SEATTLE — Wayne native Matt Freese's first World Cup ended in disappointment, with a costly error from the U.S. goalkeeper contributing to Belgium's 4-1 victory.
With Belgium leading 2-1, Freese came out of the box hoping to intercept a long pass from Belgium. Freese stopped the ball but hesitated as he tried to clear it downfield.
Belgium's Hans Vanaken intercepted the deflected kick, knocking in a long-range goal to give Belgium a 3-1 lead in the 57th minute of the Round of 16 match.
Freese was far from the sole factor in Team USA's elimination, but the error deflated the host squad's momentum.
"This moment hurts more than probably any other moment in my life," Freese told reporters. "But I know that this is a step in a longer journey, and I know that there's big things to come from this federation and from this group."
Freese had strong performances throughout the tournament, starting four games and posting shutouts against Australia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
His journey to the World Cup started on the Main Line. Born in Wayne, Freese went through the Philadelphia Union Youth Academy and graduated from Episcopal Academy in Newtown Square. His late father, Dr. Andrew Freese, was a neurosurgeon who pioneered gene-therapy research.
Freese attended Harvard University before leaving school early to go pro, making his Major League Soccer debut with the Union in 2019. He has started at goalkeeper for New York City FC since 2023.
The Main Line native has represented the United States at the under-19 and under-23 levels. He made his national team debut at the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup, recording two clean sheets in the tournament.
The U.S. men won three games in a World Cup for the first time in team history. But the team exited in the Round of 16 for the fourth time since 2010 and carries only one quarterfinal appearance, in 2002.
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