One of the USA’s best young soccer talents is on his way to Spain.
U.S. men’s national team right-back Alex Freeman is reportedly set for a move to Villarreal from MLS team Orlando City, according to The Athletic. The deal is reportedly worth a potential fee worth at least $7 million, as well as a sell-on clause for Orlando.
The 21-year-old defender will make the jump to Spain’s LaLiga after becoming a breakout talent for MLS. His versatility in the back-line earned him an All-Star selection in 2025 and the league’s Young Player of the Year honors. His six goals were tied for most among MLS defenders.
The son of former NFL star Antonio Freeman, he has earned 11 caps with the USA and was part of the squad that reached the Gold Cup final in 2025.
Alex Freeman has become a reliable roster call-up for USA manager Mauricio Pochettino. FOX Sports soccer insider Doug McIntyre projects him to be part of the 26-man roster for the USA at the 2026 World Cup, where he could start in the back line for Pochettino.
Read more: Projecting the USA’s 26-Man World Cup Roster
Last November, McIntyre spoke with Alex Freeman – who had a breakout performance with two goals for the USA in a 5-1 friendly win over Uruguay in Tampa – about his dream of playing in Europe and securing a spot for the World Cup.
“I need to be in the best form for the World Cup,” Alex Freeman said before that Nov. 18 game. “I’m comfortable in Orlando. I know I’ll be able to play my game there, know the culture, staff, know everything I have to do. It depends on what I want to do and what I feel is best for me. If something happens, maybe I move. But the World Cup is coming. I need to be ready for the most important time in my life.”
In that game in Tampa, the younger Freeman had a highlight moment when he skated past Uruguay‘s Ronald Araujo — one of the best defenders in global soccer — and scored his second goal of the night.
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When McIntyre spoke with the elder Freeman after that game, he recounted how his son was a late bloomer and that his growth spurt did come until he was 15 or 16. Alex now stands an inch taller than his 6-foot-2 father, who won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers in 1996-97.
“He was always telling me and his mom that he wanted to dribble on guys … Being a right fullback, he rarely gets an opportunity to get that isolation,” Antonio Freeman told McIntyre about his son’s performance in that game. “Watching him just ease through the defense — it was just an amazing display of athletic ability, the way he dropped his hips, and was able to change directions.
“I was really, really impressed. And found out that he did it against one of the best defenders in the world [in Araujo]? That was like icing on the cake.”
Now, the younger Freeman will get to show his talents with a Villarreal side that is battling to secure a Champions League spot for next season. The club currently sits in fourth place in the table behind traditional powerhouses Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atlético Madrid.
