Freeman: I've had extraordinary year but I'm aiming higher

• Freeman has had a remarkable rise over the past year

• USA defender scored brilliant brace against Uruguay

• The 21-year-old recently sealed high-profile move to Villarreal

Alex Freeman is in pole position for a starring role with USA at the FIFA World Cup 2026™ after playing just ten minutes of first-team football prior to the 2025 Major League Soccer (MLS) season. It is a rise so remarkable that it has stunned virtually everyone in the US soccer ecosystem.

“Alex, to be honest, I had no idea who you were before you got called up,” USA midfielder Luca de la Torre said to Freeman with a smile during a news conference after the Stars and Stripes' Concacaf Gold Cup opener against Trinidad and Tobago last June.

The son of Green Bay Packers legend and Super Bowl champion Antonio Freeman, there was an expectation that the 21-year-old right-back would gravitate towards American football or basketball growing up. But it was the other kind of football that Freeman found his passion in, partly to forge his own path in the world of athletics.

Freeman's journey to the top has been far from straightforward, however. Growing up in South Florida, his dream was to play for Inter Miami's youth academy but he was turned down by the club. He was then given an opportunity at Orlando City's academy but it meant moving away from his mother and step-father — Rochelle and Jake Hinkle — during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and living with a host family.

Freeman soon settled in the residential programme and made his debut for Orlando City B in the third-tier MLS Next Pro in 2022 before playing his first match for the senior team a year later. After making two further substitute MLS appearances in 2024, his progress appeared slow but steady.

However, he seized his chance during the 2025 MLS season after being handed the role as the starting right-back, resulting in him appearing on Pochettino's radar. 

After being given a debut against Türkiye in early June, Freeman played all but two minutes of the Concacaf Gold Cup run to the final, with Sergino Dest, who had recently returned from ACL surgery, given the summer off to further rehab his knee. He then impressed even further by scoring a brace in a 5-1 rout over Uruguay in November.

Even with Dest back to fitness and Timothy Weah also in the frame as a wing-back, it appears at this stage that Freeman is on course to start at right-back for USA at the World Cup. His cause is likely to be helped by a high-profile move to La Liga side Villarreal, which was sealed shortly prior to the European January transfer deadline.

Ahead of a potentially life-changing year, Freeman spoke to FIFA about his incredible rise over the past 12 months, getting his chance with Mauricio Pochettino, USA's group stage draw and potentially following in his father's footsteps with a major sporting title.

FIFA: How did you end up turning to soccer rather than American football as a youngster?

Alex Freeman: I grew up in an athletic household. I played all sports growing up as a kid — football, basketball, soccer, tennis... everything. I was a competitive kid and started playing soccer when I was three, before I played any other sport. I really enjoyed the other sports but I feel like I had a different kind of love for soccer. And for me it was also trying to take my own path and make my own journey. That pushed me more away from football and more into soccer. Obviously, I had a conversation with my father about it. He was supportive of it and made me love it even more and be able to continue to go on that journey.

How did your time as a teenager living away from home at Orlando's academy shape you?

My family wasn't fully convinced of it at first but I had a very nice host family who treated me very well and I still have a good relationship with them now. That made me grow up as an individual away from family and deal with stuff on your own and provide for yourself. It made me shape who I am today and made me realise that there was stuff I had to handle myself and I couldn't go to my family for. It enabled me to have personal growth.

How would you describe your incredible rise over the past year?

I would describe it as extraordinary. It took a lot of patience, I waited so long to make my [full debut for Orlando City]. And not only to make my debut but to have such a successful year for myself and for Orlando and play for the national team... to be able to do that shows the growth that I can have and the heights I can reach. To be able to reach those heights so early in my career gives me more hope and more passion to reach what I am capable of.

You scored twice against Uruguay in November - was that your career highlight?

Yes, I feel like it was. Also having it in Florida [in Tampa] it was like a homecoming game. It was a great way to end the season. It was a, 'Wow, I've made it' moment! But not only can I make it at this high level but I can compete in it as well.

What does it say about Mauricio Pochettino that he was willing to give you a chance at international level?

I feel like it shows that Pochettino not only values youth but he values passion. You can be at whatever stage [of your career] but if you show passion you will be able to fight for the badge. He will give you the opportunity to showcase that... That is why our US pool is so big now because he called in a lot of people to come in and prove themselves and a lot of them did. It make it even more challenging for him to choose the final roster. He gives chances to people and it's what you do with those chances and what you can do on the field to showcase [your skills].

What would it mean to you to take part in a FIFA World Cup?

It would be a dream come true and it will be hopefully another milestone that I'll be able to reach. Knowing that it's in the USA means it's a milestone that I have to reach. It gives me that extra energy to be able to reach that goal. Knowing that we're here and that we're maybe able to reach that goal would mean the world... and knowing that my friends and family can make it to some of the games means so much to me.

What do you make of USA's group stage draw?

For me, it's a good draw for us. There are some opponents that we are familiar with and have played already. We can study them based on the last games we played. We know Paraguay can be an aggressive team, as are Australia as well. And there could be another team that we played in Türkiye.

Finally, how cool would it be to have a Super Bowl champion and World Cup winner in the family?

I think that one of the greatest accomplishments of all. I would be able to share a legacy with my dad to have two rings. That would be sick! I don't think it's happened before but knowing that it could happen for me and my family means the world. It gives me even more motivation to compete to the best of my ability and try to bring the World Cup home in the US. It is, for sure, something I want to make happen.