‘I’m not going to stop’ - USMNT and NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese sets sights on 2030 after painful World Cup exit

What struck many members of the USMNT about how it ended was how quickly it did. Yes, on the day, the team's loss to Belgium was a slow unraveling, one that saw the team seemingly collapse as a unit, one by one. But, in general, the feeling was this sudden finality.

On that day, Freese faced the music. He was at fault for the third Belgium goal, as his mishit clearance effectively put the game to bed. As the ball bounced in front of him, Freese was caught in two minds. On the day, he said he thought the defender was closer than he was. He anticipated contact that never came and, when it didn't come, he simply messed it all up.

With Freese's mistake, Belgium had a two-goal advantage and the USMNT had a mountain to climb that was never going to be climbable. After the game, Freese owned it when speaking to the media and, in the weeks since, it has become an unfortunate part of his story. He's had to live with how it all happened.

So, too, has everyone else on the team. That sudden finality hurts, no matter the role you play and, on that day, Freese was far from the only one who played a role in the USMNT's demise. After weeks together and years of build-up, it was suddenly over. You board a plane, go home and that group's journey reaches its natural end.

"The only way to leave the group happy," Freese says, "is by winning the final and going and celebrating for many days with a parade and all of that. "

There was no parade. Instead, there's been an adjustment period. Freese is a creature of habit, so much so that he brought his own alarm clock and tea kettle with him on the road this summer to keep some sort of routine. Now, that routine has shifted again, as has his life.

"After being on the road for 50 or 55 days, whatever it is, it takes a period of time just to acclimate back to home," he says. "Normal things: sleeping in your bed, sharing an apartment with someone, driving a car - all things you haven't done for two months."

Adjusting to his old life has been easy. It's been adjusting to the new one that was always going to be the challenge, but it's one that, on the field, at least, he's dealt with the best he can.

Just 16 days after the USMNT's World Cup ended, Freese was back on the field for New York City FC. Since making that return on July 22, he's played in five different games in three different competitions.

It's been a blessing. Freese hasn't been allowed to sulk or wallow, simply because the schedule hasn't allowed him to.

"There isn't much time there for you because you need to jump right back into it, and that's not a bad thing," he says. "It's an honor to be wanted on my club team, and they want me back and want me on the field to help. They want me to help lead the team right away, so there's that acclimation period, but it needs to happen quickly so you can find yourself, find your routine and find your balance back home."

If his most recent performance is any indication, the balance has been struck. Facing Santos Laguna in the Leagues Cup, Freese made six saves to earn Man of the Match honors. It was a standout performance, one that served as a reminder of why Freese was entrusted with the USMNT gloves this summer.

"It's got to be tough in some ways," NYCFC CEO Brad Sims tells GOAL, "but I would have no idea if I didn't watch it. If I didn't even know the World Cup happened and then I saw him at training. The first day back versus the day before he left, the exact same Matt Freese.

"The team definitely wants to support him, but you don't want to keep bringing up a bad memory. He's moved on. He's played well in the games we've had since the World Cup, and he's the same Matt as he was before from a personality standpoint and training. He's just determined to take the opportunity to make it make him a better player. That's just the type of guy Matt is."

Yet, there will always be a section of fans that he won't be able to please. There have been boos in stadiums since his return, while social media, as expected, has been a difficult place for a goalkeeper after such a costly mistake. Like it or not, the Belgium game will remain part of Freese’s legacy, and some fans will allow that moment to define him. The key is ensuring that he doesn’t define himself by it.

The key, though, is for him not to do so. At least that's how Freese's most experienced USMNT teammate sees it.

Just 23 days after the USMNT's tearful goodbyes, Freese, Tim Ream and Max Arfsten were back together again. The three were named to the MLS All-Star team. For Freese and Arfsten, it marked their first time playing in the game, although Arfsten had been selected the previous year. Given everything they had experienced this summer, the reunion was special. For Freese in particular, it was probably needed.

"Matt was unhappy that I didn't invite him over for a barbecue," Ream said, "but we were all too busy to do any of that. He cracked a joke to my kids like, 'Oh, it's great to see you guys after only two weeks. I missed you'. It's great."

After the actual All-Star game, which Freese and Ream both started, Ream was asked if he had any advice to give his two USMNT teammates. Both were going through a life-changing period. The key, Ream says, is to not let it change them.

"The conversation with those guys is to just be yourself," Ream said. "You don't have to change anything. You've gotten to this level and to the World Cup by being yourself and doing what got you there. That's the key to going through a career. We all know there are ups and downs, and it's no different than anything. It's the same as going through life, but if you can be the same person, no matter what, if you're doing well or struggling, then you're going to be okay.

"Fame is fame. At some point, you have to embrace it, but if you don't let it change you, you're going to be absolutely fine."

For Freese, the All-Star Game was somewhat cathartic. It was also a dream come true. For years, he was an MLS backup hoping to someday get a chance to start. This summer, he did, both at a World Cup and an All-Star Game. Even amid all of the chaos, that's worth celebrating.

"Playing under Andre [Blake] for four years, he was an All-Star two of those years, and I remember watching the All-Star Game and texting him like, 'Let's go bro!'," Freese says. "But also seeing his videos he would send me and seeing the behind-the-scenes of All-Star Week as a No. 2, watching the guy ahead of me, my mentor most of my career, that made me want to get there and made me want to do it. It's incredibly special to have done that."

Things won't be slowing down any time soon. On Sunday, NYCFC play in the Leagues Cup against Cruz Azul. They have games scheduled for Thursday and Sunday, too. Before you know it, the fall international break will arrive at the end of September and the USMNT's road to 2030 will officially be underway.

More than anything, Freese wants to be a part of that road. He knows it will be different. There is no reliving 2026, the good or the bad. The highs and lows will remain, but they'll never quite be the same as the ones that came before.

The work has already begun. Four years can pass in the blink of an eye, and Freese knows better than most how quickly a career can turn on a single moment. That’s why he’s determined to do whatever it takes to get back.

"I'm not going to take a breath for four years," he says. "Your off-season is usually two to three weeks of rest, but I've been taking two to three days of rest for the last four seasons because I didn't want to let myself breathe. I just wanted to keep going and keep pushing and be ready for this past summer. Now it's the same."

GOAL's Alex Labidou contributed reporting to this story.