Exclusive | Matt Freese tells The Post how costly USMNT World Cup mistake will motivate me in career
In the wake of the U.S.men’s national team’s devastating loss to Belgium in the World Cup Round of 16, one thing helped starting goalkeeper Matt Freese keep his head held high. “On my flight home and in the airport, little kids were coming up and their parents saying that their kids are now soccer fans and in love with the sport, and can’t stop talking about soccer,” Freese told The Post during a lengthy interview on Tuesday.
“It was super incredible and obviously it was a difficult period of time.It still is something you think about, and to have that makes you proud of the impact you hopefully had.” A little more than a week removed from the team’s 4-1 loss to Belgium, Freese is back in New York and preparing for the restart of the MLS season with New York City FC, but the goalkeeper acknowledged his thought for the past week had been, “I wish I wasn’t back home.” Freese and the United States squad at that World Cup captured the hearts and minds of American fans during their run in the tournament, but the controversy surrounding the waiving of a suspension of star striker Folarin Balogun and the disappointing way the U.S.
was knocked out ended things on a sour note. The 27-year-old goalkeeper, in particular, had a rough moment in the final match when he made a costly mistake that allowed an attempted clearance to turn into Belgium’s third goal of the match, seemingly squashing any comeback hopes for the Americans. “I think it’s a moment that will, as all mistakes and bad moments in sports are, it’s a moment that will live with me and be part of me and motivate me and not define my career,” Freese said after a brief pause to reflect.“[The negatives and positives] will continue to motivate me to work harder, to be better, and to find more of those good moments, and limit, and minimize, and get rid of the bad moments.” Freese has often been described by his NYCFC teammates and coaches as someone who remains calm under pres...