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U.S. men’s national team goalkeeper Matt Freese effectively ended the team’s World Cup hopes when he made a backbreaking error misplaying a ball that Belgium took advantage of to take a 3-1 lead in the round of 16.
Once the ball was in the back of the net, the criticism of the 27-year-old was both voluminous and harsh. Freese said hearing the reaction hurt.
“It’s so hard for me to hear that because if people saw this group on a daily basis and spent time with these guys more personally, they would see how much we wanted it. They would see how much I wanted it,” Freese told ESPN on Tuesday.
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Matt Freese appears dejected after the match following the United States’ elimination from the World Cup in Seattle, Washington. (Blake Dahlin/Imagn Images)
“Two years ago I dreamed of it, I literally dreamed of it, and I felt the honor and the responsibility that comes with it. We wanted so much, more than anything we’ve ever wanted, to capitalize on that and reward that support with something special. During the World Cup and the months leading up to the World Cup, nothing else crossed my mind.”
Freese said that after the deflating defeat, the team that had captured the hearts of Americans was in disbelief. He said the team’s desire to maximize its performance was so fierce that it hurt that others didn’t know how much they wanted it.
“I would describe (the moments after the elimination) as disbelief that the tournament was over for us,” Freese said.
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Matt Freese looks dejected after the match in Seattle following the USA’s elimination from the World Cup. (Blake Dahlin/Imagn Images)
“Not wanting that experience together and not wanting the memory of ‘Country Roads, Take Me Home’ to be over or not to happen again at home. To not be able to feel that and feel that again with our fans and feel that together as teammates and as a family on the field. It was devastating.”
The goalkeeper said the team must use their elimination as fuel to go further in future tournaments.
“It’s now about trying to find a way to turn that elimination into motivation,” Freese said. “I think we all have the motivation to do something even bigger, even better, and come back better. It was about finding a way to turn elimination into fuel for the fire, if that makes sense. It’s easy (to turn it into motivation), but it doesn’t take away the pain of elimination.”
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Belgian Hans Vanaken celebrates after scoring his third goal with Dodi Lukebakio and Youri Tielemans as American goalkeeper Matt Freese looks dejected in Seattle, Washington. (Blake Dahlin/Imagn Images)
Freese will return to action when he steps in goal for New York City FC and will look to put his costly mistake behind him and move forward towards 2030.
“The first thing is the feeling of being hungry to be back out there. That’s a very direct and clear goal of mine right after the World Cup,” Freese said. “I want to go back and want to do it again, but I want to do it better and go further and win this trophy.”
