Matt Freese is one of three finalists for the 2025 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award, the league announced earlier today.
The New York City FC shot-stopper is joined by Dayne St. Clair of Minnesota United FC and Yohei Takaoka of Vancouver Whitecaps FC as the three finalists.
Freese is the only New York City FC player or coach to be among the named finalists across the complete slate of MLS end-of-year awards, which you can see in full at the bottom of this post. The awards are voted on by MLS players, MLS club technical staffers, and select members of the media covering the league.
It was controversial that Freese did not earn a place among the three finalists for the 2024 Goalkeeper of the Year award, which ultimately went to Charlotte FC's Kristijan Kahlina. In 2024, Freese ranked fourth in MLS in save percentage, third in saves, and fifth in goals prevented (PSxG-GA). He was "criminally underrated," as described by Hudson River Blue's Matthew Mangam while covering Freese's 2024 snubbing by MLS awards voters.
Now in 2025, he's among the three finalists following a season in which Freese placed 10th in saves, 13th in save percentage, and 11th in goals prevented (PSxG-GA) – an impressive season, though not hitting the same statistical heights of his 2024 campaign.
His inclusion among the final three might come at the expense of the reigning winner, Kahlina of Charlotte, which maybe adds just another layer of drama to the imminent best-of-three series between Freese's NYCFC and Kahlina's Charlotte in Round One of the MLS Cup Playoffs.
