Matthew Mangam from Hudson River Blue Read More
January 23, 2023, was a somber day for New York City fans. It marked the departure of club legend Sean Johnson to Toronto FC, the goalkeeper who led NYCFC to their first and only MLS Cup in 2021.
But something else happened on that same day that nearly went unnoticed: The acquisition of goalkeeper Matt Freese from the Philadelphia Union. Freese was a backup with just 12 starts over four years, the understudy to Andre Blake who didn’t make a single appearance in 2022.
Freese started the 2023 season on the bench as the backup to Luis Barraza. But Barraza’s disappointing performances that year – along with NYCFC’s persistent struggles – eventually led to Freese taking the starting spot. Since then, Freese has been lights out in goal, especially this season. He made a name for himself as a strong candidate for MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, with a save rate of (73.4%) and 8.9 goals prevented. But the award went to Charlotte FC’s Kristijan Kahlina, who led the league in clean sheets (13), save percentage (76%), and goals prevented (13.1).
So yes, Freese wasn’t as good as Kahlina, but he followed closely behind in save percentage and goals prevented, both of which were the second-best in the league. He bailed New York City out of many games, including a five-save performance against Inter Miami in March to earn a valuable road point. Freese had a career-high nine saves twice this season, the first in the 3-2 away win against Toronto FC, and the second in a 3-2 loss to Columbus at Yankee Stadium. Although the result vs Columbus didn’t go NYCFC’s way, Freese was the reason New York City won many games and avoided defeat in others throughout the season.
But perhaps Freese’s most vital performance this season was against FC Cincinnati in Game Three of Round One of the MLS Cup playoffs. He totaled four saves in regulation, followed by his three-save penalty shootout display to send New York City to the Eastern Conference semifinals. If it not for Freese’s heroics, NYCFC would have lost to Cincinnati.
Freese remains criminally underrated – he’s yet to be called up to the USMNT by new head coach Mauricio Pochettino, with the struggling Zack Steffen still getting the nod over him. He’ll get his chance one day, but, shockingly, it hasn’t happened yet.
There is one thing New York City fans can agree on: Freese was the team’s best player and deserves much more recognition and appreciation for his outstanding performances every game. He’s consistently impressive and plays for the badge; he puts the team first and displays captain-like qualities.
Freese has a contract with NYCFC until 2026, and it’s safe to say that no one will take the starting spot from him. It’ll be exciting to see Freese build off this season’s performances next year, and perhaps then he’ll finally earn his well-deserved USMNT call-up and league-wide recognition.