Forgiveness seems elusive for Matt Freese among American soccer fans, especially those in Columbus.
The goalkeeper for the U.S. men’s national team faced a chorus of boos every time he handled the ball during New York City FC’s game, their first since the World Cup break.
In a tightly contested match, NYCFC managed to secure a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Crew. However, in Ohio’s heartland at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, Freese became the focal point of disdain as fans expressed their displeasure.
Some supporters still seemed upset about Freese’s misstep during the U.S. team’s World Cup clash against Belgium. His critical error, which helped Belgium score their third goal, apparently lingered in the minds of these passionate fans.
The jeers began the moment Freese touched the ball in the third minute, with Columbus fans echoing “SHAME!” shortly thereafter. The booing intensified in the sixth minute as Thiago Martins passed it back to him, amplifying the crowd’s response.
Later in the first half, the Apple TV broadcast zoomed in on one Columbus fan who was giving him a thumbs-down.
The reception didn’t appear to bother Freese much on the pitch, as the New York City FC goalkeeper made three saves against Columbus to help his club win its sixth game of the season.
NYCFC head coach Pascal Jansen said that Freese’s performance “speaks for itself” when asked by The Post about the goalkeeper’s reception Wednesday night.
“He’s not worried about these things. He has to go through it,” Jansen said. “Everybody is apparently still very disappointed either with the performance from the national team as one, and maybe in particular Matty’s performance, given the last game that he played, and what happened in that game.
“But that is something that Matty has to deal with, and he’ll get through that with the support of everybody around him, but especially the locker room. We’re not worried one bit.”
Freese was not made available to the media following the win in Columbus, but he had spoken to The Post last week in a lengthy phone interview in which he expressed a desire to not let the World Cup mistake “define my career.”
The 27-year-old had said that he had received plenty of support from American soccer fans during his trip back to New York, with young fans and their parents approaching him at the airport to tell him how they had fallen in love with soccer.
Jansen believed that Freese’s performance Wednesday night showed how well he can handle the challenges.
“If you look at how he played today, even though they were booing him, because it wasn’t just a little bit, it was almost the whole stadium that was booing him,” the coach explained. “Trying to get him off his game. But if you look back at how he handled himself, you can only give him a massive compliment for how he presented himself today.”