Yeah, most were bring up Reyna getting little to no minutes but at the time Freeman was in the same boat although more understandable as a league newbie. Now both have been getting minutes so it's up to the coaching staff to decide if that's enough to bring the. I think both make it but Freeman is a safer pick.
FWIW I think Freeman has looked fine when he plays. Sometimes a little conservative but fine. He was always bought for next season and came into a very good Villareal team. I was actually surprised they didn't loan him back to Orlando till the World Cup just to get minutes.
I am not letting this page sit in the dark. This fellow is going to get a lot of attention next season.
He was awesome! He’ll also get better at eliminating those errant passes and driving forward without losing the ball as often with more experience. Fingers crossed he earns a starting role next season.
The Turkey game will be the real test, but he has all the tools to become a Top 5 starter and at the business end at that. Plus, he dislodged a 10 million euro signing from the starting lineup for much of the last 1/4 of the season . With Villareal having 46 La Liga and CL games next season, he is certain to get PT, on top of which he'll be joining pre-season as an established international. He's already grown in stature compared to the player who arrived in January. The deeper the US goes, the more that will apply and IMO the US will reach the quarter finals
Only of he has an absolute blowout season that forces Mourino to the bench entirely and I don't really see that happening that soon. The season after is another matter. Just as long as he doesn't got to Real Madrid. That place is a circus and he's no clown.
What an incredible debut on the world stage. I don't know how many center back/fullbacks are driving forward and beating opponents in their box with some R7 stepovers. He's got the athleticism, intelligence, and ability to go really, really far. And maybe some youth football players are watching all of this and thinking about trying their hand at soccer too.
Alex Freeman 🇺🇸 (21) vs Paraguay ⭐️🔝 pic.twitter.com/ZPv6Xs5omj— Stars n Stripes FC 🇺🇸 (@starsnstripesfc) June 15, 2026
I am starting to see shades of Willian Pacho (PSG/Ecuador), and to a lesser extent Gabriel Magalhães (Arsenal/Brazil) in Freeman's game. Both center backs are highly comfortable stepping into midfield or occupying the half-spaces to create attacking overloads. Pacho, in particular, excels at progressing the ball on the dribble, combining elite athleticism with tactical intelligence. He's fun to watch. Freeman still has room to grow defensively—especially in areas like tackling and shot-blocking—but that will come. What stands out is his athleticism, intelligence and tactical versatility, whether operating as a CB in a back three or as a RB in a back four. Villarreal has a gem on their hands. I think they know it, too. We began to see that impact toward the end of the season as Freeman settled into La Liga. For the USMNT, I keep dreaming of a back three featuring Banks, Richards, and Freeman. While you’d need to balance having both Banks and Freeman as right-footed players, the combination of technical ability, positional awareness, and athleticism could make that unit uniquely effective—especially in possession. One can dream, right?
Safe to say Alex Freeman is the breakout star of our World Cup. Didn’t see that coming at all. I had no clue how many minutes he’d even get — now he’s put together two straight MOTM‑level performances. Villarreal’s probably sitting there with a big yellow grin, beaming with joy.
That tackle right at the end of the first half, man. Fearless, and then let the Australian player KNOW about it. Love how he’s played the first 2 matches and can’t wait to watch him at Villarreal this coming season.
Him playing in that hybrid RB/RCB role has completely unlocked the rest of the team. It’s insane how big the difference is.
I want to see what happens with him positionally at the club level. RCB in a back 3 is too niche. Needs to establish himself at a CB in a back 4 or RB in a back 4.
I was asking a friend why we looked so crap heading into this tournament and so good now and you're right and this is probably the answer.
Continuing the fullback tradition of Hejduk/Yedlin of basically coming from nowhere to steal the world's attention. If he wasn't already at Villarreal, this would be ideal to secure himself a top 4 league move.
Normally I would say you are asking too much... I mean, the guy burst onto the scene as a FB in the MLS and I think Villareal bought him to rotate at the RB/RWB position... but then Poch finally listened to me ;-) and moved to 3ATB in possession and... BAM! For club and country. In all seriousness, the guy just appears to have a unique blend of talent, athleticism and mental toughness that is really hard to find. He actually has the size to play as a traditional CB in a 2CB set... It's such a tough position to be trustworthy at... even a guy like Richards, who has been playing CB since his early teen years took a long time to play it at a high level. But I am not going to doubt on him. The kid appears to be a winner like his dad. Gotta embrace the confidence he exudes. I feel pretty strongly that formations w/ 3ATB are better than those w/ 2... but that is not what the discussion is about. I wouldn't doubt Freeman in either.... It's been fun to watch.