Jeff CarlisleJun 21, 2026, 02:53 AM ET
ATLANTA and SEATTLE -- Before the world witnessed the Freeman Hops, there were the Freeman Hips.
In a friendly against Uruguay last November, U.S. men's national team defender Alex Freeman collected a pass from Auston Trusty, hip-faked his way around defender Ronald Araújo, rode a challenge from midfielder Manuel Ugarte with some nifty touches and fired the ball into the back of the opposition net for his second goal of the night in what would be a 5-1 win.
Freeman's father, former All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Freeman, was in attendance and could barely contain himself. Over the next few days, his former Green Bay Packers teammates such as Derrick Mayes, LeRoy Butler and K.D. Williams took notice, and the sense of déjà vu was palpable.
"Oh s---, I see them Freeman hips. He definitely got your hips," one former teammate told Antonio. "He looks just like you running the slant," another said.
As the elder Freeman sits in the lobby of the Atlanta Westin, he demonstrates.
"When I used to run a slant route, I kind of had to go boom, boom, boom," he says, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "And when he had that guy on the edge on that [goal], he went boom, boom, boom with the ball and just kicked it." He added, "And then I went back to some video and I watched me running the slant, and I was like, 'He got the hips.'"
On Friday, in a World Cup group-stage match against Australia, the world got to see the Freeman Hops. After Sergiño Dest's shot was deflected high in the air, Freeman was quickest to react, heading the ball home past Socceroos keeper Patrick Beach and into the empty net. The goal was initially disallowed for offside, but a lengthy VAR review confirmed no infraction by Freeman, and the goal stood, much to the delight of the crowd and his teammates.
"When it was [announced] a goal, I looked back and I saw my teammates running at me. I was like, 'Oh Lord,' and I had to run," he said in the post-match mixed zone. "I ended up running and celebrating with them, and I think it just made me very emotional in the moment."
It was a full-circle family moment as well, coming almost 30 years after his father scored two touchdowns in the Packers' 31-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks.
"I think for me, it just shows how great the family tree is," Freeman said. "And I think that just shows how he can be great, but I can be great in my own way as well. And I think that just shows, you know how amazing it is to have a dad who's successful and that could mentor me to be able to be ready for moments like these."
Antonio was more succinct. "Amazing to watch," he said via text message.
It's not just the hips and the hops that have propelled the younger Freeman into a starting role with the USMNT at this summer's World Cup. There are the legs and brains to go with it, not to mention a seemingly endless appetite for hard work.
Freeman's progression -- both for club and country -- has been shocking. This time a year ago, he was three months into his first year as a starter with Orlando City SC, and had just received his first call-up to the U.S. squad. Now he is playing with LaLiga side Villarreal, and his displays at right back in manager Mauricio Pochettino's hybrid sometimes-three-other-times-back-four system have been so accomplished that the U.S. manager has felt comfortable enough to push Sergiño Dest into a more attacking role as a winger.
"I feel like the past year, it's been a lot. It's been a lot of changes that I've had to adjust to," the younger Freeman told ESPN in an exclusive interview. "And I feel like a year ago today, if you told me I was playing in the World Cup, it would be like, 'Who are you kidding?' ... It means that the chances are coming even faster now. It's now, how do I take them? How do I fulfill them and be happy with what I'm able to provide? I feel like knowing that, it is surreal, right? But I think you have to take it step by step."
Freeman has done just that in this World Cup, astutely picking his spots to go forward, but also providing speed in the back to solidify a defense that at times has looked vulnerable in transition. Pochettino, who has been around the coaching block more than a few times with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain, marvels at Freeman's improvement.
"The evolution is massive. He's so humble [a] guy," Pochettino said after the Australia match. "He have an amazing profile. He want to learn. He always listen. It's a player that you know that you really enjoy being with him. Not only coaching, but being with him. He's a lovely guy and he's an amazing player. For me [he has the] potential to be one of the best players in his position on the world."
It's tempting to think that Alex Freeman owes most of his achievements to his famous father, but the success the younger Freeman has enjoyed hasn't been a case of just Antonio pushing him. Rather, it's been a veritable relay of encouragement and care from parents, coaches and even a host family.
Alex Freeman's parents split up shortly after he was born. He only remembers a world that included Antonio Freeman, Alex's mother Rochelle Hinkle and his stepfather Jake Hinkle. The two intertwined branches of Alex Freeman's family lived in close proximity to one another in the South Florida town of Tamarac. As Alex describes his family dynamic, he sweeps his arms in an imaginary bear hug, grateful for all three of his parents and what they provided him, his stepdad in particular.
"I feel like as a stepdad, it's kind of hard to step into that role of being there for a son that's not biologically yours," Alex said. "And I feel like he kind of made that step to, not only do I treat you like my son, I'm going to take you in and treat you like you're the world. And I feel like having a stepdad and a dad that treats you both like that, you got to be so grateful for it because it's so hard to have that. Knowing that stepdad and dad got along, and my mom, knowing that we're all a big family, it just meant so much to me and gave me so much support that I needed."
While Antonio had the pedigree of being a professional athlete, it was Jake -- an ardent Manchester United fan -- and Rochelle who introduced Alex to soccer at the age of 4.
By the time that Alex landed at regional powerhouse Weston FC at the age of 12, his ascent was less stratospheric, and more incremental. Rochelle recalls how Freeman was never looked at as being one of his team's best players. He would often start out with the reserve team of a particular age group, only to eventually prove himself and move up to the first team.
"Every single season, one or two games in, they're like, 'We need Alex,'" Rochelle said. "And then they would bring him up and he would do great."
That Alex had a famous father didn't hit him until he was about 10 or 11. Then the light bulb turned on, as did his awareness of how much he could benefit from his experience.
"I think from him, the advice he gave me was just about hard work, about discipline, about stuff I need to do off the field, because obviously he didn't know a lot about soccer," Alex said. "But he knew a lot about what it takes to get to next level."
The soccer aspect was more the domain of Jake and Rochelle. Antonio admits he would have loved to have coached his son in football or basketball (Alex was an accomplished AAU player), but what was also on the elder Freeman's mind was the path to a professional career, and he didn't see a lot of players who looked like his son. He remembered watching Baltimore Blast games in various indoor leagues growing up and not seeing any Black players.
"To be honest, for Black men, I didn't really see a pathway for him in soccer, because there previously hadn't been a lot of color in soccer," Antonio said. "And living in the state of Florida, you hear the stories about how they use these kids up in the academy. They play academy. They pay all this money to be a part of this academy. They take them to a certain point and then it's over at 21. And these kids are just playing soccer at the soccer park."
Antonio trusted that Jake and Rochelle were better versed in the potential paths for Alex. So when Alex decided in ninth grade he would focus on soccer full time, Antonio didn't stand in his way.
"He turned me into a believer," Antonio said. "Not in him, but in the process and in the system."
If there was a seminal moment in Alex Freeman's career, it came in 2019, when he tried out for Inter Miami CF's academy.
Rochelle remembers 400 to 500 kids trying out. Alex made it through to the last session, even as he played right back, which at the time was an unfamiliar position for him given he had played mostly as a winger with Weston. Then came the email saying he was cut. Adding to the hurt was the fact that Benjamin Cremaschi and Noah Allen were among Freeman's club teammates who did make it.
Rochelle wasn't surprised, feeling that Alex hadn't had a good trial. The rejection was still tough to take.
"I think it was a gut punch in his belly for him, for all of us because we knew he might not have been the top of the level where they were, but he was definitely able to make that team and compete," she said.
Antonio felt at a loss, but drew upon his experience climbing the professional ladder to remind Alex that this wasn't the end.
"It was just a tough time because I didn't know what to tell him. I didn't know what was next," Antonio said. "But all I could do was just tell him, 'Keep grinding. You're cutting a tree. It's going to take you a while. And eventually that tree is going to tumble. It's not easy work.'"
Not long after, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Academies were shut down. People were forced to remain indoors. Yet even amid the upheaval, another door opened for Alex Freeman. Javier Carrillo, Freeman's former coach at Weston, had moved up Florida's turnpike to take a position with Orlando City's academy. He invited Freeman to join.
The decision for Alex to move was fraught.
The Hinkles weren't in a position to move their whole family to Orlando. Neither was Antonio. Alex would have to stay with a host family instead.
Antonio was in favor of the move, feeling getting in a professional environment would be better competition than what college might offer. Rochelle found the move difficult to take. She could envision the parenting moments she would miss out on. Alex was torn in two, but eventually made the move.
"It was hard. It took two months for me to make a decision, and my family to make a decision because I'm a young kid," Alex said. "They want to watch me grow up, to be kind of the person that they can watch grow up. And it was kind of hard, but at the end of the day, they all came together and they're making this decision that maybe it's best for [me] to try to chase [my] dream that [I've] always wanted."
And then everything changed, as if he had left for college two years early. After arriving in Orlando, he did chores, learned to cook for himself and do homework on his own.
"It was kind of like, 'Wow, now it's time for you to really grow up,' but not only with school, but with soccer as well," Freeman said.
Both player and family soon settled into a rhythm, however. Antonio and the Hinkles would drive up to Orlando three to four times a month, even as they had to sit on top of their truck to watch games in the midst of the pandemic. It was far from ideal, but it was something.
"I can go see him play, but I can't touch him. I can't hug him. I can't put my arms around him and see where his head's at," Antonio said. "I can only talk and text to him because they were locked down. They couldn't see nobody. And that was the first two years there."
Freeman signed a homegrown deal with Orlando at age 17. It was a time to celebrate, but Antonio felt a need to offer some perspective. Alex was a professional now, and with that came responsibility.
"It was kind of like when my dad signed first for football," Alex said. "He was like, 'It's not just signing, it's about what you can do now to build your legacy.' So I felt like he kind of gave me that inspirational speech that I needed, to be able to know that this is just the start. It's not going to get any easier now."
Freeman spent parts of three seasons with Orlando City B, eager to make a breakthrough. For a stretch, he wasn't quite good enough to force his way into manager Oscar Pareja's lineup. Eventually, in 2025, Pareja was won over.
"I started seeing a player that could fix mistakes with consistency," he said. "I said, 'Alex, you need to be a better defender. You need to turn your body better or you need to be dueling better. You have to make those duels with more intensity.' And I see a reaction so quickly and consistently. It was not like today he got better, but tomorrow he was bad again. No, no. He got better, and he got better."
Freeman seized the starting spot early on in the 2025 season and never let it go. The rise through the USMNT ranks followed, as did the transfer to Villarreal. Freeman's early forays with the USMNT came at last summer's Gold Cup, where he seemed determined to play within in himself and stay home. When asked if that was at Pochettino's urging, Freeman chalked it up to something else.
"I had some nerves," he explained. "I wanted to just be able to be solid defending and be solid in the kind of position I was at."
The transfer to Villarreal carried some risk for Freeman in that if he didn't get any playing time, his likely World Cup place would be in jeopardy. A run of three starts in four games toward the end of the season eased those worries.
By then, Freeman seemed to have cemented a spot on the U.S. roster, so much so that he wasn't perceived to be on the bubble, even though he was the team's youngest player.
When the roster was announced, father and son were together in Spain, with Alex's phone and laptop opened up. Soon there was a picture of Pochettino congratulating Alex, a moment where they could share the soccer journey at last. Much like that night against Uruguay, the elder Freeman couldn't contain himself.
"I was so ecstatic because I was on the edge because you never know with these type of selections," Antonio said. "I yelled in excitement as I ran around his living room."
For Alex, the lessons of years past, the current moment and what lies ahead allow him to keep his feet on the ground. And he's not done yet. There are still more games to play at this World Cup.
"Now that I'm here, it's just how can I give 100% and do it for my country? And how can I make everyone proud?" he said on Friday.
Thanks to the hops and the hips, he already has.
Source: https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/49003063/how-alex-freeman-pro-bowl-dad-green-bay-packers-antonio-freeman-helped-world-cup-dream-usmnt
