Alex Freeman is on the verge of starting the United States' World Cup opener, a striking leap for a 21-year-old defender who had barely played in MLS at the start of last year. Freeman is likely to be in the lineup Friday, June 12, when the USMNT opens the 2026 World Cup against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium, putting him at the center of the home tournament on one of soccer's biggest stages.
That is why his name is suddenly drawing so much attention. Freeman made his USMNT debut in June 2025 and then played in 16 of the team's next 17 games, a run that helped push him from a new face to a likely starter. He broke out with Orlando City before joining Villarreal in January, and by the end of his first half season in Spain he had started three of the club's last six games.
His family is with him in the Los Angeles area as he prepares for what would be his World Cup debut, and his path carries the kind of sports pedigree that follows him everywhere. Freeman is the son of Antonio Freeman, the former All-Pro and Super Bowl champion receiver who helped the Green Bay Packers win Super Bowl XXXI with an 81-yard touchdown catch nearly 30 years ago. The younger Freeman said his father kept his message simple, telling him to be himself and sounding, in his words, like a dad giving a speech rather than a coach giving instructions.
Christian Pulisic has already seen enough to believe Freeman belongs in the conversation. He called him a beast and said he has been impressed in camp, praising the defender's size, athleticism and the way he has moved the ball forward. Freeman, who is 6-foot-2, said the move to La Liga was part of a deliberate effort to become the best person and best player he can be to help the United States at the World Cup, and he framed Spain as the right place to sharpen himself in one of the world's most demanding leagues.
The question now is not whether Freeman has arrived on the radar. It is whether he turns a remarkable rise into a first World Cup start on Friday and handles the pressure that comes with it.
