The USMNT is rolling through the 2026 World Cup, and Tuesday night in Seattle they got a little help from Packers royalty.
Alex Freeman, whose dad Antonio Freeman won a Super Bowl and an All-Pro nod with Green Bay, headed home the second goal in a 2-0 win over Australia at Lumen Field. The stadium is officially called “Seattle Stadium” for the tournament because FIFA rules, but the crowd of 67,000 knew exactly where they were. And they knew exactly what they just saw.
The goal came off a rocket from Sergino Dest. Dest let one fly from distance, the Australian keeper spilled the rebound, and Freeman rose up between two defenders to nod it home. The linesman initially flagged him for offside, which set off a nervous wait. But VAR overturned the call. The angle showed Freeman timing his run perfectly, staying level with the last defender before making his move toward goal. By the time the ball was loose, he was already in the air.
The play that decided it
The U.S. had taken the lead in the 11th minute when Folarin Balogun sliced through the left side of the Aussie defense and sent a cross that an Australian defender accidentally knocked into his own net. It was the kind of goal that feels lucky but comes from pressure. The U.S. didn’t let up after that.
Freeman’s goal made it 2-0 just before halftime, and that was all the cushion Mauricio Pochettino’s side needed. Australia tried to muscle their way back into the game — it got chippy, lots of bodies on the ground, a few loud collisions — but the U.S. defense held firm.
Pochettino was blunt afterward. “It was a fantastic game again, very good first half,” he said. “I think we dominated the game against a very tough team.”
From Lambeau to Lumen Field
Antonio Freeman played nine seasons in Green Bay, catching passes from Brett Favre and winning Super Bowl XXXI. His son Alex is now carving his own path. The 20-year-old forward is part of a U.S. youth pipeline that keeps producing guys who look comfortable on the biggest stage. He plays his club soccer stateside, but this goal puts him on a different map entirely.
Social media caught the moment, naturally. Fox Sports analyst Jordan Schultz tweeted video of the goal with a fire emoji and a Packers shoutout. But the kid earned it. The header wasn’t just a tap-in. He won the air battle against a bigger defender and directed the ball with enough power that the keeper had no shot.
The win puts the U.S. in strong position to advance out of group play. They beat Paraguay in their opener and now have six points from two games. Next up is a match against a tough opponent that will likely decide who tops the group.
For one night anyway, the son of a Packers legend gave American soccer fans a moment they won’t forget.
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