USA's Alex Freeman Makes La Liga Debut In Villarreal's Win Over Espanyol
#Alex Freeman #Villarreal #La Liga #USMNT #Espanyol #MLS #Soccer debut #World Cup
📌 Key Takeaways
- Alex Freeman made his La Liga debut for Villarreal as a second-half substitute following his move from Orlando City.
- Villarreal defeated Espanyol 4-1, ending a three-match winless run and moving level with Atletico Madrid for third place.
- Goals were scored by Mikautadze, Pepe, and Moleiro, alongside an own goal by Espanyol's Salinas.
- The match highlights Freeman's candidacy for the USA World Cup squad following his MLS Defender of the Year honors.
📖 Full Retelling
🏷️ Themes
Sports, Football, International Transfers
📚 Related People & Topics
Villarreal
Town in Valencian Community, Spain
Villarreal, officially Vila-real, is a town and municipality in the province of Castellón which is part of the Valencian Community in the east of Spain. The town is located at 42 m above sea level, 7 km to the south of the province's capital (Castelló de la Plana). Villarreal is separated from Caste...
Alex Freeman
American soccer player (born 2004)
Alexander Michael Freeman (born August 9, 2004) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a right-back or right winger for La Liga club Villarreal and the United States national team. In 2022, Freeman signed with Major League Soccer franchise Orlando City, but spent the first three seas...
La Liga
Spanish association football league
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest level of the Spanish football league system. It is controll...
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team, simply known as USMNT and officially recognized as USA by FIFA, represents the United States in men's international soccer, which is governed by the United States Soccer Federation founded in 1913. It has been an affiliate member of FIFA since 1914 and a...
RCD Espanyol
Association football club in Spain
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (Catalan: [rəˈjal ˈklub dəpuɾˈtiw əspəˈɲɔl də βəɾsəˈlonə]; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as RCD Espanyol, is a Spanish professional sports club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The club competes in La Liga, the top tier of Sp...
📄 Original Source Content
USA right-back Alex Freeman made his debut for new club Villarreal, coming on as a second-half substitute in the Spanish La Liga team's win on Monday. Villarreal scored twice in each half to hammer Espanyol 4-1 in La Liga and hand the Catalan club its heaviest defeat of the season. World Cup Watch: Does Freeman Make USA's Squad? Freeman joined Villarreal from MLS side Orlando in a January deal worth approximately $4 million upfront, potentially rising to over $7 million with performance-based add-ons. Freeman, the son of former NFL wide receiver Antonio Freeman, won MLS Defender of the Year honors last season and is in the mix to be part of the USA's World Cup squad later this summer. Villarreal's win ended a poor run which had seen Villarreal take one point from its previous three games. The win lifted it to equal on points with third-placed Atletico Madrid and seven ahead of Real Betis, although Villareal has a game in hand on both. Georges Mikautadze gave Villarreal the lead 10 minutes before halftime when he met Tajon Buchanan's perfectly cushioned header and fired home a spectacular scissor kick. Jose Salinas’ own goal six minutes later doubled Villarreal’s lead. Nicolas Pepe added the third five minutes into the second half when he rifled a low shot from outside the box after some skilful footwork. Alberto Moleiro made it 4-0 five minutes later when he finished off an incisive counterattack. Leandro Cabrera’s glancing header from a Cyril Ngonge corner with two minutes remaining was Espanyol’s only response. Barcelona-based Espanyol has not won since before Christmas and has gone six matches without a win in the league. Monday's result marked the first time this season it conceded four goals in a game. It remained in sixth place. Reporting by The Associated Press.