Alex Freeman scores in World Cup as US beats Australia 2-0

A 21-year-old defender from Plantation, Florida, just scored on the biggest stage in global sports. Alex Freeman found the net in the United States’ 2-0 victory over Australia at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. For a player who only turned professional with Orlando City SC before transferring to La Liga side Villarreal CF, the speed of his ascent has been striking.

Freeman has accumulated 19 caps and three goals for the USMNT since making his debut on June 7, 2025, against Türkiye.

From the gridiron bloodline to the pitch

Alex Freeman’s father is Antonio Freeman, the former Green Bay Packers wide receiver. The younger Freeman had every reason and every connection to pursue football. He chose soccer instead.

Standing 6’2″, Freeman possesses the kind of physical profile that would have served him well in the NFL. Instead, he’s deployed those attributes as a versatile defender capable of playing right-back, right winger, and center-back for both club and country.

Born on August 9, 2004, Freeman’s path from Orlando City’s homegrown system to Villarreal in Spain’s La Liga is exactly the kind of trajectory US Soccer has been trying to build for years.

A year of milestones

During the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Freeman started all six matches as the US advanced to the final, ultimately finishing as runners-up. By the time Pochettino named his 26-man roster for the 2026 World Cup on May 26, 2026, Freeman’s inclusion was less of a surprise and more of an inevitability.

Freeman is primarily a defender. The fact that he’s contributing three international goals speaks to the versatility that made him attractive to Villarreal in the first place.

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