on a skill profile.
either that or poch is in for a rude awakening on dest defense at RB.
Poch wants a 3-2-4-1 when we are in possession, how he gets there varies. At Jamaica, he pushed Jedi up to the 4 line as the wide left attacker and Tessmann w/ Cardoso/Tillman in the middle line. Home he used Jedi there because he had Weah back to be wide. Against Panama it was some of Scally staying home with Musah pushing up, but sometimes Musah staying back with Tyler and Tanner double pivot. Against TnT in possession we looked mostly like this in possession.
—————-Pat————-
Arfsten-Luna-MT-Jack
——-Sebi——-DLT————-
——Ream——-Richard—Free
Twomile said he wanted someone who could get forward from the FB spot. 2tone just pointed out Freeman does go forward a lot for Orlando he’s just been asked/forced to stay home for Poch.
JR
Pochettino is using the Gold Cup to see what he’s got.
Freeman looked good . Tolkin should get a look next, we’ve discussed Max and Harriel looked ok.
Since Cupcake the B teamers have generally done okay.
However, without Gregg around to beat up on, the fans have turned on the players and, if they haven’t already, will soon will turn on Pochettino, especially if they don’t win the Gold Cup.
But no one should be surprised if few of the “ fresh faces” make the World Cup squad or if they do, they play little to no part. .
Our best and most proven players are mostly euros. Most of them are not here now in what generally amounts to excused absences, except for CP who has officially been branded a shithead, lazy wussy. He would be a diva shit bag but Gio has that title on lockdown.
Pochettino is doing the only thing he can, making the most out of the B team creating a foundation of a culture for the euros to eventually slide back into.
Are the Euros worried for their places?. Sure but they are better and if the threat to their place is strong enough then it will push them to be their best.
And if that happens everyone wins, except for the poor schmucks like Patrick, Max, Sebastian , etc. who miss out.
IV,
“last, bluntly, i think the US remains largely a team who just fields big name hype players.”
?? And? Big name hype? Compared to who? Soccer is a world game. List our top 5-6 players and maybe, just maybe, the rest of the world knows who CP is but after that???
Big name hype players? We have none.
“i see a lot of interest in who is a Big Deal in europe.”
And why not?
“i don’t see consistent use of heuristics. “
You don’t?.
“A heuristic or heuristic technique is any approach to problem solving that employs a pragmatic method that is not fully optimized, perfected, or rationalized, but is nevertheless “good enough” as an approximation.”
If you don’t see any heuristics with the USMNT it is because (based on the definition above) we don’t have an “approximation. “
I’m not sure Matt Turner is an “approximation”. He’s all we have in the sense that all the keepers seem to, at best, be at about the same level. They are just okay until they are not.
Which is true for the team in general. The USMNT is a second tier team that will require a good draw, a lot of luck with injuries ( theirs and injuries to our opponents). and a great coaching job by Pochettino to have the kind of run everyone wants. Otherwise, they face humiliation.
They are shaping up to be a not very good team even if your creations ( at least the ones you take credit for) Gio and Cole C, are on the team.
“dest is ok even if his defense stinks.”
In your opinion. It may be that he plays exactly how PSV wants him to play. Dest is capable of playing defense well, but that is not what his teams ask him to do. If you want a defensive stopper, why would you play Dest?
You’re going to have to go a long ways to find a fullback whose defensive abilities are equal to his offensive abilities. Sergino has offensive skills so why waste them?
“if you take a step back that feels more like a snob talent assessment than like we were insisting on a skill profile.”
“snob”? It’s more like if you don’t agree with them or it was not your idea then they are “snobs”. Many teams have their own definition of fullback duties, maybe different from your definition.
It does not make them wrong or a snob. That’s the kind petty BS we expect from some of our elected leaders.
Richie is not a fullback by most people’s definition but that did not stop him playing a lot of right back for PSV who were after all, the champions.
i also think you’re skipping some steps. our backs don’t tend to dribble rapidly downfield from their own end. it’s more like they will get sent down the wing off a wall pass or overlap.
the contradiction i see is i thought the wingbacks were most effective when the wing forward played target at halfline, turned, and sent them into the green space behind a high line defense on an overlap. however, you do that and pulisic/weah/reyna are trailing the play instead of leading it.
i don’t think we’ve ever resolved whose channel that wide channel is supposed to be. the wing forwards want to be out near the flags but that’s also where you’re sending jedi and sometimes the RB.
if you remember, the original theory on this was the wings would pinch. the recent 41221 seems headed back to a similar place. but is that how the wings really want to set up shop, or will they want to be out near the chalk and flags.
to me this sings when the wings get behind the opponent in space and can square it in on the ground behind the backs. it turns into rubbish when it’s halfcourt keepaway punctuated by the two wide players farting around by the flag before hitting in an aimless cross. so “what exactly are we trying to accomplish” (and from where) matters.
Not competing with Freeman but perhaps Arfsten and *Tolkien behind Jedi to allow the similar style of play….I’d also like to give a shout for Wolfsburg’s Kevin Paredes. He plays LWB but had an awful foot injury last year as he was about to nail down the position. He came back at the end of the year, was given two starts once fit but pulled his hamstring vs Freiburg with only three games remaining in the season. He seems to fit the profile of Jedi and Dest – decent defending and adding to the attack. Wolfsburg isn’t a team that messes around. They always have European aspirations. If he can play LWB in the Bundesliga for a team of that level he’s certainly worth considering. He’s only 22 as well. I hope he stays healthy and we can see him in the fall.
Hope to see him get forward a bit more during this Gold Cup. Definitely has the ability to get forward more.