United States goalkeeper Matt Freese has revealed he once turned down the opportunity to sign for Manchester United in order to concentrate on his education. The Pennsylvania-born shot-stopper only made his senior debut for the US last year, yet is his nation's first-choice keeper at World Cup 2026.
From Harvard to World Cup hero
The 27-year-old, who plays for MLS side New York City FC, has been a composed presence between the posts throughout the tournament. He has conceded just once in convincing victories over Paraguay and Australia.
Under former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino, the US have made an impressive start on home turf and are guaranteed to advance to the round of 32 as Group D winners, regardless of their final group stage result against Türkiye.
Freese's career path could have looked very different. While coming through the Philadelphia Union academy, he received a tempting apprenticeship offer from Manchester United. However, with his parents eager for him to prioritise his studies, a switch to Old Trafford never happened.
A family decision
"It was largely a family decision," Freese told Hudson River Blue. "There were some tough conversations between me and my parents about this one. There was a clear path that I wanted to go on, but I had to respect what they wanted. They sacrificed so much for me, so I had to repay that and honour what they wanted and then, when the time was right, make my decision for myself."
Rather than heading across the Atlantic, Freese enrolled at Harvard University, one of the world's most esteemed academic institutions. During his time in Massachusetts, he studied economics while developing his abilities on the pitch, playing regularly for the Harvard Crimson football team.
Turning professional
Freese left university a year early to join boyhood club Philadelphia Union as a homegrown player ahead of the 2019 MLS season. He made his professional debut just months later and acknowledges the decision to put his studies on hold was straightforward.
"It was very clear to me that in order to have the career I wanted to have on the field and to achieve things that I wanted to achieve on the field, the earlier my career could start, the better," he said. "It was a pretty natural decision – everyone was on the same page."
Freese continued his studies remotely and graduated with a degree in economics from Harvard in 2022. Regular minutes were hard to come by in Pennsylvania behind Jamaican international Andre Blake, and he was traded to New York City FC in 2023 for a $350,000 (£264,000) fee.
Rise to prominence
The switch proved game-changing. Freese was crowned New York City's Most Valuable Player for the 2024 campaign before earning his maiden international call-up a month later. Now he is the United States' starting goalkeeper at a home World Cup, having conceded only one goal in two matches.
