This summer, as Americans tune in for the World Cup, many will quickly reach for their phones to search for the star sporting number 16—the young fullback streaking up the side and looking to score. The answer will be 21-year-old breakout USMNT player Alex Freeman. He couldn’t be more excited to represent his country. “It’s gonna be sick,” he says. “It’s a dream, right? There’s no better feeling.” The son of former NFL receiver Antonio Freeman, Alex has forged his own path as an athlete. After winning the 2025 MLS Young Player of the Year award with Orlando City SC, he recently transferred to Spain’s Villarreal CF. Now, Alex hopes to make his country proud and introduce himself on the world stage.

As one of the tournament’s host nations, the US faces immense pressure—and a rare opportunity to prove Americans can compete with the world’s best. “It just gives you that extra energy and that extra patriotic meaning to football, knowing that it could grow so much being in the US,” says Freeman on the added pressure. “Playing in it and representing the country that’s hosting it is something that you know is not going to come along a lot. So I just want to be prepared for that and be able to show the fans that we play our hardest and hopefully make them proud.”

As the USMT team prepares for the biggest tournament of their lives, Alex shares, “The team’s vibe is just to show out, to have that confidence in the team and ourselves. You need that confidence going into a World Cup—a new journey with new achievements we want to reach.” The team knows the challenge ahead. As he explains, “It’s going to be a battle with so much pressure on us. We want to have a lot of energy and confidence in each other, knowing it’s going to be a long journey.”

Freeman’s journey began in Fort Lauderdale, FL, where he fell in love with the sport. He says, “At 13 or 14, I decided to dedicate myself to becoming the best soccer player I could be.” As the son of a Super Bowl champion, Freeman says his father always supported his passion for soccer. He feels “very grateful to have this professional athlete to get advice from. A lot of people don’t have that, but I had that by my side every day when I needed it.”

After three seasons in Weston FC’s youth system, Freeman tried out for Inter Miami’s CF Academy—his local MLS club—but didn’t make the team. Looking back, he reflects, “It was one of those steps in life where I got disappointed, and I felt like I’d failed myself. As an athlete, everyone needs that moment when they know they need to change something or do more to be the player they want to be. That moment made me realize I needed to do more. It gave me even more patience, more passion, more things I wanted to do to prove myself and try to prove them wrong.”

Encouraged by his Weston FC coach, Freeman didn’t give up and tried out for Orlando City FC’s Academy, earning a spot. Despite the long distance from home and the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, he seized the opportunity. Forced to live at a teammate’s house and spend his 16th birthday alone, he still looks back at his time in the Academy with gratitude.

“In Orlando, they set that tone right when I got there: we have to win, win, win,” he explains. “We’ve got to play well and do everything to get the three points at the end.” Freeman believes Orlando City’s Academy is a positive example of how investment in youth programs creates more polished professional players. He says, “Having that competitive nature at a younger age makes it so much easier to transition to the pros and already have that spirit of wanting to win.” 

Freeman signed a homegrown contract with Orlando City FC in 2022. He broke out in 2025, earning the MLS Young Player of the Year Award and becoming the youngest player ever selected to the league’s All-Star team. Known for his power, pace, and versatility—traits that draw comparisons to Dutch right-back Denzel Dumfries—Freeman says, “I like to score, I like to assist—but I’m a fullback as well, so I’ve got to defend. I like to be that modern fullback you see nowadays, being able to go up and attack and then come down and defend as well.”

In January, Freeman was transferred to Villarreal in La Liga, Spain’s premier football league, for a record $7 million transfer fee, setting a new high for a homegrown Orlando City player. Betting on himself, Freeman took a risky step away from his established MLS position. By April, he had become a key starter. Discussing playing in La Liga, he says, “The passion here is on a different level. At every game, fans are whistling and screaming the whole time. The stadium is filled [regardless of the day], even on a Tuesday or Wednesday at two o’clock.”

Freeman says the focus on fashion in Europe has also been a welcome change. “Here in Spain, every time you walk out of the house, you want to put on something you look nice in, even if it’s just to get coffee or go to the grocery store.” He thinks the USMNT will show out this summer off the pitch, too. “We have a lot of guys in Europe, so they already dress nicely, they know fashion. I feel like this World Cup can be another way for us to show how we represent ourselves with our fashion and how we want to be portrayed.”

Despite his youth, Freeman plays a pivotal role beyond the pitch as the team’s unofficial DJ. “When we had the Gold Cup, they put me on aux duty the whole time,” he says. A huge music fan, he explains the playlist “just depends on what vibe we’re on. It can be a calmer vibe on the bus there, and then when we get there, maybe a more hype vibe.”

Asked what Americans should expect from their team this World Cup, Freeman says, “We’ve got something to prove, knowing we have this wonderful opportunity to play in our country. We have so much to give. The fans should know we’ll give whatever we can, and we need their support.” On his personal expectations, he adds, “It’s another chance to prove myself. I’ve been through a lot of crazy stuff the past year and a half, and it’s another chance to show people what I can do. I just want to make the best out of every opportunity I get.” 

Photographed by Martin Gatti

Styled by Julia Vendrell Grajales

Written by Oliver Heffron

Grooming: Carol Guzman

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