After the win over Australia, Mauricio Pochettino said that Alex Freeman can be the best in the world in his position. While that’s a long way away, Freeman has confirmed something in his appearances this summer: he is, at the very least, World Cup-ready in his position.
Playing as a right back/right-center back, Freeman’s role is unique, and it tasks him with playing complete and smart games. His defensive performances are crucial, which is why it was such a nice little bonus to see him pop up with his now-famous goal in that win over Australia in Seattle.
Generally, though, Freeman is doing everything right. Through the first two games, he led the USMNT in completed line-breaking passes with 40. Tim Ream was next up with 37, and after that, there’s a huge gap to Antonee Robinson’s 26.
What does that say? Well, it confirms that, despite his obvious physical gifts, Freeman is also one heck of a soccer player, one who has both learned and is learning different ways to impact games even at this level.
