When FC Cincinnati looked set to prevail with a victory at home and keep the pressure on Philadelphia Union in the Supporters' Shield race, Freeman stepped up with a 95th-minute equalizing goal, timing his run to perfection and latching onto Tyrese Spicer's cross with a bullet header. It was Freeman's second goal in three matches, a fact made even more incredible by the fact that 1) he's 21 and 2) he's a right back.
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Freeman grew up in Southern Florida before deciding to head north for Orlando City's academy in 2020. Freeman quickly made a name for himself at the academy level, and when he was just 15 years old, he convinced Orlando icon Tesho Akindele -- 12 years his senior -- that it was time to hang up the boots.
Alex Freeman receives rave reviews
“A year or two before I retired, there was this 15-year-old kid – Alex Freeman – who came to train with us. I don't think he was signed yet, but he was so strong, so fast, and so good on the ball," stated Akindele in an RG interview. "I was like, ‘Yeah, my time in soccer is about to be done. He’s now having a breakout season, and I’m so happy for him, but just seeing him and so many other hungry young players coming up, I knew it was only a matter of time before I retired.
"I knew I was on the other side of the hill, and I knew it was the right time to retire. To be honest, the fire to play the game had gone out, and I wasn’t excited to go out there and fight and compete. That wasn’t fair to put my teammates in a position like that, so I knew that I needed to find the next thing in my life that would spark that fire again.”
After scoring 8 goals and 15 assists in 30 appearances in 2021 to lead Orlando to the inaugural MLS Next Cup U17 Championship, Freeman continued his meteoric rise with their MLS Next Pro side before eventually making his first-team debut on April 29, 2023. But after making just four appearances in 2023 and 2023, Freeman has emerged as a vital cog under Oscar Pareja in 2025.
Freeman has racked up a barely believable 6 goals and 5 assists in 35 appearances for Orlando, who have qualified for the playoffs for the sixth season in a row. Orlando currently sits seventh in the East, one point behind Charlotte and Nashville and two above Columbus Crew, with a game in hand on all three, whilst they also sit four points above ninth-placed Chicago Fire.
He's made nine appearances for the US Men's National Team, all coming since the start of June, and impressed in the past summer's Gold Cup. And after a season that saw Orlando lose to New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference Finals, he'll be looking to guide Orlando to the second major trophy in club history after their 2022 U.S. Open Cup.
Orlando will host Columbus and Vancouver before traveling to Toronto for the final match of the 2025 regular season.