3 Reasons why Matt Freese should start for the USMNT in the Gold Cup

New York City FC goalkeeper Matt Freese made his United States men's national team debut last Saturday in a 1-2 friendly loss to Türkiye. The 26-year-old looked like he belonged, making three saves, but he conceded two goals that were caused by mistakes and defensive miscues.

USMNT head coach Mauricio Pochettino then started 2022 FIFA World Cup veteran Matt Turner between the sticks in Tuesday's 0-4 friendly defeat to Switzerland. He recorded three saves and was at fault for one of the goals conceded, spilling a save that was tapped in to make it 3-0 in the first half.

Turner has been the USMNT's starting goalkeeper since 2021, but it could be time for someone else to take the role, starting with Sunday's Concacaf Gold Cup opener against Trinidad and Tobago.

That's because Freese is ready to become the starter: He has the statistics, fitness, and determination to be the USMNT's No 1 goalkeeper.

1. Matt Freese is the better shot-stopper

Freese had a breakout 2024 season. He recorded a 73.4 save percentage that year, the fourth-best in MLS, and prevented 8.9 goals, the second-highest tally in the league. He also saved the third-most shots (119), totaling just five clean sheets in 34 starts.

This season, he currently has a 73.7 save percentage (eighth-best in MLS), has 54 saves (seventh-highest), and prevented 1.6 goals. But he already recorded six clean sheets — third-most in MLS — surpassing last year's tally with half of the season left to play.

Freese put up these numbers against strong teams like Columbus, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Inter Miami, and the Red Bulls, totaling 19 saves and three clean sheets against the Eastern Conference's top-five teams.

But Freese's best performance of the season was against an undefeated Columbus side on March 22 — which was second place in the Eastern Conference at the time — that forced the Iceman into five saves. That includes parrying this powerful shot that Columbus playmaker Diego Rossi took from inside the box:

Just as impressive, Freese logged the clean sheet on the road at Lower.com Field. He was the sole reason NYCFC left Columbus with a point, holding the hosts scoreless at home for the first time in series history.

2. Matt Freese is in-form

Freese took over the NYCFC starting goalkeeper role from Luis Barraza in 2023 and hasn't looked back since, starting every club game last season and this year when he hasn't been with the national team. Going into this international break, Freese was one of three New York City players to start all 17 games, and the only one to play every single minute.

But Turner's recent playing time, on the other hand, has been spare.

After making a move to Arsenal FC in June 2022, Turner made just seven starts before signing with Nottingham Forest in August 2023. There, he started 17 games but lost his starting spot in January 2024 to the impressive Matz Sels, who remains the team's No 1 goalkeeper.

This season, Turner was loaned to Crystal Palace, but was stuck behind Dean Henderson on the totem pole and only started four games — none of which were in the Premier League.

According to a recent report, Turner will be joining French Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais this summer for an €8 million fee, a move that could potentially result in consistent playing time ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

But that won't come for months. Until Turner earns the starting spot with Lyonnais, Freese remains the more in-form goalkeeper.

3. Matt Freese is hungry

After his impressive 2024 season, Freese was expected to earn his first-ever USMNT call-up in November 2024, but Pochettino looked elsewhere, and he had to wait until January. Freese sat on the bench for both friendlies, but now, with a long-awaited USMNT cap five months later, he has a solid path to becoming the starting goalkeeper for his country.

"I think it's my job to be ready for anything," Freese said after his USMNT debut. "I got told a few days ago that I was playing this game, and to be honest, my preparation didn't really change, because I was preparing for the last five months to be ready to play these games and this game, if just that. So, whether or not it happens is out of my control. I'm going to support whoever they play. But it was obviously a huge honor to be out there, and I've got to keep pushing to improve myself and keep improving the rest of the goalkeepers, as well."

Before he made his USMNT debut, Freese told Hudson River Blue's Andrew Leigh that he feels confident he should be included in the squad, saying, "I'm really confident that I'm able to play at that level, confident that I'm in that group."

Freese is a very competitive player, something he's touched on before "I'm someone much more focused on winning than pretty much anything else in my life," he said. "Winning soccer games really means more than anything else to me."

When Freese joined New York City in 2023, he made the most of his few appearances to win the starting spot and make a name for himself. In September that year, Hudson River Blue ran a post titled "3 Reasons why Matt Freese should be NYCFC's starting goalkeeper," which proved to be prophetic: Not only did he become the team's clear-cut starter, he became one of the best goalkeepers in the league.

Freese has the potential to do the same with the USMNT. But first, Pochettino needs give him a chance in a competitive game, and put him in goal for Sunday's Gold Cup opener against Trinidad and Tobago.