It’s been a historic week and a half for U.S. Men’s National Team goalkeeper Matt Freese. The 27-year-old became the ninth goalkeeper to represent the Stars and Stripes at the FIFA World Cup against Paraguay on June 12 and later became the sixth USMNT goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet at the tournament in a victory against Australia on June 19.
He joins the likes of Jimmy Douglas (twice in 1930), Frank Borghi (1950), Brad Friedel (2002), Tim Howard (2010) and Matt Turner (twice in 2022) as the only U.S. shot-stoppers to shut out an opponent on the World Cup stage.
“I wouldn't say it's intimidating; I would say it’s inspiring,” Freese reflected on being mentioned alongside a collection of elite U.S. goalkeepers. “It's a long line of goalkeepers that I looked up to for my whole life, and there were some before my life as well. To have my name next to theirs as the next guy up is an incredible honor, and it's something I've dreamed of. The bar is set high, and I'm going to strive to reach that bar and raise it even higher.”
The New York City FC star—who became the first active Major League Soccer (MLS) player to start in goal for the USMNT at a World Cup—hasn’t had much to do through two matches thus far. Paraguay only managed one shot on target in that initial 4-1 victory for the USMNT in Los Angeles, and both of Australia’s shots on frame were saved by Freese last Friday in Seattle.
“Part of being a goalkeeper is recognizing that it's not always about you, and I'm comfortable with that,” Freese said. “The less action I have in a game means the better we're playing and the more likely we are to win.
“I’m typically more focused on preventing shots rather than just being only ready to save them. There have been some great goalkeeping moments, but I'm incredibly proud of the group, the 10 guys in front of me, and everyone on the bench for creating an atmosphere where we're competing really throughout all 90-plus minutes of the game.”
The USMNT’s backline has been stout through two matches. Conceding just one goal through 180 minutes of play, the U.S. defense—anchored by Chris Richards and Tim Ream and bolstered by Alex Freeman and Antonee Robinson—is tied for the 10th-most forced turnovers (89) and their recovery time of 21.75 seconds is the eighth fastest among all 48 teams. The U.S. controlled over 60% of possession in each match, and across the two wins, 77.5% of all passes in the attacking third have been in the USMNT’s attacking third.
As a result, Freese has faced only three shots on target and has been called into action around his penalty area infrequently; his 17 actions inside the penalty area are the fourth-fewest among goalkeepers, while his 15 actions outside the penalty area are tied for the third-fewest.
“I think the guys in front of me did an incredible job all day, competing for duels, tactically making the right decisions, being smart with the ball and confident with the ball,” Freese said of the squad’s performance against Australia. “It was really a full-team clean sheet. It's obviously an honor to get a clean sheet in a World Cup. It doesn't happen often, so I'm very excited, but I want several more cleansheets in the World Cup.”
Next, Freese and the squad’s attention turns to a matchup with Türkiye back at Los Angeles Stadium on Thursday. With the U.S. already established as Group D winners and Türkiye’s last-place finish confirmed, USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino could use the final group stage match to rotate his squad and rest key players.
“That's a coach's decision,” Freese said of Pochettino’s impending decision. “We've got 26 guys here who all want to play and who are all ready to play, working hard every day in training. As a group, we have full confidence in all 26 of us. We're focused on continuing to prepare, work hard in training and be ready for whatever comes.”
Should Freese be called upon by Pochettino on Thursday, the goalkeeper would be eager to face Türkiye for the first time since he made his USMNT debut against the Crescent-Stars in a 2-1 loss last June.
“Regardless of whether or not [Türkiye] is eliminated, I think it's a strong group and a competitive group. I played them in my debut, so I'm familiar with them. We're focused on ourselves, and all 26 guys are focused on being ready to compete and continuing the momentum that we've built.”
Whether Freese returns to the pitch on Thursday in Los Angeles or in the USMNT’s Round of 32 match at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on July 1, the promising shot-stopper is still savoring his World Cup debut and remains ready to suit up when called upon.
“After the first game, [USMNT goalkeepers coach] Toni Jimenez came over and gave me a hug and said, ‘Congratulations. You're a World Cup goalkeeper now.’ It was obviously a very cool realization, but it filled me with a hunger to play as many games here and to advance as far as possible so that I get even more games and this team gets more opportunities to show what we can do.”
