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.