Overview:
One of the great confounding questions of the MLS postseason is why New York City FC goalkeeper Matt Freese did not make top three netminders on the league’s goalkeeper of the year ballot.
Matt Freese does his thing during the shootout. (Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images)
By Michael Lewis
FrontRowSoccer.com Editor
One of the great confounding questions of the MLS postseason is why New York City FC goalkeeper Matt Freese did not make top three netminders on the league’s goalkeeper of the year ballot.
After all, he was pretty darn good during the regular season.
And during the playoffs, particularly in City’s 6-5 shootout victory over FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati on Saturday. After the teams played to a nil-nil tie in regulation, Freese made three vital saves in the tie-breaker. The sixth-seeded Cityzens won the final match of the three-game MLS Eastern Conference semifinal series, surprising the third-seeding hosts.
“Matt last season in 2023, he had to be patient to get the shirt,” NYCFC head coach Nick Cushing said. “Him and Luis [Barraza] have fought it out and continue to and the goalkeeping department is so competitive, [including] Tomás Romero and Alex Rando. The reason why Matt Freese can compete at the level that he can is because of the chemistry and the cohesion that Rob [Vartughian, the goalkeeping coach] has with the goalkeepers.”
And there’s more.
“Matt is growing into a real leader in the group,” Cushing said. “He has a real presence in the dressing room, but it’s just his desire. I say all the time all I want in our locker room is guys that are hungry, that believe and that have ambition. [When] we have those three things, we have a chance, at least a chance. Matt Freese, every time we missed [on penalties]he just showed the ambition and the hunger to save another one tonight. That is just a great example of a guy that is a real high contributor to a team.”
Freeze denied Pavel Bucha, Gerardo Valenzuela and Teenage Hadebe
“What can I say about him? He is really a beast,” said Mitja Ilenic, who converted the game-winning penalty. ” I was watching some nominations, and this he was not even in top three. I don’t know how is this possible, but I think he’s just proving again, proving again, the haters.
“He really deserved this. This guy is always in the gym, always doing his rehab, always doing [workouts] with the rope outside. He is just a machine. I’m super happy to have him because it means a lot when he saved the game. Also congrats, I think he saved [three] penalties and for me to just to put the cherry on top [and score]how great was that?”
Apparently great to become a playoff hero with his three key saves, but not great enough to be considered highly around the league.
