“I had Packers fans cheering for me. He has 50 states rallying around him.” Former Green Bay Packers‘ wide receiver and Super Bowl champion, Antonio Freeman, said about his son, Alex Freeman, who’s playing for the National U.S. Soccer Team in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. After all, not only did his first World Cup goal secure a big win over Australia in the group stage, but it also helped the USA to qualify for the Round of 32. And now, the elder Freeman has reflected on his son’s success ahead of the Round of 16.

“To be honest, and I’m not just saying this because I’m his dad, but Alex is different,” Freeman said. “It’s exciting to see, but it’s exciting to know that all those talks that he and I have about staying ready when your number’s called. He didn’t have a lot of time to prepare for those moments. He’s moved to Villarreal. These are small things that just happened. And he had to get ready if he wasn’t ready. And that’s all we talk about is be ready, stay ready. So, when your number’s called, you can be the best you.”

Now, Alex has reached the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and when he scored his first goal on football’s biggest stage, his father couldn’t hold back the tears.

“Man, I just cried,” Antonio added. “I had my shades on, and I had my Freeman jersey on, and I just cried, man. And to see Alex and his teammates run around after the goal was called, I cried even harder, man. For them to take Alex, it was like he’s everybody’s on the team’s little brother. That’s what brought the tears, man, because you can have individual moments, but when you have team moments, that’s what makes you really special.”

Antonio Freeman had spent nine seasons in the NFL, primarily with the Packers, where he won his only Super Bowl and earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors. But when the 54-year-old NFL legend learned that his son wanted to choose soccer as his professional sport, Freeman just made one thing clear: “Whatever they do, you just support your kids.”

And that’s exactly what he did. In 2022, Alex Freeman signed with Orlando City before scoring his first professional goal a year later in a 2-1 victory over Huntsville City. Fast forward to 2025, and the younger Freeman made his USMNT debut at just 20 years old.

In the group-stage matchup against Australia, Alex scored in the 43rd minute with a header after a rebound from Sergiño Dest. While the goal was initially ruled offside, it was later awarded after a VAR review. And just like that, Alex Freeman scored his first World Cup and only the third goal of his young international career. That said, the USA has now qualified for the Round of 16 after a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, with Freeman emerging as one of the team’s biggest talking points.