On the heels of a breakout season with both Orlando City and the U.S. Men's National Team, Alex Freeman has been named MLS Young Player of the Year. With his win, Freeman becomes the first Orlando City player to win the award in its current iteration and the second to earn this recognition overall after Cyle Larin's Rookie of the Year win back in 2015.
GettyFreeman's MLS breakout
Freeman entered the season on the fringes of the Orlando City SC squad but ended it as one of the league’s breakout stars. The 20-year-old made 29 appearances, recording six goals and three assists. After proving himself with Orlando City B, he made his MLS debut in 2023 and added two more appearances in 2024 – though his first start didn’t come until March 1 against Toronto FC.
“I went into preseason with confidence, but I was still heading into the season feeling like the backup,” he told GOAL this summer. “That first game, I get brought in and I created some chances, but I didn’t think anything of it. Next week, I find out I’m starting. I hadn’t started since I’d been here. I was scared, man. I was so nervous.”
He never looked back. Over the course of the year, Freeman became one of MLS’s most dangerous attacking threats, earning an MLS All-Star nod and, ultimately, the Young Player of the Year award – edging out Real Salt Lake’s Diego Luna, last season’s winner, and Seattle Sounders prodigy Obed Vargas.
The MLS Young Player of the Year honors the league’s top performer aged 21 or younger, with this season’s award open to players born on or after January 1, 2003.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesRising USMNT star
In addition to his MLS success, Freeman also broke through with the USMNT, starting at this summer's Gold Cup. He made his USMNT debut against Turkey just before the tournament and went on to be a mainstay through the team's journey to the final, where they fell against Mexico. Following the tournament, Freeman has remained a part of the U.S. squad, earning call-ups in September and October and starting the team's most recent game, a 2-1 win over Australia.
The voting
The award is determined by a combination of voting between players, media, and clubs, with Freeman earning a majority of the votes in all three categories. In total, he earned 30 percent of the vote, with second-place finisher Vargas receiving 20 percent and Luna, Freeman's USMNT teammate at the Gold Cup this summer, netting 10.
GettyWhat comes next?
Unfortunately for Freeman and Orlando City, their MLS season came to an end in the postseason's Wild Card round, where they fell to the Chicago Fire. Freeman, though, could still have two more games on the schedule as he looks to be called in for November friendlies with the USMNT against Paraguay and Uruguay.