The U.S. men’s national team will likely lean on Matt Freese at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and manager Mauricio Pochettino must have been pleased with what he saw from the goalkeeper on Sunday night.
Fresh off international duty and solid performances against Paraguay and Uruguay, Freese was in the thick of MLS Cup Eastern Conference semifinal action as the fifth-seed New York City FC clashed with the Supporters’ Shield-winning Philadelphia Union.
While the Union had plenty of chances, Freese ended the night with five saves and helped his side see out a 1–0 win after 38-year-old Maxi Moralez scored the game’s only goal in the 27th minute.
The win sees NYCFC head to the Eastern Conference final for the third time in five seasons, where they will clash with Inter Miami and a red-hot Lionel Messi, who has six goals and as many assists in a record-breaking MLS Cup playoffs so far.
“We just stuck together, it was a big team performance, we had the legend Maxi Moralez score an unbelievable goal, a team goal, and he deserves it,” Freese told the Apple TV broadcast after the match. “I just kept the ball out of the net ... that’s my job, that’s what I get paid to do.”
After Moralez’s goal, Philadelphia quickly pushed for an equalizer, forcing Freese into a quick-reaction save in the 45th minute on Jakob Glesnes, who attempted to finish from a sharp angle after a long throw into the box.
Matt Freese with a quick reaction to keep this one out for @newyorkcityfc 🧤 pic.twitter.com/veOT86HbAA
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 24, 2025
While the game leveled out through the second half and NYCFC had a few chances themselves, they needed Freese for his best save of the night in the 75th minute, as he flung out a boot to deny USMNT youth international Frankie Westfield, whose volley looked like the tying moment.
OH MY MATT FREESE 🤯
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 24, 2025
The @USMNT keeper with a MASSIVE save for @newyorkcityfc 🔥 pic.twitter.com/unxwd7qRPN
The pressure wasn’t done there, though, as the top-seeded Union pushed in the final moments, forcing Freese into a 92nd-minute stop off Milan Iloski’s right-footed blast from well outside the box.
By the end of the night, none of the Union’s attempts could beat Freese as he picked up his 13th clean sheet across the league season, guiding his NYCFC side into the Eastern Conference final.
ANOTHER RIDICULOUS SAVE FROM MATT FREESE ‼️
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 24, 2025
He once again lays out for @newyorkcityfc 👏 pic.twitter.com/pIwcDPV82C
Eastern Conference Memories
Freese may have broken Philadelphia hearts on Sunday, but he’s seen the other side of this playoff matchup. In 2021, while playing for the Union, he came on as a substitute for starter Andre Blake in the Eastern Conference final, a match in which NYCFC advanced before beating the Portland Timbers in MLS Cup.
Since that moment, Freese described his career as a “roller coaster.”
“It’s been a lot of up and down, a lot of people believed in me, and I’m super thankful for that,” he said. “Friends, family, people here [in Philadelphia], people in New York, and so it’s really all because of them.”
This year, he finds himself on the winning side and with a date against Inter Miami for a spot in MLS Cup. Should they defeat the Herons, they would visit either the Vancouver Whitecaps, San Diego FC or Minnesota United on Dec. 6 with the title on the line.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How USMNT’s Matt Freese Pushed NYCFC to Biggest Upset of MLS Playoffs.
