"He's probably going to be the richest one in the family." Antonio Freeman said that about his son Alex this week, and given the 21-year-old just played every minute of the USMNT's first two World Cup games, scored a goal, and cost Villarreal $7 million five months before the tournament — the old man isn't wrong.
Alex Freeman is not a project. He's not a promise. He's a World Cup starter who went from MLS reserve team to the biggest stage in football in under 18 months, and he's doing it with a composure that players twice his age don't have.
The backstory that changes everything
His father, Antonio Freeman, was one of the NFL's elite receivers — led the league in receiving yards in 1998, holds a Super Bowl record for longest touchdown reception. Football royalty, basically. And his son chose soccer. Stuck with it at 13 when it became "serious, a full-time job." Left home at 15 to join the Orlando City Academy, living with a host family three hours from his parents. No push from mum and dad. Just the kid and his decision.
That backstory matters more than it might seem. American sports culture has spent decades wondering what would happen if elite athletes picked soccer instead of the NFL or NBA. Freeman is the first real, tangible answer — not a hypothetical, but a living, playing one. And he's scoring at World Cups.
Pochettino put it plainly: "He has the potential to be one of the best players in his position in the world." That's a manager who's handled Mbappé, Eriksen, and Kane at various points in his career. He knows what elite looks like.
What comes next — for Freeman and for US soccer
The move to Villarreal in January was a calculated one — La Liga minutes to sharpen his game before the tournament. It worked. His performances here, a goal against Australia plus an assist in the opener against Paraguay, combined with his speed and versatility at right back, will have Premier League clubs paying close attention. Serious attention. The kind that comes with nine-figure bids and contract battles.
For the USMNT's tournament odds, Freeman is already central to how this team defends and transitions. Losing him to injury would be a different conversation entirely. Right now, he's their most dynamic outlet on the right side, and that's not a close call.
Folarin Balogun, no stranger to high-pressure environments himself, said it directly: "As long as he continues to develop and he's able to show he's doing it on the biggest stage, I think he's going to have a bright future."
He's already doing it on the biggest stage. That part isn't future tense anymore.
