Matt Freese
American soccer player (born 1998)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Matthew Andrew Geary Freese (born September 2, 1998) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club New York City FC and the United States national team.
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Freese with New York City FC in 2026 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Matthew Andrew Geary Freese | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | September 2, 1998 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Wayne, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | New York City FC | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 49 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Philadelphia Union | ||||||||||||||||
| College career | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Harvard Crimson | 16 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Bethlehem Steel | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2019–2022 | Philadelphia Union | 13 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2019–2022 | Philadelphia Union II | 31 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023– | New York City FC | 90 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | United States U23 | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025– | United States | 19 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of May 23, 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of July 6, 2026 | |||||||||||||||||
Youth career
Born in Wayne, Pennsylvania, Freese went through the Philadelphia Union youth academy before appearing on the bench with Union reserve side, Bethlehem Steel, during the 2017 season. Not long after, Freese enrolled at Harvard, where his older brother Jack rowed heavyweight crew,[2] and played college soccer for the Harvard Crimson.[3][4] At Harvard, he found success against Ivy League opponents as a freshman and sophomore.[5][6][7] In 2018, he led the Ivy League with an average of 6 saves per game.[8][9]
Club career
Philadelphia Union
On December 21, 2018, it was announced that Freese would leave Harvard early and join Major League Soccer club Philadelphia Union at the beginning of their 2019 season.[10][11]
Freese made his professional debut on April 19, 2019, coming on as a 54th-minute substitute for Andre Blake in a 3–0 home win against the Montreal Impact.[12]
On November 8, 2020, Freese made his lone start of the 2020 season against the New England Revolution on MLS Decision Day. He made one save and kept a clean sheet as the Union clinched their first trophy in club history, the Supporters' Shield.[13]
New York City FC
On January 27, 2023, Freese was traded to New York City FC in exchange for a guaranteed $350,000 of General Allocation Money, with a possibility of an additional $400,000, as well as a percentage of a future transfer fee.[14] On December 27, 2024, Freese was named New York City FC's MVP (Most Valuable Player) for the 2024 season after finishing third in the MLS in saves and fourth in save percentage.[15] This marked the first time since 2021 that New York City FC gave out the award.[15]
International career
2019: Youth level
Freese represented the United States at the U-19 and U-23 levels. Freese was named to the final 20-player United States under-23 roster for the 2020 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship in March 2021.[16]
2025: Senior debut and first CONCACAF Gold Cup
Freese was called up to the United States national team by head coach Mauricio Pochettino ahead of the January 2025 camp in Florida with friendlies against Venezuela and Costa Rica, but did not play in either game.[17]
Freese was again called up by Pochettino to the national team for the June 2025 training camp in Chicago ahead of matches against Turkey and Switzerland.[18] Freese made his United States senior team debut against Turkey on June 7, 2025, where he allowed no goals and made three saves in a 90-minute performance. Freese was then included in the final 26-player roster for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where he played in every match of the tournament. He kept two clean sheets in the group stage, and conceded a total of six goals across the competition.[19][20]
2026–present: First FIFA World Cup
Freese was selected in the 26-man squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.[21]
With Freese, the United States finished top of Group D, with a 4–1 win against Paraguay, a 2–0 win against Australia, and a 2–3 defeat to Türkiye. They defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 2–0 in the Round of 32, before being eliminated 1–4 by Belgium in the Round of 16.[22] During the match against Belgium, Freese made a significant error, leaving his goalkeeping area and mishandling the ball, which allowed Hans Vanaken to score an easy goal.[23][24]
Personal life
Freese's paternal grandparents, Ernst and Elisabeth Freese, were German scientists who immigrated to the U.S. after World War II and worked for the National Institutes of Health. Freese's father, Andrew Freese, was a neurosurgeon who earned a Ph.D. in neurobiology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Freese attended Episcopal Academy in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania.
After taking leave from Harvard to join the Philadelphia Union, Freese completed his course work online during the COVID pandemic and graduated from Harvard in 2022 with a degree in Economics.[25]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Bethlehem Steel | 2017 | United Soccer League | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| Philadelphia Union | 2019 | MLS | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2020 | MLS | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| 2021 | MLS | 6 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | |||
| 2022 | MLS | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 16 | 0 | |||
| Philadelphia Union II | 2019 | USL | 8 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | |||
| 2020 | USL | 7 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 0 | ||||
| 2022 | MLS Next Pro | 16 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 31 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 31 | 0 | ||||
| New York City FC | 2023 | MLS | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[c] | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2024 | MLS | 34 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 3[c] | 0 | 41 | 0 | |||
| 2025 | MLS | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 3[c] | 0 | 39 | 0 | ||
| 2026 | MLS | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | ||
| Total | 90 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | 110 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 134 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 157 | 0 | ||
- Includes U.S. Open Cup
- Includes MLS Cup playoffs
- Appearances in Leagues Cup
International
- As of match played July 6, 2026[28]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2025 | 13 | 0 |
| 2026 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 19 | 0 | |
