What feelings and thoughts does Thanksgiving evoke? Family and football are important to many Americans. That’s also the case for Green Bay Packers legend Antonio Freeman, who has now added the other kind of fútbol to his list. Alex Freeman is his son and a rising star defender in the U.S. Men’s National Team. His recent performances with the USMNT has put the 21 year-old in contention for a spot on the roster for next year’s World Cup. Antonio was able to witness his son’s accomplishments last week as he watched the USMNT play Uruguay in their final match for 2025. In that game in Tampa, Florida, the younger Freeman had a highlight moment when he skated past Ronald Araujo — one of the best defenders in global soccer — and scored his second goal of the night in the 5-1 rout.The elder Freeman, a Super Bowl XXXI champion and Packers Hall of Famer, celebrated alongside other parents and a few of his former teammates from a suite at Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Buccaneers. He remembered three days before, at the end of Paraguay’s previous victory, where the 6-foot-3 Alex had ragdolled the three Paraguayan footballers during a late game scuffle.”I’d never heard Alex ever talk about him being in a fight,” the elder Freeman told me in a phone interview. “Now I’m seeing him in a brawl.”Alex’s father claimed that the incident ignited something within him which manifested in his hatred for Uruguay. It was the perfect way to end 2025. Orlando had only made a couple of appearances. City prior to this season, he earned the starting right back job under coach Oscar Pareja and performed so well that he then earned a callup to Mauricio Pochettino’s U.S. squad for last summer’s Concacaf Gold Cup.A breakout turn in that tournament put Freeman on course to be one of Pochettino’s choices for next summer’s all-important World Cup, which will be both co-hosted by the U.S. and feature an unprecedented 48 teams – the largest field than any other edition in the 96-year history of the competition.Alex Freeman’s play for the U.S. this fall now has him on course to occupy a major role at the biggest event in sports. Freeman was a promising MLS player, but few could have predicted his rise to the highest level of the sport in fewer than a season. Pareja was one of those few. “It does not really surprise me,” Pareja said of Freeman’s breakneck ascent. “Alex has shown quite a bit…
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2025-11-26 18:25:11
