Lalas calls Freese a 'letdown' after Germany loss as USMNT goalkeeping crisis deepens ahead of World Cup

Matt Freese’s position as the United States men’s national team’s first-choice goalkeeper came under sharp scrutiny after a 2-1 friendly defeat to Germany at Soldier Field in Chicago on Saturday, with former U.S. international Alexi Lalas labelling his performance a ‘letdown’ and questioning whether Freese has yet to prove himself at international level.

Despite bright moments from the outfield players — most notably Antonee Robinson’s wonder strike and a confident display from Christian Pulisic — Lalas directed pointed criticism at Freese on his ‘State of the Union’ podcast, arguing the goalkeeper was at fault for both of Germany’s goals.

“The second goal from Germany, again, was a letdown,” Lalas said. “I want to be fair, there was a little bit of a deflection on the shot, but it just goes back to Matt Freese has yet to make the save he shouldn’t make, and there are plenty of big-time goalkeepers in the world that would find a way to make that save.”

Lalas also placed significant blame on Freese for Kai Havertz’s opening goal, arguing the goalkeeper failed to take command of his penalty area when the United States were defending a set piece with a high defensive line. In Lalas’s view, Freese needed to be far more aggressive in coming off his line to deal with the danger before Havertz could capitalise.

“I think the majority of this blame goes on Matt Freese,” Lalas said. “If you are going to create what amounts to a 10-15 yard space, your goalkeeper damn well better come out and clean house, and that is certainly not what Matt Freese did on this. You are left as defenders having to retreat and then get goalside.”

Freese started against Germany after Matt Turner had played the first half of the United States’ earlier friendly against Senegal. Many interpreted Freese’s selection as a sign of his standing in Mauricio Pochettino’s pecking order, but Lalas made clear he believes the competition between the two remains wide open.

Turner, who impressed at the 2022 World Cup, has struggled to build consistently on that momentum at international level despite a solid club season with the New England Revolution. Freese, meanwhile, has established himself as the current nominal number one but has not yet delivered the kind of standout performances that would make the position his beyond doubt.

With the 2026 World Cup — co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico — drawing closer, the goalkeeping situation represents one of the most pressing unresolved questions for Pochettino’s side. Unlike previous U.S. generations that could call upon multiple proven international goalkeepers, the current pool lacks the same depth of established talent, making the rivalry between Freese and Turner all the more consequential.