US World Cup star who chose Harvard over Manchester United opens up on career-defining decision

For most young soccer players, an opportunity to join Manchester United would be impossible to ignore, let alone reject.

As one of the world’s most storied and recognizable clubs, United rarely comes calling. But for Matt Freese, even the chance to head to Old Trafford — long known as English soccer’s “Theatre of Dreams” — was not enough to pull him away from the path his parents hoped he would take.

In 2017, Freese was an 18-year-old goalkeeper in the Philadelphia Union academy when he was offered an apprenticeship with the Premier League club. Instead of accepting what many would consider a dream move, he chose to attend Harvard and prioritize his education, fulfilling a wish that was important to his family.

Nearly a decade later, that decision has become a remarkable footnote in a career that has taken off on its own terms. Freese, now the United States’ No. 1 goalkeeper ahead of a World Cup set to be played on home soil, has established himself as one of Major League Soccer’s top shot-stoppers with New York City FC.

He still has the academic credentials to match his athletic rise, having earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard in 2022. But his future, it seems, was always destined to be in goal.

As for whether he has any second thoughts about turning down Manchester United, Freese says he does not dwell on it.

‘There were several reasons for that choice, one being the promise of locking in a great education, and that’s something my parents wanted for me. Another was that I wanted to make a name for myself at first-team level in the MLS first.’

Freese had witnessed several other American goalkeepers crack MLS before heading to the Premier League and was inspired to follow the same path. Matt Turner, now 31, was snapped up by Arsenal after four full seasons as first-choice goalkeeper for the New England Revolution, making seven appearances before stints with Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace. 

Zack Steffen, also 31, was a regular for Columbus Crew when Premier League champions Manchester City came calling in 2019. He made 21 appearances under legendary manager Pep Guardiola before heading back to the MLS with Colorado Rapids.

Though the greatest success story for American goalkeepers in recent memory is Tim Howard; the ex-Metro Stars (New York Red Bulls) No 1 who moved straight from the MLS to Man United in 2003, under the most successful manager in soccer history in Sir Alex Ferguson.

Howard went on to play 77 times for United, winning the FA Cup in 2004, before his defining Premier League spell came at Everton, where he held down a starting spot for close to a decade and made over 400 appearances for the Merseyside club. By the time he returned to MLS with the Colorado Rapids in 2016, Howard was a high-profile name on both sides of the pond. 

So the blueprint is there for Freese to one day follow suit and make the switch to England’s top flight or another major European league when the time comes. The 27-year-old is loving life at NYCFC for now, with the club finally set to move into its own stadium in 2027 after playing games at the home of the New York Yankees and Mets baseball teams since its inception in 2013.

After being asked if he dreams of playing in the Premier League one day, the USMNT star admits: ‘Obviously I’m incredibly grateful for everything that I have here in New York City and the opportunity that they’ve given me, the leadership role I have in this team, and I have very, very strong aspirations for this team over the next four to five years, especially getting a stadium.

‘I think this team and organization is in a great spot to continue to grow and be one of the league leaders on the field and off the field. It’s an incredible place to be.’

But he added: ‘With that said, I do like pushing myself and competing at the highest levels, and I always want to be in a position where I’m learning new things and growing and pushing myself at the highest levels.’

Despite only making his senior international debut in January 2025, nearly 18 months on Freese looks to have edged Turner into the No 1 spot in a USA team led by ex-Chelsea, Tottenham and Paris St-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino. After becoming a mainstay for NYCFC in the last three seasons, and hitting the ground running for his country at last year’s CONCACAF Gold Cup, Pochettino has been impressed enough to give him the nod over veteran colleague Turner.

This summer Freese will be thrown in at the deep end at a home World Cup in the US, where hopeful American soccer fans are at the very least expecting to get out of their group and enjoy a respectable run in the knockout stages.

It marks the pinnacle of what has been a rapid rise at international level for him. When he arrived in New York in January 2023, Freese had only featured 13 times in MLS for Philadelphia. Just over three years later, the Economics student from Wayne, Pennsylvania, has the hopes of a nation resting on his shoulders.

‘I think I’ve always had the thought that I had the ability to do that, and had the physical capabilities of doing that,’ Freese says when asked if he ever envisaged making it to the 2026 World Cup when he joined NYCFC. ‘The question was would I get the opportunity to do so? The question was would I have an opportunity to show myself to then be in a position to do that? And very thankfully New York City gave me that platform to have that opportunity.’

‘It’s really difficult to put into words how much it means to me and how much this summer means to me,’ he adds. ‘It’s a dream as you’re growing up, but when you’re dreaming about something for 20 years and then it ends up being on home soil, it’s even better than a dream.’

In Pochettino, a Champions League finalist with Tottenham and French champion at PSG, the US men’s team has its first world-class manager at the helm since Jurgen Klinsmann, whose reign came to an end in 2016. 

‘It’s been really amazing to work under Mauricio and the rest of his staff,’ Freese says. ‘He has a ton of great ideas and a ton of passion that he coaches with, and I think it’s very infectious, very contagious.’ 

While it is far from the finished article, Pochettino’s squad is packed with experienced players from Europe’s top five leagues (England, Italy, Spain, Germany, France). Exactly half of the 26-man roster, in fact, currently ply their trade in the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga, Bundesliga or Ligue 1.

Striker Haji Wright will be part of that club next season after Coventry City’s promotion to the Premier League. And the likes of Turner, Sergino Dest and USA captain Tim Ream all have previous experience in one of the aforementioned five leagues.

But Freese insists the team’s ambition must be to go all the way and win the competition

Christian Pulisic, while out of form at club level this year, has previously proven himself an elite forward for AC Milan and Chelsea. Timothy Weah, Weston McKennie and Gio Reyna have Champions League experience under their belt. Chris Richards won the UEFA Conference League with Crystal Palace this season and Tyler Adams will be playing in the Europa League next term after Bournemouth’s qualification.

The point is that this is by no means a weak squad, so anything but progression to the group stages will go down as a catastrophic failure for the co-hosts. Nevertheless, the man leading them into battle has much higher hopes than sparing their blushes.

Pochettino recently revealed that, during a conversation with Donald Trump, he reassured the President that USA can go all the way and win the World Cup for the very first time this summer. 

And Freese has aligned himself with that bold outlook. ‘I never step foot into any game or competition without the ambition of winning it all,’ he insists. ‘Every single time I step across the lines and onto the field I have that expectation.’