He’s Team USA’s Rising World Cup Star—and the Son of a Super Bowl Legend

SEATTLE—Long before he pulled on a jersey to represent the U.S. in the World Cup, Alex Freeman was a Florida kid who played all kinds of other sports: tennis, basketball, and the game that made his father a Super Bowl legend. Over nine years in the NFL mostly with the Green Bay Packers, Antonio Freeman led the NFL in receiving yards in 1998 and set a then-Super Bowl record with an 81-yard touchdown haul from Brett Favre. Everyone assumed his son, a gifted athlete, would follow in his footsteps—at least until Alex had a talk with his father about what he really hoped to pursue.