‘Things can change so quickly’ - Inside Alex Freeman’s 12-month rise from Orlando City to Villarreal and the USMNT

The first time Orlando City coach Oscar Pareja saw Freeman play, he knew. There was something there, he thought to himself, and it wouldn't be too hard to let that something out. All Freeman would need was an opportunity. Pareja and Orlando just needed to find the right time to give it to him.

"We knew about his background," Pareja told GOAL last summer. "We knew that, just naturally, he would be a strong player, for sure. But could we convert all of those muscles and those physical qualities that he had into a really good footballer? He had so many things that came very natural with him, including his combinations and interpretation of the game. I've seen plenty of tall, physical, strong players. Not all cases were like him."

"He has this instinct to connect that is so natural," he continued, "but the curious thing or the rare thing that I see is just how easily and often he can connect with players offensively. That's just something that I have not seen much around the world. It's an instinct, I have no doubt. It's not coaching. It's just something that he has within him: a sensitivity for the attacking side of the game."

American soccer fans got several glimpses at that throughout the year. Those watching Orlando saw it time and time again as Freeman went from youth-team product to arguably the best fullback in MLS seemingly overnight. USMNT fans saw it throughout the second half of 2025 as Freeman blossomed from that nervous debutant into a player who believes he can fight for a World Cup spot. That growth was defined by Freeman's ability to earn and seize opportunities. He took every one thrown at him in his life-changing year.

"It's what I tell a lot of people," Freeman says. "People ask me about life in the soccer world, and I say the main thing is to take your opportunities. You never know when you'll have one again. Me moving to Orlando was an opportunity that could have gone south. It went the right way for me, so now this year is my chance to take another opportunity. My first start, my first minutes last year, it was all about being able to take it all in and trying to be the best that I could be, knowing that the opportunities may never come again. That's what you have to do. 

"That's with your club, with your national team, and that's something with life in general. You have to take your opportunities, or else someone else is going to come up, someone younger, faster, and maybe even not as good as you, but they'll take that opportunity to improve themselves more than you did, and your opportunity is gone. It really is that simple."

All of that earned him a new opportunity: one that's thousands of miles away from home in one of the best leagues in the world.

As of early January, Freeman was still saying he expected to be in Orlando. He had a lot coming up with the Lions, he said, and he hoped the MLS season could be the springboard he needed to get into the USMNT. He wasn't looking at the rumors, he told GOAL. Those were for other people to figure out.

Ultimately, though, it all did come together. By the last week of January, Freeman was off to Villarreal. The move had been rumored for months. Now, it was suddenly real, with Freeman donning the club's kit, speaking Spanish on social media and preparing for his latest challenge.

Yet, the accelerated nature of the transfer presented challenges for all sides. For Orlando, it was no doubt tough to lose the defender, but selling him now was the lesser of two evils as the fullback's contract entered its final year. For Freeman, it was no doubt difficult to leave Orlando, given the home he built there. And for Villarreal, it was a big swing on a player with limitless potential but, admittedly, little experience on the highest of levels.

In the end, everyone decided it was the right time. 

“Alex’s journey is a testament to the strength of our academy, OCB, and the pathway we’ve built,” said Orlando City General Manager and Sporting Director Ricardo Moreira said. “He showed maturity and commitment at every level, rising from a young prospect to an MLS All-Star and one of the league’s top emerging talents. Watching his development up close has been incredibly rewarding for all of us at the Club. We’re proud of everything Alex has accomplished here and wish him continued success as he takes this next step in his professional career.” 

Among those Freeman talked to throughout the process was Mauricio Pochettino. The USMNT head coach has a big decision coming in just a few months as he prepares his World Cup squad, and Freeman wants to make sure he's on the right side of that decision. Because of that, the 21-year-old defender spoke with Pochettino before making the move, with the Argentine giving the transfer his blessing.

"He called me and asked about the situation, what was my point of view about the change that could possibly happen," he said. "I said, 'You need to be very natural and take what you believe is the best option for you, for your family, and, of course, for the people that advise you.' As a coach and all the coaching staff, we need to support our players always because there are too many things that can happen. It's always about being supportive and giving them confidence that the decisions they are going to make are the best decisions.

"That is why I am not worried, not concerned, about whether some players are going to move in the transfer window, because I always expect the best thing. For me, it's important that the player feels happy, feels comfortable, but we don't want it to be in a comfortable zone. This type of thing can happen because they want to improve and they want to grow. I think it's an amazing challenge that we need to support and help to adapt in the best possible way and not to lose focus on the performance, if they happen to move to different clubs. There, too, is a focus on the World Cup and to have that opportunity to fight for a place."

That fight remains ongoing, even as it changes countries in Freeman's particular case.

Freeman is the posterboy for what happens when things go right. He seized every chance he was given in 2025, swiftly climbing the ladder from unknown to a player worthy of a La Liga transfer. No one is more aware of how right things went than the man himself. No one is also more aware of how quickly things can go wrong.

There's no time to count blessings or rest on past successes. Things can change quickly. One dip in form could be the end of a World Cup dream. If Freeman doesn't find a way to contribute at Villarreal, he can get leapfrogged by someone somewhere else who is contributing. That's the type of competition Pochettino has fostered, and that isn't slowing down with the World Cup just a few months away.

Freeman also knows that things can change because of things beyond his control. His Orlando City breakout only happened because an injury opened the door for one start and then another and then another. Things can change at any time. All a player can do is be ready for it.

"The player pool is so big, you never know what's going to happen in the next few months," he says. "People can get injured. You've seen it with someone like Tyler Adams, and hopefully, he's healthy for the World Cup, but stuff like that can happen. An injury can ruin anyone's chance. It's just knowing that the World Cup spots are open for anyone, so it's just knowing that you have to go in and be able to enjoy yourself and be consistent. You have to be ready."

That was the goal of his MLS offseason: to be ready. In some ways, it was about staying ready and keeping the base that had been built up throughout 2025. In others, though, it was about taking a step back, reflecting, and appreciating all that had changed.

"I had the offseason to really enjoy all of the moments I had," Freeman said. "I think it was important for me to take everything in, everything that I couldn't before, because I had to keep going. It was good to be able to appreciate that with my family and my friends.

"2025 was a long year, a lot of games, so it is about knowing that you need to reset and spend time with family and look back with them and go, 'Wow, I did that'." 

In the end, Freeman finished 2025 with 13 USMNT caps. He was an MLS All-Star, the league's Young Player of the Year and a Best XI selection. Now, he's part of an ever-changing group of Americans carrying the torch in Europe, not just for themselves but for those who come after.

That is one of the bigger changes for Freeman. A year ago, he was anonymous. Few outside of Orlando had ever even heard of him, let alone seen him play. He told GOAL during the summer that he'd spent his whole life being the son of former NFL star Antonio Freeman. One of his goals, then, was to have a name worthy of his kids being called the children of Alex. 

Last year was a step, then. He's known now throughout American soccer. Soon, he hopes, he'll be known in Spain, too, competing for a club that is right behind the big three at the top of La Liga's table. Is 2025 the big leap or just one of many? That's the question on everyone's mind as Freeman prepares for his next big challenges.

"What's gone on over the last year, it's almost like nothing has gone off track much," he says. "Everything over the last year for me, it kind of flowed. Everything flowed the way it was supposed to, and that's why I'm so grateful. Somehow, the pieces all fit together.

"It just felt like one of those movies where everything happens, and everyone ends up together because everything just clicks. Obviously, there are bumps in the road, but for me, knowing that I overcame a lot of things and that everything still clicked anyway? That's what really matters."

Nervy days against Turkey, Gold Cup breakthroughs, a brawl with Paraguay, a hat-trick hope against Uruguay, and everything in between, those were the moments that clicked for Freeman throughout a 2025 that will be hard to top. This year is just getting going, though, and, with a World Cup on the way, Freeman is eyeing the next opportunity to come his way.