USMNT Goalie Matt Freese Overcomes Past Failures for Historic World Cup Start

Published: June 22, 2026

By Mallory Mattingly

United States goalie Matt Freese couldn’t be more grateful for all of the “opportunities” God has given him in soccer.

“It was a great night for sure,” Freese told MLSsoccer.com after the United States beat Paraguay 4-1 in their opening World Cup game. “I had a great view for what was happening in front of me. The guys up top and in the midfield, everyone was vibing well and connecting really well. I think it was super evident everyone was on the same page, just the flicks and the one-touch, two-touch passing was crisp and really good. So a great first step.”

WHAT A START FOR MATT AND @USMNT 👏 pic.twitter.com/Aeduw1UC0K

— New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) June 13, 2026

This is Freese’s first World Cup appearance, and he understands the opportunity he has playing in his home nation.

“I always try to keep my eyes down, so that I don’t get amazed too much and out of my own focus, thinking about a crowd and stuff like that,” he said. “But today, walking out onto the field — I had gotten some texts from a few mentors that said, ‘Make sure you take a moment to take it in,’ because they know I otherwise I wouldn’t. And so I did. Just looked up, and it was a breathtaking sight.”

While speaking with Sport Spectrum, the athlete talked about the role his faith plays in his life.

“I always remind myself God’s got me,” he shared on Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up” podcast. “God’s looking over me and watching over me…And I think this is a very big way faith has motivated me as well as guided my career and my soccer journey — is the fact that God’s given me so many opportunities in general. But to focus on soccer, God’s given me so many opportunities within this game and within my career.”

Freese is the starting goalie for the USMNT in the World Cup, but he hasn’t always had success.

He didn’t play much during his first season of professional soccer, and then the COVID-19 pandemic happened a year later, which shut down the MLS for the entire year. But that year wasn’t a total waste for Freese; he leaned in to his faith and become better than he was before.

“I’ve learned so much about failure, so much about success, so much about teamwork and selflessness, and a will to compete and a will to suffer,” the goalie told Sports Spectrum. “And I think all the failures, successes — everything I just mentioned — that’s been created by God. And so in that way, it’s indirectly teaching me about so many things off the field and I’m super grateful for that.”

Driven by a deep gratitude for his faith and the lessons learned through both failure and success, Freese successfully channeled his focus and appreciation into a triumphant World Cup debut for the United States.

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