His dad’s team once won a Lombardi Trophy. Could his team win the CONCACAF Gold Cup Trophy?
Alex Freeman, the 20-year-old son of ex-Green Bay Packers receiver Antonio Freeman, was one of 27 players announced on the roster for a pair of June friendlies for the United States men’s national soccer team, precursors to the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Advertisement
The games will take place June 7 in Hartford, Connecticut, (against Türkiye) and June 10 in Nashville (against Switzerland).
Alex Freeman of Orlando City dribbles the ball during the MLS match against Inter Miami.
The defender for Orlando City in Major League Soccer will participate in his first USMNT camp. He has 12 goals and 16 assists over 74 appearances in games at all levels of his professional career, and he’s previously made appearances for Team USA in the U-23 men’s national team.
Paul Tenorio of The Athletic chronicled Freeman’s breakout season this May, indicating he was a surprise inclusion on the preliminary 60-man roster for the Gold Cup.
“He’s an intriguing prospect at a position of need for the U.S., and his inclusion on the list is confirmation of his progress,” Tenorio wrote.
Advertisement
The older Freeman posted a jubilant video to his reaction of his son’s goal in his first MLS start in March.
Antonio played 116 career games with the Packers, making first-team All-Pro in 1998 when he led the league with 1,424 receiving yards. He caught 57 career touchdowns with the Packers in the regular season and appeared in two Super Bowls, catching an 81-yard pass from Brett Favre for a touchdown in Super Bowl XXXI (a win over the New England Patriots) and two more in Green Bay’s loss to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXII.
Freeman played for the Packers from 1995-2001, then again in 2003 after a year with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame in 2009.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Son of Packers Hall of Famer lands spot with U.S. men’s soccer team