• Faith: Christian - Catholic
• Career: Athlete
• Birthday:  September 02, 1998

Matt Freese is an American soccer player who recently became better known after being named the starting goalkeeper for the U.S. Men's National Team ahead of the 2026 World Cup. He currently plays for New York City FC (NYCFC) in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top American league.

Matt was born in Wayne, Pennsylvania, and developed through the MLS's Philadelphia Union youth academy. He featured on the bench for Philadelphia's reserve side, Bethlehem Steel, in 2017 before enrolling at Harvard University. After a standout collegiate stint with the Harvard Crimson, he elected to leave school early and officially rejoin the Union for the 2019 season. Committed to his education, Freese later completed his remaining coursework through online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, and he successfully graduated from Harvard with a degree in economics in 2022.

Matt appeared sparingly for Philadelphia and its affiliated teams from 2019 to 2022. He totaled 47 appearances in all competitions for the Union and its USL team over those four seasons. Before the 2023 MLS season, Matt was traded to NYCFC, and by the 2024 season, he had established himself as the club's primary goalkeeper. He appeared in 80 games over the 2024 and 2025 seasons and was named the club's MVP for the 2024 season.

Earlier in his career, Matt had represented the United States at the CONCACAF U-19 and U-23 competitions. He was named to the 20-man roster for the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament in March 2021. However, he did not receive his first call-up to the senior men's national team until the team's January camp in 2025. He did not play in either of the team's games, both friendlies, against Venezuela and Costa Rica.

Despite not playing in those games, Matt was again named to the national team squad for the May 2025 training camp. He was then selected for the team's 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup roster and played in every game of that tournament. He recorded two clean sheets and conceded only six goals across the entire competition. That strong performance eventually led to Matt's selection to the 2026 World Cup squad, and he was named the team's starting goalkeeper. He helped the U.S. team to its opening match victory over Paraguay, allowing only one goal in the 4-1 win.

Matt was raised in a Catholic family, and he regularly attended Mass with his family while growing up. He has continued to embrace and practice his faith in adulthood. He has commented on the strength he experiences in difficult situations when he reminds himself, "God's got me."

Matt regularly engages in Bible studies with his teammates, both on the national team and at NYCFC. He has noted that he feels he develops deeper relationships with his teammates when he regularly meets with them to study the Bible and discuss their beliefs. "There's just this kind of automatic connection you make when you talk about deep subjects like faith and the Bible on a weekly basis with a teammate."

Matt also puts his faith into action in his community. He serves as a Player Ambassador for the NYCFC City in the Community Foundation (CITC). The club's Instagram account states that CITC's mission is "Empowering better lives through soccer on and off the pitch." Matt's participation helps to encourage other players to get involved and connects the club to the community through service.

Matt's consistent efforts to live out his faith, both in his professional and his personal life, are a wonderful example of what it means to reflect Christ to our world!