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United States men’s national team goalkeeper Matt Freese effectively ended the team’s World Cup hopes when he committed a foul, misplay a ball that Belgium took advantage of to take a 3-1 lead in the round of 16.
When the ball first rolled into the net, the criticism of the 27-year-old was both voluminous and harsh. Freese said it hurt to hear the backlash.
“It’s just so hard for me to hear that, because if people were to see this group on a daily basis and spend time with these guys more personally, they’d see how badly we wanted it. They’d see how badly I wanted it,” Freese told ESPN on Tuesday.
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Matt Freese looks dejected after the match following the USA’s elimination from the World Cup in Seattle, Washington. (Blake Dahlin/Imagn Images)
“Two years ago, we literally dreamed about this and felt the honor and the responsibility that comes with it. We wanted it so much, more than anything we’ve ever wanted, to capitalize on it and reward that support with something special. During the World Cup and the months leading up to the World Cup, there was literally nothing else on my mind.”
Freese said the team that had captured the hearts of Americans was in disbelief after the disappointing loss. He said the team’s desire to maximize their performance was so fierce it hurt that others didn’t know how badly they wanted it.
“I would describe (the moment after the elimination) as being in disbelief that the tournament was over for us,” Freese said.
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Matt Freese looks dejected after the game in Seattle after the USA was eliminated from the World Cup. (Blake Dahlin/Imagn Images)
“I don’t want to have that experience together and not want the memory of ‘Country roads, take me home’ to be over or not to happen again at home. Not to be able to feel it and feel it again with our fans and feel it together as teammates and as a family on the field. It was devastating.”
The goalkeeper said the team must use their elimination as fuel to go further in future tournaments.
“It’s turned into trying to find a way to turn that elimination into motivation,” Freese said. “I think we all have the motivation to do something even bigger, even better, and to come back better. It’s been about finding a way to make the elimination fuel the fire, if that makes sense. It’s easy (to make it motivation), but it doesn’t take away the sting of the pain of what the elimination leads to.”
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Belgium’s Hans Vanaken celebrates after scoring his third goal with Dodi Lukebakio and Youri Tielemans as USA goalkeeper Matt Freese looks dejected in Seattle, Washington. (Blake Dahlin/Imagn Images)
Freese will return to action as he mans the net for New York City FC and will look to put his costly mistake behind him and move forward with an eye on 2030.
“The first thing is a feeling of hunger to be back there. It’s a very direct and clear goal for me, immediately when the World Cup ended,” Freese said. “I want to be back there and want to do it again, but to want to do better and go on and win that trophy.”
