Antonio Freeman on watching son Alex head in a World Cup goal: 'An emotional wave'

Alex Freeman headed the United States men’s national team into a 2-0 lead against Australia in the 43rd minute at Seattle’s Lumen Field on Friday, turning a deflected Sergiño Dest shot into a World Cup goal — and sending his father, Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame wide receiver Antonio Freeman, into raptures on Father’s Day.

The goal was initially ruled offside before VAR overturned the call, leaving Antonio in anxious suspense before the celebrations could begin.

“The VAR took a really long time, and I was anxious to see whether it was a goal or not,” Alex told reporters afterwards. “And then when it was, I looked back and saw my teammates running at me and I was like, ‘Oh lord, I have to run.’”

For Antonio, a Super Bowl champion with the Packers, the moment carried a weight that even his own playing career could not match. “Oh, it was amazing,” he told reporters by phone. “I think the fact that he had a head-to-head [collision] three minutes prior and then had the audacity and the nerve to go back and hit it with his head — as a parent, I’m concerned like, ‘Didn’t he just get hit in the head?’ But I’m just jumping around in excitement.”

He also spotted the athletic foundations behind the finish. “I can see those box jumps that he was doing paid off because he jumped high in the air,” Antonio said. “He found the football, he attacked it, and he hit it with his head. Man, just a phenomenal, phenomenal play.”

What moved Antonio most, however, was the reaction of Alex’s teammates — the entire squad sprinting across the field to mob the 21-year-old once the VAR verdict was confirmed.

“Just the respect and appreciation from the older guys when he scored that goal, watching them all have a kids moment,” Antonio said, his voice brimming with happiness. “It looked like they were all just running together on one accord. And I know how hard it is sometimes being the youngest guy on the team to kind of find your way and find your niche. But he’s just Alex, and he’s figured that out.”

Alex is the youngest player on the United States’ 2026 World Cup roster. His rise has been rapid: he made his first professional start for MLS club Orlando City on 1 March 2025, earned his senior national team debut just three months later on 7 June, and then started all six matches for the U.S. at the Gold Cup — becoming the youngest player in programme history to make six consecutive starts in a single tournament.

For Antonio Freeman, a man who has experienced the pinnacle of American sport, watching his son perform on football’s biggest stage felt like something altogether different. “It was just an emotional wave for the rest of the night,” he said. “Far bigger.”