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.
The 27-year-old, who plies his trade for MLS outfit New York City FC, has been a composed and assured presence between the posts throughout the tournament so far. He has conceded just once in convincing victories over Paraguay and Australia.
Under the guidance of 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 the result of their final group stage fixture against Türkiye.
Freese’s career path could have looked very different while coming through the Philadelphia Union academy, after he received a tempting apprenticeship offer from United. However, with his parents eager for him to prioritise his studies over football, a switch to Old Trafford never came to fruition.
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“It was largely a family decision,” Freese told Hudson River Blue. “There were some tough conversations between me and my parents about this one.
View 3 ImagesFreese rejected an offer from United because his parents wanted him to prioritise his education(Image: Getty)
“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 to sign for United, Freese enrolled at Harvard University, one of the globe’s most esteemed academic institutions.
During his spell in Massachusetts, he studied economics while developing his abilities on the pitch, turning out regularly for the Harvard Crimson football team.
Freese eventually departed university a year early to join boyhood club Philadelphia Union as a homegrown player ahead of the 2019 MLS season. He made his professional bow just months later and acknowledges that the decision to put his studies on hold temporarily was straightforward.
View 3 ImagesThe 27-year-old has conceded just once at the FIFA World Cup 2026 so far(Image: Getty)
“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, who continued his studies remotely and graduated with a degree in economics from Harvard in 2022, found regular minutes hard to come by in Pennsylvania behind Jamaican international Andre Blake and was traded to New York City FC in 2023 for a $350,000 (£264,000) fee.
The switch proved game-changing, with Freese crowned New York City’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the 2024 campaign before earning his maiden international call-up a month later.
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