{"id":12260,"date":"2026-06-16T09:03:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T13:03:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/?post_type=news&#038;p=12260"},"modified":"2026-07-07T06:53:54","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T10:53:54","slug":"alex-freeman","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/news\/alex-freeman\/","title":{"rendered":"Alex Freeman: the USMNT&#8217;s breakout right-back at World Cup 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Alex Freeman<\/strong> is the breakout name in the USMNT defense, an attacking right-back who seized a starting spot at a home World Cup and marked his opener with an assist. A product of Orlando City who has since stepped up to La Liga with Villarreal, Freeman gives head coach <a href=\"\/us\/news\/mauricio-pochettino\/\">Mauricio Pochettino<\/a> pace and energy down the right flank.<\/p>\n\n<h2>From Orlando City to Villarreal<\/h2>\n<p>Freeman came through at Orlando City, where he made his name as a starting right-back and racked up regular minutes in MLS. That form earned him a move to Villarreal in Spain, a step up to one of La Liga&#8217;s established sides, where he is adapting to a new level. The table below covers his main club spells in our database.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Club<\/th><th style=\"text-align:center\">Apps<\/th><th style=\"text-align:center\">Tackles won<\/th><th style=\"text-align:center\">Interceptions<\/th><th style=\"text-align:center\">Clearances<\/th><th style=\"text-align:center\">Aerial duels won<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Orlando City<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"text-align:center\">51<\/td><td style=\"text-align:center\">27<\/td><td style=\"text-align:center\">27<\/td><td style=\"text-align:center\">88<\/td><td style=\"text-align:center\">59<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Villarreal<\/strong><\/td><td style=\"text-align:center\">18<\/td><td style=\"text-align:center\">8<\/td><td style=\"text-align:center\">4<\/td><td style=\"text-align:center\">16<\/td><td style=\"text-align:center\">6<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n<h2>What the numbers say<\/h2>\n<p>Freeman&#8217;s Orlando City record is the profile of a busy, two-way full-back. Across 51 appearances he won 178 duels and 59 aerial duels, with 88 clearances and 27 interceptions on top, the workload of a defender who is always involved. He is comfortable getting forward and back, and that engine is what makes him such a useful fit for an attacking system. His Villarreal numbers are lighter as he settles into a bigger stage, but the tools are obvious.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Alex Freeman and the USMNT<\/h2>\n<p>For the United States, Freeman&#8217;s emergence at right-back unlocked Pochettino&#8217;s setup. With Freeman tucked in to provide defensive cover, <a href=\"\/us\/news\/sergino-dest\/\">Sergino Dest<\/a> was freed to push high as a right-sided attacker, while Freeman overlapped behind him. He operates just outside center-back <a href=\"\/us\/news\/chris-richards\/\">Chris Richards<\/a>, and his athleticism lets the U.S. commit numbers forward. See where he fits in our <a href=\"\/us\/usmnt-roster\/\">USMNT roster<\/a> guide.<\/p>\n\n<h2>USA 4-1 Paraguay and what is next<\/h2>\n<p>Freeman was one of the standouts in the opener, starting at right-back and impressing going forward as the United States beat Paraguay 4-1 at SoFi Stadium. He provided an assist, won nine duels and made two interceptions across the full 90, a complete display from a young full-back. Read the full <a href=\"\/us\/news\/usa-vs-paraguay-player-ratings\/\">USA vs Paraguay player ratings<\/a>. Planning to go? See our <a href=\"\/us\/news\/world-cup-2026-tickets\/\">World Cup 2026 tickets<\/a> guide. For the bigger picture, see our <a href=\"\/us\/world-cup-2026\/\">World Cup 2026<\/a> hub and the latest <a href=\"\/us\/outright-markets\/world-cup-2026-outright-betting-odds\/\">World Cup 2026 winner odds<\/a>, with more at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ussoccer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. Soccer<\/a>. Must be 21+ and present in a state where betting is legal. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2>Digging deeper into Freeman&#8217;s data<\/h2>\n<p>The opener assist was no fluke. At Orlando City, Freeman produced 6 goals and 4 assists from right-back, created 7 big chances and laid on 46 key passes, while registering 134 touches inside the opposition box. Those are eye-catching attacking returns for a young defender and explain why Pochettino trusts him to get forward.<\/p>\n<p>He does the defensive side well too, winning 178 of his 310 ground duels in MLS (around 57 percent) and 27 of 42 attempted tackles (close to 64 percent). The two-way engine the profile describes is backed by real numbers, even if his Villarreal sample is still small as he settles in La Liga.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2>Alex Freeman in the USA&#8217;s run to the last 16<\/h2>\n<p>The USA beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 in the Round of 32 at Levi&#8217;s Stadium, with Folarin Balogun and Malik Tillman on the scoresheet and Matt Freese keeping a clean sheet. Freeman started at right-back and played the full 90 minutes, passing at 98% accuracy without a goal or assist. The USA reached the last 16, but their home World Cup ended there with a 4-1 defeat to Belgium, Alex Freeman a rare bright spark with two shots and three dribbles across 90 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\"><div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-free1\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Who is Alex Freeman?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Alex Freeman is an American right-back who started for the USMNT at the World Cup 2026. He came through Orlando City in MLS before a move to Villarreal in Spain, and is one of the breakout names in the U.S. squad.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-free2\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What clubs has Alex Freeman played for?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Freeman made his name at Orlando City in MLS, establishing himself as a starting right-back, before earning a move to Villarreal in Spain&#8217;s La Liga.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-free3\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">What position does Alex Freeman play?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">He is an attacking right-back, an athletic, overlapping defender who gets forward to support the attack and offers pace and energy down the flank.<\/p><\/div><div class=\"schema-faq-section\" id=\"faq-question-free4\"><strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">How did Alex Freeman play in the World Cup opener?<\/strong> <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">Freeman started at right-back in the 4-1 win over Paraguay and was outstanding going forward, providing an assist, winning nine duels and making two interceptions.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alex Freeman is the breakout right-back in the USMNT defense, with an assist on his World Cup 2026 opener. A look at the Villarreal man&#8217;s stats and role.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3588,"featured_media":12261,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"Alex Freeman","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Alex Freeman: USMNT Right-Back Profile | Squawka","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Alex Freeman is the breakout right-back in the USMNT defense, with an assist on his World Cup 2026 opener. A look at the Villarreal man's stats and role.","footnotes":""},"tags":[303,302,273],"news-category":[],"class_list":["post-12260","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-usa","tag-usmnt","tag-world-cup-2026"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.0 (Yoast SEO v28.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Alex Freeman: USMNT Right-Back Profile | Squawka<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Alex Freeman is the breakout right-back in the USMNT defense, with an assist on his World Cup 2026 opener. 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We publish match previews, tactical analysis, player and team stats, outright odds, betting tips, streaming guides and long-form features for a committed football audience. Founded in the UK and part of OneTwenty Group, Squawka now runs localised editions for the UK (squawka.com\/en\/), United States (squawka.com\/us\/), Mexican-Spanish (squawka.com\/us-es\/), Ireland, Netherlands, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa and Ghana. Each edition is editorially tailored to its market, with locale-specific competition focus, operator compliance and commercial partnerships. 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He came through Orlando City in MLS before a move to Villarreal in Spain, and is one of the breakout names in the U.S. squad.","inLanguage":"en-US"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/news\/alex-freeman\/#faq-question-free2","position":2,"url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/news\/alex-freeman\/#faq-question-free2","name":"What clubs has Alex Freeman played for?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Freeman made his name at Orlando City in MLS, establishing himself as a starting right-back, before earning a move to Villarreal in Spain's La Liga.","inLanguage":"en-US"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/news\/alex-freeman\/#faq-question-free3","position":3,"url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/news\/alex-freeman\/#faq-question-free3","name":"What position does Alex Freeman play?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"He is an attacking right-back, an athletic, overlapping defender who gets forward to support the attack and offers pace and energy down the flank.","inLanguage":"en-US"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Question","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/news\/alex-freeman\/#faq-question-free4","position":4,"url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/news\/alex-freeman\/#faq-question-free4","name":"How did Alex Freeman play in the World Cup opener?","answerCount":1,"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Freeman started at right-back in the 4-1 win over Paraguay and was outstanding going forward, providing an assist, winning nine duels and making two interceptions.","inLanguage":"en-US"},"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"yoast_title":"Alex Freeman: USMNT Right-Back Profile | Squawka","yoast_description":"Alex Freeman is the breakout right-back in the USMNT defense, with an assist on his World Cup 2026 opener. A look at the Villarreal man's stats and role.","yoast_keyword":"Alex Freeman","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/12260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3588"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/12260\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20238,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/12260\/revisions\/20238"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12260"},{"taxonomy":"news-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-category?post=12260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}