Matthew Mangam from Hudson River Blue Read More [[{“value”:”
Matt Freese was not New York City FC’s first pick for starting goalkeeper after Sean Johnson left the team to join Toronto FC. Instead, that spot initially belonged to Luis Barraza, who took the No 1 jersey at the start of the 2023 season. But Freese improved during the course of the year, and he earned the starting role by the end of that summer. Since the 2-0 win over CF Montréal on August 30, 2023, the Iceman has started every game for NYCFC, and now Barraza serves as the backup.
Freese was good in goal last year, and was an important factor in the team’s strong run of form at the end of the season. But his performances this season can only be described as exceptional. The 25-year-old is a pivotal figure in New York City’s recent success, consistently making crucial saves to maintain leads or keep the game within reach for NYCFC. But what is it about Freese that sets him apart as a top-tier goalkeeper?
Elite shot-stopper
Freese stands at 6-foot-3, which isn’t the tallest among goalkeepers in MLS. Despite this, Freese is excellent at making himself big to save tough shots, especially in one-on-one situations with opposing players. He has a save percentage of 78.4 per FBRef, which is the fourth-highest in the MLS as of the publication of this article. That places him above the likes of Steve Clark, Kristin Kahlina, Joe Willis, and Stefan Frei.
Name
Club
Save Percentage
Saves
Goals Against per 90
Clean Sheets
Roman Celentano
FC Cincinnati
82.1
31
0.83
5
Brad Stuver
Austin
80.5
67
1.25
5
Joe Willis
Nashville
79.5
31
0.89
4
Matt Freese
NYCFC
78.4
57
1.07
3
Steve Clark
Houston Dynamo
77.8
41
1.02
3
Stefan Frei
Seattle Sounders
75.6
33
1.06
3
Patrick Schulte
Columbus Crew
75.6
30
0.92
4
Brad Guzan
Atlanta United
75.4
40
1.17
3
Zac MacMath
Real Salt Lake
75.4
47
1.25
3
John McCarthy
LA Galaxy
74.7
57
1.53
2
Drake Callender
Inter Miami
74.6
47
1.25
4
Kristijan Kahlina
Charlotte FC
74.6
47
1
7
Freese has shown his ability to make reflex saves countless times this season. In the 1-0 loss to FC Cincinnati on Matchday 5, Freese parried away efforts from Aaron Boupendza, Corey Baird, and Luciano Acosta, to keep the game close. New York City had a rocky start to the season, with just one win in their first five games, but Freese was establishing himself to be among the league’s best shot-stoppers despite the team’s results.
Matchday 5 | 1-0 loss to FC Cincinnati
Saves: 5
Matt Freese’s first standout performance of the season, the Iceman played a big role in limiting Luciano Acosta and Co. to only scoring one goal and keeping it a close game for #NYCFC. pic.twitter.com/QBubLWVxA1
— Matthew Mangam (@MatthewMangam) May 23, 2024
Freese’s biggest test came against Lionel Messi-less Inter Miami on March 30. Luis Suárez found a way to score early in that game, but Freese made five important saves to prevent the striker from adding more goals.
In the 22nd minute, the Urugyan found himself in behind with plenty of time and space to shoot, but Freese came off his line and made himself big to force Suárez into a rushed shot. Later on in the game, Suárez blasted an attempt from the edge of the box that was headed toward Freese’s far post, but the Iceman extended himself outward to get a hand on it and save the shot.
Matchday 6 | 1-1 tie with Inter Miami
Saves: 5
Another huge performance from Matt Freese, making some huge saves to prevent Luis Suarez to only scoring one goal. Also helped #NYCFC earn a valuable point on the road. pic.twitter.com/PogWbYsAeY
— Matthew Mangam (@MatthewMangam) May 23, 2024
The following week, Freese limited a strong Atlanta United offense to just one goal, keeping Thiago Almada and others off the score sheet with some solid saves. In the games in which NYCFC did not play particularly well, Freese’s performances helped the team get over the line and salvage key points.
Matchday 7 | 1-1 tie with Atlanta United
Saves: 5
Matt Freese had a busy first half, making some great stops off Thiago Almada and Sabo Lobzhanidze. Once again helped #NYCFC earn a point in Queens. pic.twitter.com/djhJIuCEyz
— Matthew Mangam (@MatthewMangam) May 23, 2024
9 saves = 3 points
New York City could not have earned their first away win of the season against a combative Toronto FC without Freese. The Iceman made a career-high nine saves to keep out the likes of Lorenzo Insigne, Jonathan Osorio, and Prince Owusu.
Matchday 12 | 3-2 win over Toronto
Saves: 9
Matt Freese made a career-high 9 saves as #NYCFC earned their first road win of the season against Toronto. The offense scored 3 goals, yes, but Freese’s 9 saves played a huge role in the win. pic.twitter.com/o1igFGsiyz
— Matthew Mangam (@MatthewMangam) May 23, 2024
Freese continued his excellent form the following week against the Philadelphia Union and the New York Red Bulls, totaling seven saves as NYCFC climbed up the Eastern Conference table. More recently, Freese recorded six saves in New York City’s gritty 0-1 road win over New England. He made one of his best saves in a NYCFC kit yet off a Giacomo Vrioni header early in the second half.
Matchday 15 | 1-0 win over New England
Saves: 6
It wasn’t a pretty win for #NYCFC, but Freese’s six saves and a late goal from Keaton Parks helped New York get over the line for a gritty road win. Freese made one of his best saves this season off of a Giacomo Vrioni header. pic.twitter.com/TQSrPOez11
— Matthew Mangam (@MatthewMangam) May 28, 2024
Freese’s 78.4 save percentage has resulted in just three clean sheets, which puts him in a nine-way tie for 12th place. But his Goals Prevented of 6.0, per FotMob, is tied for most in the league with Yohei Takaoka of Vancouver. Freese averages 3.9 saves per game and is largely responsible for NYCFC’s low tally of 16 goals conceded, which is the fifth-lowest in the league.
Sweeper keeper
Along with his excellent shot-stopping skills and fast reflexes, Freese can also perform as a sweeper-keeper. Per FBRef, he averages 1.33 defensive actions outside of the penalty area per 90 minutes and, on average, travels 15.2 yards from goal to act as a sweeper. This puts Freese in 11th out of 29 MLS goalkeepers in sweeper keeper statistic rankings.
Name
Club
Defensive Actions Outside of Penalty Area
Defensive Actions Outside of Penalty Area Per 90
Crosses Stopped Percentage
Alex Bono
DC United
34
2.13
4.7
Zack Steffen
Colorado Rapids
31
1.94
4
Kristijan Kahlina
Charlotte FC
29
1.81
7.1
Dayne St. Clair
Minnesota
27
1.93
1.7
Roman Bürki
St. Louis
24
1.71
2.6
Zac MacMath
Real Salt Lake
23
1.92
7.5
Brad Stuver
Austin FC
22
1.38
11
Maarten Paes
FC Dallas
21
1.5
2.2
Matt Freese
NYCFC
20
1.33
6.7
Jonathan Sirois
CF Montréal
19
1.27
6.3
Maxime Crépeau
Portland Timbers
18
1.56
8.4
Steve Clark
Houston Dynamo
18
1.41
6
Freese can also stop crosses from coming into the box. He is tied for first with Carlos Coronel in opponent’s crosses saved with 19, but has caught a league-high 19 crosses. Per FBRef, Freese has stopped 6.7 percent of the opponent’s crosses in the penalty area, the ninth-most in MLS.
The best in MLS?
Freese is starting to turn heads across the league. The Iceman was named to the MLS Team of the Matchday four times out of a possible 16, more than any other goalkeeper.
It isn’t even close. Freese’s closest competition is LAFC’s Hugo Lloris, St. Louis City’s Roman Bürki, and Toronto’s Sean Johnson, who were each named twice.
That kind of recognition is nice to get – it’s more a compliment than anything else. But it’s also a reflection of Freese’s exceptional performances, and his evolution into a goalkeeper that other teams now dread facing.
It’s only halfway through the 2024 MLS season, but the numbers don’t lie: Freese is an elite goalkeeper who is getting better as time goes on. He is on pace to become one of the best goalkeepers in the league – if not the best goalkeeper in the league – and that’s good news for a New York City that currently sit in third place in the Eastern Conference, and are looking to win a fifth consecutive game tomorrow night when they host San Jose Earthquakes in the Bronx.
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