INGLEWOOD, CA — For years, American soccer fans have whispered the same lament: if only our best athletes chose the beautiful game over football or basketball. If only a LeBron or a McCaffrey laced up cleats, we’d be trading blows with Argentina and France.
That hypothetical just got a name. Alex Freeman.
The 21-year-old right back has rocketed from an MLS reserve team to a World Cup starter in less than 18 months. He’s played every minute of the USMNT’s first two games. He’s scored a goal. And his father? Antonio Freeman, a Super Bowl champion and former NFL receiving yards leader.
In a country where the NFL is king, that pedigree matters. When the son of a legend chooses soccer, it sends a message to every American kid watching.
“This guy is just 21, he’s just getting started,” Antonio Freeman said on Fox’s “After Hours with James Corden.” “He’s probably going to be the richest, also.”
Given that Alex commanded a $7 million transfer fee from La Liga’s Villareal five months before the World Cup, dad isn’t wrong.
The U.S. Soccer Federation dreamed of this moment when it bid to host the World Cup. They wanted another jolt for the sport’s growth. And while the game has exploded since 1994 — thriving leagues, soccer-specific stadiums, daily TV deals, homegrown talent attracting European giants — it still lags behind the NFL and NBA.
Soccer remains the sport of kindergartners and grade schoolers. To change that, kids need to see it as a viable path to professional glory. They need role models who could have chosen football or basketball but didn’t.
Freeman easily could have followed his father’s path to the gridiron. Or the basketball court. Or tennis court. Instead, like most American kids, he started with soccer.
“I don’t know why he choose,” USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino said. “Normally you want to imitate or follow your dad, but he went in another direction.”
Walter Payton’s son Jarrett started playing soccer too, even earning All-State honors. But he eventually switched to football. For Freeman, soccer was always his sport.
“(My dad) taught me to be myself,” Alex said. “I think he knows that being myself has gotten me to this point.”
At 13, soccer became “serious, a full-time job,” Antonio recalled. Two years later, Alex faced a crossroads: college offers or the Orlando City Academy. He chose the academy, living with a host family three hours from his parents.
“He just worked his tail off from there,” Antonio said. “We could call him and text him and motivate him that way. But his everyday life, ups and downs, he had to manage that himself.”
Alex signed a homegrown contract with Orlando City at 17. He played for the reserve team for nearly two years. His first senior start came in March 2025. His first USMNT call-up followed two months later.
Now he’s a fixture in Pochettino’s starting lineup. After his goal against Australia survived a VAR review, his teammates mobbed him.
“He’s got a fantastic future,” Folarin Balogun said. “He’s a very humble kid, very down to earth. As long as he continues to develop, he’s going to have a bright future.”
Freeman moved to Villareal in late January to prepare for the World Cup. His performances here — including an assist in the opener against Paraguay — along with his composure, speed and versatility, will attract clubs in England.
“It’s difficult to explain the evolution of him,” Pochettino said. “For me, he has the potential to be one of the best players in his position in the world.”
The son of a Super Bowl champion, poised to become one of the best in the world. We no longer have to wonder when our best athletes will choose soccer.
Alex Freeman already has. Others will follow.
