Harvard alum Matt Freese took an unusual path to starting in goal for U.S. at World Cup - BERITAJA

Playing successful extremity for the U.S. men’s nationalist shot squad is simply a small for illustration playing correct section for the Yankees. You’re pursuing a agelong statement of awesome players, making the comparisons — and the precocious expectations — unavoidable.

Matt Freese is the latest to beryllium thrown into that crucible. But he considers that unit to beryllium a privilege, not a problem.

“I wouldn’t opportunity it’s intimidating, I would opportunity it’s inspiring,” he said earlier the U.S. training convention Tuesday greeting in Irvine. “It’s a agelong statement of goalkeepers that I’ve looked up to for my full life — and location were immoderate earlier my life arsenic well.”

Two games into this summer’s World Cup he’s surely held his ain pinch that group, giving up conscionable 1 extremity for a squad that’s unbeaten and already done to the adjacent round. However Thursday’s group-stage finale pinch winless Turkey will beryllium acold from meaningless for Freese since his first commencement for the U.S. came against Turkey 55 weeks ago, bringing his whirlwind world squad profession afloat circle.

U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese waves to the crowd aft beating Paraguay during a World Cup lucifer astatine SoFi Stadium connected June 12.

(Kelvin Kuo/Los Angeles Times)

He mislaid that crippled but his capacity was bully capable to make him the starter successful the Gold Cup, wherever he was moreover better. A small complete a twelvemonth agone he was conscionable a faint blip connected coach Mauricio Pochettino’s radar. Now he has a World Cup shutout and pinch different cleanable expanse Thursday, he’ll subordinate Matt Turner arsenic the only American keepers to station back-to-back shutouts successful a World Cup successful 96 years.

“I dreamt of this opportunity. But you ne'er cognize if it’s going to come,” Freese said. “I learned the ones that activity difficult without the committedness of reward are the ones that usually succeed.”

Turner, who gave up conscionable a extremity successful the group shape successful Qatar 4 years ago, is Freese’s backup successful this tournament. And he’s conscionable the about caller U.S. keeper to guidelines retired successful a World Cup. In 2014, Tim Howard group a tourney grounds pinch 16 saves successful a knockout-stage nonaccomplishment to Belgium and 12 years earlier that Brad Friedel made six stops successful a 2-0 triumph complete Mexico to nonstop the U.S. to the quarterfinals for the only time.

“To person my sanction adjacent to theirs arsenic the adjacent feline up is an unthinkable honor, and it’s thing I’ve dreamed of,” Freese said. “The barroom is group precocious and I’m going to strive to scope that barroom and raise it moreover higher.”

Freese, 27, took an different way to that bar. The boy of a neurosurgeon who earned a doctorate from MIT and the grandson of scientists who immigrated from Germany aft World War II, Freese grew up successful a family wherever academics were much important than athletics. So while he joined the Philadelphia Union academy arsenic a teen, he craved the demands of schoolhouse and near soon afterward to enroll astatine Harvard.

“When you’re a master jock astatine property 18, 19 sometimes it could beryllium difficult to support a routine, support a regimen that keeps you focused and keeps you hungry,” Freese said. “For me, taking classes was thing that occupied my time, occupied my mind and gave a very earthy merchandise disconnected the field.

“I deliberation astatine that property it was necessary.”

After 2 seasons astatine Harvard, he returned to Philadelphia to motion pinch the MLS squad while continuing to return classes online, erstwhile penning a insubstantial connected penalty-kick analytics. In 2022, he graduated from Harvard pinch a grade successful economics.

The shot portion wasn’t going about arsenic well. Playing down Andre Blake, a three-time MLS keeper of the year, Freese seldom saw the section successful Philadelphia. But a waste and acquisition to New York City FC successful the wintertime of 2023 gave him a 2nd chance and apt saved his career.

He made the about of it, earning the starting occupation successful his 2nd season, erstwhile he vanished 3rd successful the convention successful saves, and getting his first call-up to a nationalist squad training campy successful January 2025.

Six months later he was the team’s starter successful goal.

The late-blooming Freese’s travel was different successful different measurement excessively since he traveled to the World Cup from MLS. In the 5 World Cups betwixt 1998 and 2014, the U.S. started Friedel, Kasey Keller and Howard — 3 English Premier League keepers — successful goal. A twelve years later, the Athletic reports, location are nary American goalkeepers successful the apical 5 European nine leagues and the 3 goalies connected this summer’s roster each play successful MLS.

U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese clears the shot arsenic Australia’s Mohamed Toure closes successful during a World Cup lucifer successful Seattle connected June 19.

(Maddy Grassy / Ap Photo/maddy Grassy)

However arsenic a feline pinch a Harvard certificate connected his resume, Freese knows capable to cognize that getting to a World Cup isn’t about wherever you came from aliases moreover really agelong it took you to get there. All that matters is that you made it. And now that he’s there, his occupation isn’t to guidelines out, but to blend in.

“Being a goalkeeper is recognizing that it’s not ever about you. And I’m comfortable pinch that,” he said. “The little action I person successful a crippled intends the amended that we’re playing, and the much apt we are going to win.

“So I’m typically much focused connected that and preventing immoderate shots alternatively than conscionable being only fresh to prevention them.”