Alex Freeman, USMNT open eyes in historic rout of Uruguay | OneFootball

By Charles Boehm

TAMPA, Fla. – Each goal was stunning in its own way as it flew past goalkeeper Cristopher Fiermarin.

All were well-crafted, two from expertly executed set pieces, four of them in the first half alone, the final tally making all sorts of history for the US men’s national team. It tied the program's record for the largest-ever margin of victory over a South American opponent, and its largest margin of victory over an opponent in the top 15 of the FIFA World Rankings, among other distinctions.

“We knew it was a tough task ahead of us, but we were prepared,” said Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, who lashed home his first career international goal from a clever free-kick routine to light the spark on this mild Florida night, then curled a deep corner kick onto Freeman’s head to double the lead mere moments later..

“Guys were ready to step up. Before the game, I think everyone was just feeling like we could do this, and this wasn't out of our reach. And everyone went out there and did it, did an amazing job.”

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Historic win

As it ticked up to a whopping 5-1 advantage over Uruguay via fine finishes from Real Salt Lake star Diego Luna and FC Dallas youth product Tanner Tessmann, the scoreboard at Raymond James Stadium seemed to defy reality, to mock some of global soccer’s most deeply-held conventional wisdom.

How on earth did this relatively unproven USMNT lineup – with nine changes from Saturday’s win over Paraguay at Subaru Park, missing stars like Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie – so thoroughly pound the life out of a mostly first-choice La Celeste, a perennial contender and hipster’s pick to win the World Cup next summer?

“It's historic, but I also feel like it's earned, you know?” said Alex Freeman, the young Orlando City homegrown who bagged two goals to cap his jaw-dropping, life-changing breakout 2025. “I feel like this game, you could tell by watching it that we were going to be hitting 100% since the start. We hit first, we were able to keep the ball, play our game, but also be aggressive.

“We showed the world what we can do.”

Freeman shines

Coach Mauricio Pochettino marveled at the 21-year-old fullback’s maturity and growth, as well as the vibrant athleticism that’s suddenly made him a hot topic on the international transfer market.

“I am so happy, so happy, because today he scored twice – but in the way, I think, you need to analyze the way he played,” said ‘Poch’ of Freeman. “He can play like a third center back; he can play going forward and go inside; in the times that he took the ball, how is difficult for the opponent to stop him.

“When he has the ball, the team is like,” – and here Pochettino breathed in deeply and exhaled to demonstrate Freeman’s poise and confidence – “'This is a relief, no?' This is how easy he plays, and the capacity, he is so strong. You saw against Paraguay, three against him and they cannot beat him.”

Uruguay are footballing royalty: World Cup winners, a developmental powerhouse, led by one of the most respected managers on the planet, Marcelo Bielsa, with players from European giants like FC Barcelona, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Napoli dotting their starting XI. Bielsa himself had little explanation, electing instead to assign himself full responsibility for the humbling loss.

“I can't defend the performance,” said the revered Argentine coach in Spanish. “We clearly played our team with players who play more frequently against players who don't play as frequently for the United States, and the differences were what you saw … What's clear is that I was outplayed in my management of the team, as Uruguay were today.”

Berhalter, Luna also make their case

It was a deeply satisfying night for a USMNT group which endured more than its share of controversy and underachievement lately. Pochettino gave Berhalter, Freeman and Luna opportunities with the national team this year and was richly rewarded again here, handing himself what figures to be a welcome set of selection conundrums when it’s time to pick his final roster for the 2026 World Cup.

Rather than take a victory lap, however, the Yanks’ boss stood up for his players in a series of prickly remarks to what he considered “disrespectful” questions from reporters about the less-established players who shined on this memorable occasion compared to the regulars – a word he found demeaning to his squad’s ethos of brotherhood – who were absent or on the bench.

His point: Everyone in this group is valued, and valuable. And the night’s result was powerful proof.

“It reaffirms all the concepts, the time invested working – for a year – to be able to change things that we think could be better,” Pochettino said in Spanish. “It gives us the conviction to keep working, the conviction that we are on the right track, that we started a project with many difficulties, but that little by little we have turned things around.

“Now, as we see the team competing, defending the name, the badge, feeling the colors, fighting in every action as if it were the last, I think that's the enjoyment we take away the most.”