Hard to believe but true: It's not even been a full calendar year since Matt Freese made his first appearance for the United States men's national team.
Only capped since June 7, 2025, it took Freese just 14 USMNT appearances to establish himself as a presumptive member of the 2026 World Cup squad. There was no element of surprise seeing Freese walk onto the stage at Pier 17 as one of the final 26 players chosen by Mauricio Pochettino, a testament to how quickly the New York City FC goalkeeper went from the outside to the center of the national team's plans.
Freese's rise didn't happen overnight, though. His breakout seasons with NYCFC got him into the national team, then he packed enough good performances into those 14 international games to enter the World Cup with the seeming inside track on the starting goalkeeper spot.
That's caveated with Mauricio Pochettino going into World Cup training camp saying his USMNT goalkeeper position was "open" and that he would decide who starts among his three called-in goalkeepers (Matt Turner of New England Revolution, Chris Brady of Chicago Fire FC) after "seeing what they show, the form they're in, the emotional state of each one."
Watching Matt Freese since he took over as starting NYCFC keeper in 2023, the form has consistently been there. With the United States, he's had one breakout performance and otherwise has been solid and mostly mistake-free while Pochettino's USMNT compiled a record of 8W-2D-4L with Freese in goal.
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His bigger performances are still to come, maybe beginning with the two remaining pre-World Cup friendlies as he looks to lock in his spot in the lineup, or when the USMNT begin their World Cup against Paraguay later in June.
Now that Freese is officially World Cup-bound, though, it's time to remind ourselves of some of his best performances leading up to the tournament. These were ones that stood out from memory and felt like they represented significant and recent steps on the 27-year-old from Wayne, PA's path to the USMNT roster, for reasons that are totally subjective, but reasons that are explained while journeying back through each match from 2023 through to 2026.
September 15, 2023: 0-0 vs Red Bull New York
This was a forgettable match in many ways, though memorable by nature of being the only goalless draw in the 34-match history of the Hudson River Derby. It doesn't end goalless without Freese, specifically thanks to a save he made in the 75th minute to deny noted New York City FC killer and Bronx native, Omir Fernandez, from scoring another goal for the Red Bulls at Yankee Stadium.
