Matt Freese was slowly but surely proving his doubters wrong.
The New York City FC shot-stopper, who received plenty of backlash after being named the USMNT's starting goalkeeper at the World Cup, posted two clean sheets in the first three games of the tournament, all of which were relatively tame performances for him.
In the Round of 16 against Belgium — the biggest game of Freese's career — he set the tone early with a massive save on Timothy Castagne's long-range strike, the type of stop fans were waiting to see from him. Then, the moment his critics seemed to be waiting for happened: He made a mind-boggling mistake, which led to a costly but exceptionally avoidable goal for Belgium in the 57th minute.
"Obviously, I'm disappointed with my involvement and my error in judgment on the third goal; it's part of the position," he said in an interview after the game. "I know the guys in front of me did everything they could today to get the win.”
The error came at a pivotal point: The United States was down 2-1 but still had some momentum with more than 30 minutes left to play, searching for the equalizer. But after Freese practically gifted Belgium its third goal, any hope left was all but gone.
"This hurts," he said. "This moment stings more than probably any other moment in my life. I know this is a step along a longer journey and I know there’s big things to come from this federation and this group. This is one step — it’s a painful step, but it is a step regardless."
Andrew Leigh
Despite his previous positive performances, that mistake will likely define Freese’s time with the USMNT. There's a reason Pochettino chose the 27-year-old over Matt Turner, the United States starter at the 2022 World Cup.
Freese, who made his national team debut only last June, has proven time and again that he is a solid goalkeeper. The breakout numbers he put up for NYCFC in 2024 and 2025 — which is what got him noticed by head coach Mauricio Pochettino in the first place — can't be completely forgotten. The same should be said for the praise he got after stopping three penalty kicks and outdoing legendary goalkeeper Keylor Navas in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinals.
The decision by Pochettino to start Freese was met with question marks from fans and analysts, but Freese was consistent when called upon and saved the shots he had to, becoming the winningest World Cup goalkeeper in USMNT history with three wins.
But when the lights were at their brightest, with millions watching, he uncharacteristically cracked. It's a crushing moment for Freese, who put his head down dejectedly after the final whistle blew in Seattle.
The future can still be bright for Freese, as he has attracted interest from clubs in England while being under contract with NYCFC until 2030.
