'Show the whole world' - USMNT breakout star Alex Freeman on Pochettino's belief, chasing history and his now-famous World Cup goal celebration

As Freeman says, he couldn't contain his emotions. There was the initial rush of seeing the ball hit the back of the net, then a pump-fake announcement that briefly sent him sprinting before being waved back. Then, on the third time, it became real. The referee got on the microphone and confirmed the news Freeman wanted to hear so desperately: the goal stood. Off he ran as the scoreboard shifted. USA 2-0 Australia.

That shift came after moments of agony, he says. The ball popped off his head and into the back of the net as the clock read 42:57. It wasn't until the clock read 44:54 that the goal was confirmed by the referee's point back to the center circle.

"For me, I thought it was pretty off," he acknowledges with a laugh now, "just because of how open I was when I got the header. I thought I was off, and then I got pump faked once, pump faked twice, and then the third time when he was like 'Goal', I looked back and the whole bench was celebrating with me. I think it just made everything so surreal and made that moment even better for me."

That celebration is one of the defining images of the World Cup so far. There are countless photos of Freeman sprinting with teammates chasing behind. It took a while for them to catch him, but they eventually did before mobbing him in the opposite corner flag.

"We were ready to chase him down," USMNT winger Alex Zendejas said, "but he's just too fast."

Added Chris Richards: "I know he deserved that... I was just super happy for him. We went over there and celebrated, and slapped his neck a few times."

Those neck slaps were worth it, Freeman said. As the USMNT's youngest player, the 21-year-old defender has spent the last year finding his place in the team. It's a team with 13 World Cup veterans and countless pre-existing relationships built over the last 10 years at least. Freeman has only been a part of this for a year. For his teammates to react like that? It meant everything.

"I think the celebration just kind of shows what I've been through and how much these guys have been supporting me through all this time," he says. "I feel like, for me, I can never be more grateful for the people I have with me on the field. To feel that, I get to see and train with them every day, and to have that support system right in front of you at all times, I think that just makes you feel so amazing.

"I think that’s the reason why I love each and one of these guys here, players and staff."

The love is mutual. Since his arrival, Freeman has earned the love and admiration of his coach, one he was so desperate to impress when he was first called up just a year ago.

When the USMNT played Turkey in a pre-Gold Cup friendly last summer, Freeman was told the day before he would be starting. He knew what that meant. It meant he would be battling Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz, two of the best young players in the world. It also meant he was being thrown into the fire by USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino, a man he was so eager to impress.

Fast forward a year and Pochettino is sitting on the podium after a second consecutive World Cup win. His praise of Freeman isn't mysterious; it's thorough.

"It's difficult to explain the evolution of him," Pochettino said. "He's such a humble guy. He has an amazing profile. He wants to learn, and he always listens. He's a player that you really enjoy being with him, not just coaching. He's an amazing player that, for me, has the potential to be one of the best players in his position in the world."

The moment he heard that, Freeman's father, former NFL wide receiver Antonio, cried his eyes out.

"In the world? Are you kidding me?" he told FOX. "I could have been the best receiver for Green Bay. I would never be considered one of the best in the world."

But how did the full back himself respond? Well, with a smile. We're still talking about potential, he says, and there's more work to be done.

"If he thinks of me in that way, now I have to show it on the field," he says. "Knowing that he thinks that I could be one of the best, how can I go on the field and not only show him that, but show the whole world that I could be one of the best, right?"

That belief, Freeman explains, has quickly become both a challenge and a source of motivation.

"Then for me, it's to go in and be able to be better every day, and I think that's what I'm going to try to do, knowing that [Pochettino is] going to push me as well. I can be that kind of player that he's talking about, and hopefully I will. But to have that confidence and having that confidence from the coach about you, it just makes you want to play for the coach.

"It makes you realize that you can do more. You believe in him, because he's been around and he's seen so many different players. He's seen so many quality players and players that have been at that high level for a long time."

Freeman is still learning what that level is like. He's up to 20 caps now, but is still so, so new to this international game. On the club level, he has just one full season of professional experience in MLS and just nine appearances with Villarreal after making the big move to Spain in January. The 21-year-old defender is still growing. It's all a work in progress, he says.

When Freeman was 16, he left home. Rejected by Inter Miami, he made the decision to head to Orlando in hopes of kickstarting a pro career. Then, this January, he left again, this time for Villarreal. That was different. Particularly in those first two months where he wasn't playing regularly, Freeman had a lot of time alone. He also had a lot of time to think, too.

"It takes a toll on you. I think that's one of the moments where I had to kind of build myself to be able to not just be a better man, but a stronger person by myself," he says. "It’s knowing that I had to go through everything by myself, and even if I had to support, it was so, so far away while I'm in Spain. How can they help me? In reality, it was just a Facetime from them.

"Especially soccer, you have a whole world fighting and you have a whole world of competition. For me, I think that's one of the main things that I want people to know: it's never easy, but you got to keep pushing in order to get what you want, because it's never going to get easy, but it can get less, less difficult, for sure.”

While those experiences helped him grow as a person, he's also blossomed as a player, too. When he arrived on the scene, he was an all-out attacking fullback. It's why Oscar Pareja waited so long to unleash him. The attacking instincts were there, as were the physical gifts, but the Orlando City version of Freeman still had so much to learn defensively.

It's hard to remember that part of the journey now. With the USMNT, Freeman has been deployed in a unique role. He's partly a right-back, but also partly a third centerback. A lot is asked of him defensively now and, so far, he's past several big tests. Senegal, Germany, Paraguay and Australia - all difficult opponents that have forced Freeman out of his comfort zone.

Those attacking instincts remain with the runs forward, line-breaking passes and, of course, the goal. The defensive side is what's making the difference, though.

"Obviously it's mindset, right? You’ve got to go in with your mindset, knowing that you're the best player on the field and knowing that you can stick with these guys," he says. "I think me, being with the national team and me playing with Orlando and Villarreal, I think those moments kind of made me. As a player, I know that I can stick around with these guys. I have to be able to be 100 percent when I get in the game, knowing that when I play, I have to win all my battles. I have to be ready offensively, defensively and kind of build that all around overall game.

"For me, it's ‘How can I make my overall game into the attacking/defending fullback that you see nowadays?’ It's being able to be 100 percent on the field and think I am the best, knowing that that kind of confidence is what's going to allow me to be better."

There's still a long way to go, but this summer has been a step forward, not just for Freeman, but for American soccer.

Freeman, like everyone else, has been overwhelmed by the World Cup. The sights, the sounds, the songs, the feelings - he's lucky enough that he's been at the center of it and, in his case, at the center of one of the USMNT's biggest moments.

"I think it's totally bigger and better," he says when asked if this was what he imagined it would be like. "I think when you come here, you imagine atmosphere, but you don't know how strong the bond is between the world and soccer. Now when you come here, you realize, it's not only the bond between the world and soccer; it’s the bond within the world of soccer and the people around it.

"I think for me, to see that atmosphere, to see the culture, to see the different people coming out and supporting games, I think it just makes you realize how big the tournament is. It's such a grateful experience to be able to participate in it."

He may have a bigger part to play. The U.S. face Bosnia & Herzegovina on Wednesday in the Round of 32. The team is looking to win its first knockout round game since 2002. For perspective, that win came two whole years before Freeman was born. It's why there's so much excitement right now: for so long, American soccer has been waiting for a moment like this.

"I think that just gives you that feeling that you have to prove something," Freeman says, "and especially before, I had to prove something as well. Now, it's even harder for me to comprehend everything, and [easier] for me to handle the pressure because I know that I have the whole country behind me as well.

"For me, I think that's what kind of brought it all in, and I realized, ‘Wow, like I'm here, and, and I'm able to do something that a lot of kids dream of’".

The dreams continue. So does the running. Freeman has already had his World Cup moment, but there might just be more on the way.

"That's what we want," he says, "and for myself, being able to just score my goal and contribute in any way I can, it made everything so much more emotional, and so much more amazing. It's one of those things where it's hard to even like contemplate it because I know that we have more games in the future to go in and try to make history."