2026 World Cup: USA’s Alex Freeman is the son of a Super Bowl winner, but he’s changing his ways.

In September 1996, Antonio Freeman’s performance lit up the American football scene as two touchdowns helped the Green Bay Packers to a dramatic victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

Months later, he won a Super Bowl – the highest award an NFL player can receive.

Fast forward nearly 30 years and the Freeman name is making headlines again in Seattle, but this time in a different sport, as his son Alex scored his first World Cup goal on Friday as the USA beat Australia 2-0 to seal the playoffs.

“It’s full circle family time,” Alex Freeman said after the win.

“It shows how great a family tree is. It shows that he can be great but I can be great in my own way and how wonderful it is to have a successful father and he can advise me to be ready for times like this.”

Freeman Sr. has been seen beaming with pride at USA matches and is following his son every step of the way on this World Cup journey.

But considering how the FFL has long eclipsed soccer as the nation’s favorite sport, it wasn’t easy for Alex to decide to follow this path.

Unsure of how his father would react, he was first encouraged to pursue football by his mother and stepfather, who became his first coach in the game.

The 21-year-old defender has had to keep his love of football a secret for the past year, but I’m glad he finally encouraged him to pursue his dream.

“It just goes to show how quickly things can change and not to doubt yourself,” he added.

“Now that I’m here, it shows you can’t give up. You never know what opportunities you’ll get and how you can go and make things happen. Keep pushing.

“You never know when this opportunity will come again.”