Broward's Alex Freeman powers Team USA into knockouts

Broward's Alex Freeman powers Team USA into knockouts

South Florida's very own Alex Freeman has emerged as the breakout star for the U.S. at this World Cup.

Why it matters: The 21-year-old defender starred at American Heritage in Plantation and for Weston FC before joining a Major League Soccer academy with Orlando City.

  • Freeman, who is the son of former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Antonio Freeman, was born in Baltimore before his family moved to Plantation.

    • State of play: Freeman, Team USA's youngest starter and player, scored his first World Cup goal in the 2-0 win over Australia.

    The latest: As the Group D winner, Team USA now faces Group B's third-place finisher, Bosnia-Herzegovina, in the Round of 32 at 8pm Wednesday in Santa Clara, California.

    Catch up quick: He started playing soccer at 4 years old, but football coaches always tried to get him to follow in his father's footsteps, especially when he was at American Heritage.

  • After he didn't make Inter Miami's youth academy in 2019, then-16-year-old Freeman joined Orlando City's academy a year later. He signed a homegrown contract in 2022 and made his first appearance on the first team in 2023.
  • Amid a 2025 breakthrough season during which he was named an MLS All-Star and the MLS Young Player of the Year, Freeman made his U.S. men's soccer debut, the Miami Herald reported.
  • Orlando City transferred Freeman to Villarreal in Spain's La Liga in January 2026.

    • What they're saying: Freeman credits his supporters and coaches in Broward who helped him reach the World Cup stage.

  • "I'm doing it for the people that helped me get to this point," he told WPLG Local 10. "From Fort Lauderdale, from where I'm from, and it just means so much that I'm able to have that kind of support back home."
  • Ahead of the World Cup, Freeman said he hoped to "represent Florida well," as the only Floridian on the team.

    • 💭 Naomi's thought bubble: Considering I grew up down the street from American Heritage, I wish I'd gone to a game to see Freeman in action back then.