Alex Freeman on USMNT’s Belgium Showdown, Sergiño Dest, and Playing on Home Soil: Men in Blazers 07/05/26

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1:08The Pulitzer Prize winning free kick, Malik Tillman unleashed. How did you remember that moment? It's actually funny. I was one of the people blocking the goalkeeper's view. And so I just saw their first hand, you know, and being able to dip it over a six foot plus wall, I think just shows you how much quality he has and just being able to kind of look back and see the ball going to the net and then be able to celebrate with my team just makes the whole experience so much better.

1:35My guest today is one of the most sizzling American stories of this World Cup cycle, rising from the shadows of Florida's Space Coast and Orlando City B to rocket at this World Cup as one of the most dazzling new faces of this U.S. men's national team. And on the cusp of this epic round of 16 Rumble, Belgium 2, electric boogaloo, a match for all the waffles. It's an absolute pleasure to welcome Diamond's little brother. It's Mr. Alex Freeman. Hello, Raj. How are you? Alex, I'm elated to be with you. Just 24 hours before the US men's national team take on Belgium in that World Cup round of 16 clash.

2:16It's a truly historic moment for everyone who loves the game in this nation. let me ask you how are you sleeping i'm sleeping like a baby i think for me uh we know what we can do and i think for us is how can we go out and and show the world what we can do with and improve ourselves you know that we can you know keep playing our game and just be able to kind of play worlds what what would you do tonight to keep your mind off all that's to come and you're like into movies is it cards what are you doing to kill that last night in camp yeah i think for me it's Spending time with the boys, I feel like for me, it's getting this barn off the field, you know, to kind of make us stronger on the field.

2:52And I feel like a lot of these guys, you know, we've been here for a while now, right? And I think for us, it's how can I make connections with these guys that hopefully last forever? And I think for me, that's something that I always try to do. And I feel like we all need to keep our mind off football sometimes. And I feel like the best way to do that is to hang out with each other and do stuff that doesn't involve it. This US team, of which you are now a definitive part. Alex, in the last two years, we've had good nights. We've had some times of challenge. But at this World Cup, we play football at a completely different level.

3:25Beautiful football at times, swaggy football. And against Bosnia, it was brilliantly tenacious football. How do you understand? How do you explain to yourself? You talked about proving yourselves to yourselves. What's changed this past three weeks that's lifted this entire team? to a completely different level of performance. Yeah, I think, as you all know, we've performed very well. And I feel like for us, playing at home, definitely having a World Cup at home, definitely puts in part of it, right? We not only know that we have to do it for us, but we have to do it for everybody, you know, in the US, you know, when it comes to the little kids, when it comes to the fans that have supported us since day one.

4:00And so I think for us, it just brings us that different kind of passion, different kind of resilience, a different kind of confidence to be able to go in every game and know that we have to prove ourselves and prove ourselves to the whole country, knowing that we have a whole country behind us supporting us. You see in the game, support's amazing. And I think for us, it just gives us that extra oomph to be able to go and be able to show ourselves. That's really it. You're feeling that electric support from the crowd. It's like a circle. They're lifting you up, your players lifting them up. And that is really the difference maker.

4:28Just being able to experience it. When we walk out for the national anthem and you look around and you see it packed up with USA fans, I think in the past, maybe it hasn't been like that. And I think for us, just getting that feeling that we're able to have that kind of support was just so amazing. Let's get to your side of the field. I always wonder what it's like being on the right-hand side, where you played alongside Sergino Dest in an avant-garde tandem built on speed and flair and the love of the nutmeg. The pair of you just constantly inverting and overlapping, pulling opponents out of position.

5:03Serge is such a singular character. What's it like playing in tandem with him? He's kind of one of the people I hang out with the most often. We just kind of talk about what we like to do and what we prefer and how we want to play. And I think playing with Serge in these past, you know, a couple of months, it's been amazing, you know, kind of just getting to see how much quality he has and kind of getting to see it from, especially behind him, where I get to just kind of see him go 1v1s and see him make things happen. And I think for me, just being able to kind of get that connection with him on the field, you know, 100 % is going to be what's going to push us to our limits.

5:37And I feel like for me, he's such a good player, also a great person. And I think for us, hopefully there's so much more in store for us to be able to kind of continue to grow on and be able to kind of be very vital on that right side. How do you two decide who gets the push up and who hangs back? Are you in constant dialogue on the field or is it just at this point, second nature, natural? I think it's both. You know, I think it's the second nature, but I also think we talk a lot on the field, right? And I think we want to choose our moments, you know, knowing that, you know, one of us has to stay back and we both love to go forward.

6:06So it's how can we pick our moments and interchange when it's time and how can we be strong defensively as well? I feel like that's something that we want to continue to do. I didn't know Sergino Dest had a reverse gear. He's got everything here. He's a workhorse for sure. Belgium though, they are some threat. They're a team stuffed full of Cadillac players on the flanks. Speed freak Jeremy Doku. I think you'll be facing the Premier League winner Leandro Trossard, Kevin De Bruyne, big Rom Lukaku, they will possess a lot more of the ball than previous opponents. Can you talk about the game you expect?

6:41We know the quality they have, you know, Belgium. You know, they're a very quality team. They've been known for years. And for us, you know, it's how can we stay to ourselves and know that we still want to play the way we want to play, right? And still be able to kind of press a lot, control the ball a little bit, be able to be very direct. And I think for us, we know we want to be, you know, stick to that game plan, knowing that Belgium's a team that can, you know, keep possession, has very quality in the ball, can move it and for us it's how can we stick to our game plan and be able to kind of still be vital in the final third and as the world arrives in the United States for the biggest spectacle in sports we're going coast to coast host city to host city to meet the world with the Men in Blazers Match Day Live Tour these are free college game day style live events taking place just before kick off at some of the biggest games of the summer where we'll be taking the stage with celebrity guests in front of thousands of fans.

7:35It's going to be amazing. Come and be with us in person or from afar on YouTube and let's celebrate this some other way. It's meant to be celebrated. Just head to the events tab on meninblazers.com for all the details. To the football, to more together, courage. Twelve years ago, the United States lost in the same round of 16 to Belgium 2014 World Cup. It's an iconic night in US soccer law. Tim Howard going full Vazinha to take us into extra time. A lot of these same Belgian players were on that field. Kevin De Bruyne, Thibaut Courtois, Romelu Lukaku. In the lead up to this return within camp, is there an awareness of the 2014 game?

8:15Do you guys talk about it? Or are you just like, dude, I was nine years old. I have no idea. It has no effect on us whatsoever. I think it's, for me especially, I think it's the second option. Dude, I was so young at that point. And I think for some of these guys, maybe it's different. They probably maybe grew up a little older watching it. But for me, I was so young, so I wasn't able to really talk about it. Most of you has no bearing is what you say. Only Tim Ream remembers. No, no, don't do that. I think we just don't feel like we want to bring it up, you know, knowing that this is the game that we want a whole different impact on, a whole different result on.

8:52And I think at the end of the day, I think we want revenge, you know, not only for 2014, but for a couple of months ago where we lost to them. So I think for us, it's how can we get that revenge and how can we go and get a win? Yeah, that game was just 99 days ago. You played Belgium in a friendly at the end of March. Belgium ran away with that match. It was 5-2. You came on as a substitute that night. How, in your words, would you explain how this United States team is different now than we were then? Yeah, I think for us, we're very consistently good right now. You know, we have a lot of momentum.

9:27And I think for us, you know, especially in our home country, you know, the momentum of us and the fans has been amazing, you know. And I think for us, it's we have the confidence to be able to go in and play whatever game we want. And we have the confidence to be able to stay true to ourselves, know that we have each other's back as well. And I think for us, you know, knowing that we have that confidence and have that resilience to go into the game is going to be so vital for us to be able to go in and make an impact and hopefully be able to pounce first and be very aggressive at first. I think for us, you know, that's what Pochettino has put in our system is that we want to be aggressive and be very vital going up top.

9:58God, one thing I'd say is you are a very different player 99 days on. This team is a very different team. And one thing I've loved about this team, you talk about that confidence. It's fearlessness in the first 20 minutes of games. You guys come out onto the field and try and blow the doors off opponents. Is that adrenaline, Alex? Just the national anthem, the crowd, just let's go. Or is it all part of Poch's plan? I think it's both. I think it's adrenaline, but I think Poch's plan has been engraved with us now. And I think for us, also the confidence energy we want to bring to the game too. Just be able to kind of be aggressive first, be the aggressors.

10:33You know, I think for us, you know, Poch talks about being a protagonist, right? I think for us, that's what we want to do. You know, we want to be able to be the main people, to be able to go and make an impact. And I think for us, just be able to go in and stay true to ourselves and be able to continue, continue to work on that plan. I think for us, it's going to be, I think that's going to be very vital going into the tournament. Before that win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, I don't know if you know this, Alex, but the United States had lost 10 straight against European opponents. 10 long games, five years span.

11:01Does that give you more confidence heading into the Belgium battle? Or is that just a stat that fans project onto the players and that you guys don't even think about? I think that's a stat that projects over the players. You know, we don't even think about it. You know, we just know every game we want to go in and win. And obviously, you know, winning against European competition like Bosnia, a good team. I think for us, it gives us confidence as well. But I think for us, at the end of the day, we're going to go in every game we want to win, no matter if they're from Europe, from South America, from wherever they're from, knowing that we want to go in and make an impact and be able to still go in and get results.

11:32I think for us, we want to get results. At the end of the day, we want to do it for our country as well. Your team can put opponents to the sword, but they can also deliver massive moments of poetry. The Pulitzer Prize winning free kick, Malik Tillman unleashed 82nd minute against Bosnia to close the game out 2-0. I felt like Malik knew the ball was going in before he took the kick, just this face surge with confidence. Where were you on the field? What did you see? How did you remember that moment? It's actually funny. I was one of the people blocking the goalkeeper's view. And so I just saw her first hand, you know, and like you said, the way Malik stood up to the ball and was ready to strike it, I felt like it was going in too.

12:14You know, we kind of all had that feeling. And just being able to kind of see him, the way he hit it as well, But I think being able to dip it over a six foot plus wall, I think just shows you how much quality he has and what he can do, you know, on the field. And just being able to kind of look back and see the ball go into the net and then be able to celebrate with my team just makes the whole experience so much better. What's it feel like, Matt, in that moment? Oh, I felt the adrenaline. I just felt the stadium erupt. And I feel like for us, you know, I felt the stadium erupt and I felt our whole team going in and celebrating in the corner.

12:43I think that just shows you how much bond and how much the US supports us, you know, and how much we support each other as well. Three and a half years ago, last World Cup, you were just a raw 18-year-old. You were grinding away with Orlando City B team. Do you remember where you watched the World Cup and what was happening in your head? Yeah, I think obviously the World Cup then was in December, right? And I was literally at my parents' house. And it was funny, I had my old coach in Orlando make me do like a video analysis on all the right backs. and so I was watching every game doing video analysis on all the right backs the last World Cup so I think that's kind of funny I had to do a whole report about it and send it back to them thinking that you would be there Alex were you like next time round it will be mine it will be mine or were you like dude this feels like a world away I think it felt like a world away right but I think that just shows you that anything's possible you can do anything you put your mind to and just be able to keep working and hopefully get to that destination that you hopefully are destined to work.

13:45I mean, you are an inspiration, Alex. You know, you have World Cup goal fame. You have starting spot on the US men's national team. What would you say if you could go back in time to the Freeman family basement when you're sitting there watching right backs playing for Orlando City B, yet to score a professional goal last World Cup? What would you tell yourself in that moment if you could go back in time? Yeah, I think I would tell myself to believe in myself, right? And don't let a bump in the road. you know ruin your journey and I feel like for for for myself I need to take chances to be able to get to where I am now and I feel like obviously there's going to be bumps and and and distractions on the way but to be able to kind of stay focused on your goal and be able to kind of go 100 % and be able to make sure that you know you you have your right mindset and to go into where you want I think for for me it's just that I think that's the main thing I'll tell myself is to keep focus and keep keep that confidence be able to have that confidence in yourself to be able to strive I can't imagine what it feels like to be you right now, Alex Freeman.

14:42You're a 21-year-old playing the greatest football of his life in the biggest tournament in the world on home turf. The timing, the wonder, the experience. You're nodding, you're smiling and you're laughing and I love it. Are you too locked in to be aware of these feelings? Or are you just walking around camp right now, just buzzing, walking on sunshine? Can you articulate how it feels to be you, Alex Freeman, World Cup force of nature? Yeah, I feel like, like you said, I think I'm locked in, right? But I think I also know, you know, the job's not finished. And I feel like for me, I think that means I don't have to, I can't celebrate yet, right?

15:17I can't celebrate even of all the accomplishments I've had. You know, I think we haven't reached our goal yet, right? And that's the whole thing. And I think for me, I got to stay locked in and make sure that my head's in the right space, you know, until we get that accomplishment. I think for me, that's just going to make me strive and strive for more, you know, knowing that I still have some more to give to this team and for this country as well. Alex Freeman, it has been an absolute pleasure to watch you shine to you, to your family, to your teammates. Everyone in this nation is behind you, man.

15:43Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate that. Thank you for having me. Courage.

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