Copyright CBS Sports
From making his first start for Orlando City SC in March of 2025 to capping off a strong season by winning MLS Young Player of the Year, it has been a whirlwind 2025 for Alex Freeman. The Orlando City right back became a mainstay in Oscar Pareja's team with six goals and three assists while embracing the role of a modern fullback. While Orlando may have been knocked out of the MLS Cup playoffs in the wildcard round by the Chicago Fire, the defense will be in good hands moving forward with Freeman, who is making a name for the family outside of the NFL. While his father, Antonio Freeman, was a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers and a Super Bowl XXXI champion, the younger Freeman fell in love with the ball at his feet instead of in his hands. "I grew up playing a lot of sports, and I think that I liked all of them, but when it was time to choose one, the obvious choice was soccer because that's what I feel like I was best at," Freeman said. "Not only that, but it's also what I love more, what I have passion for. I chose that one sport and was like I have to focus on it and give my 100% on and off the field for it." Little did Freeman know not only where that would lead but also the sacrifices that would be required to make it to where he is today. While Freeman was born in Baltimore, he grew up in Fort Lauderdale playing for Weston FC, a youth club that's now in USL 2. With alumni such as Alejandro Bedoya, Aidan Morris, Noah Allen, Benjamin Cremaschi, and Ian Fray. Freman was in quite good company there, but when an opportunity arose to join the Orlando City academy, he had to jump at it despite being only 16 and needing to leave home to take that opportunity during COVID. "At the end of the day, I had a dream that I wanted to pursue, and even though it was moving away from my family at the age of 16, it was something that I wanted to do, and I strived to do and I worked hard to be able to get that opportunity," Freeman said. "I don't think I could look back and say I couldn't take it. I think taking it was the best thing that could happen, and being able to have a family that's so supportive of it is amazing as well." Now, only five years after joining the Orlando academy, Freeman has the soccer world at his feet at only 21. He has secured 11 caps for the United States men's national team while also becoming one of the most important players on the pitch for Orlando in a moment which is helping him adapt as a player. He has to play a different style under Mauricio Pochettino than how he plays under Pareja, but putting both together is helping him improve as a player. While Freeman was compared to Alphonso Davies growing up because of his size, he looks to players like Achraf Hakimi and Jurrien Timber to model his game after, as he strives embrace versatility in his game, as the role of a fullback has changed over the years. Being defensively sound is still appreciated, but being able to get forward while doing that will open opportunities for the young fullback. With the national team, Freeman had a learning moment during his debut, facing Turkiye in June of 2025, where his defensive assignment was Kenan Yildiz of Juventus. "It was my first U.S. game, my first start, and I look up and I have to go against the guy who has played for Juventus and has been a key player. So I feel like going into that kind of game, it was a moment where I'm like, dang, I really have to be at my best," Freeman said. That first pass I got beaten behind, and after that I was like, 'Oh my god, it's going to be a long game,' me trying to get comfortable and find confidence in myself in that kind of game. "That kind of scenario just gives you more confidence as a player and as a person. It makes you realize that you know you're at that level, that you can take on these guys and compete with them as well, so I think that makes you feel that the sky is the limit and that you can do so much." With a learning process like that, it's easy to see how Freeman has grown so much in such a short period of time and why he could be in the World Cup squad just over a year after making his full debut for Orlando. Looking back at players who have recently won the award in Diego Luna, Thiago Almada, Jesus Ferreira, Ricardo Pepi, and Diego Rossi, that's again good company for Freeman to join. He's also the first defender to win the award since Austin Berry in 2012, when it was still the MLS Rookie of the Year award. When something has become so forward-centric, it's quite an honor for a defender to make a breakthrough in the way that Freeman has. There's more to come as Freeman's whirlwind year won't be winding down anytime soon.
