ORLANDO - Less than a year after leaving for Spain’s La Liga, Alex Freeman returned to Inter.co Stadium on Friday as a U.S. Men’s National Team player, joined by current Orlando City Homegrown product Justin Ellis for a post-2026 FIFA World Cup friendly against Peru - a matchup that puts two Orlando City Academy products on the national stage in the building where both began their professional careers.

“I think it’s very special for me,” Freeman said at Inter.co Stadium. “Knowing that this is kind of a place that jump-started my career, this is kind of a place where I kind of showcase myself. Just coming back here, after leaving in January, not even a year later, I feel like for me, it’s a full-circle moment.”

Freeman, now with La Liga’s Villarreal CF, and Ellis, still a Homegrown player with Orlando City SC, both came up through the Orlando City Academy and the MLS NEXT Pro pathway. Freeman said seeing Ellis earn his first senior call-up reinforced what the club’s development system has built. “I know how much it took for him to get here,” Freeman said. “He’s gone through the same pathway as me, being able to be successful in such a short amount of time like myself. Just knowing he’s going to have to go in and talk to coaches by himself, without me - it’s how can I support him whenever he needs, but let him be his own person as well.”

Ellis, who is chasing his first minutes with the senior national squad, said veteran midfielder Gio Reyna has been a steadying presence at camp. “He’s actually been so good to me in this camp,” Ellis said of Reyna. “He’s been probably the most talkative senior player, besides Freeman. Playing with him, I think we see the game in a similar way. We both love playing with the ball, and I think we can connect really well when we’re on the field.”

Both players credited Orlando City Academy Director and Head of Player Development Javier Carrillo as central to their rise, saying he brought them to Orlando after opportunities in South Florida did not materialize. “For me, and I think for Justin as well, Javi is probably one of the most influential people, not only in our football but in our lives,” Ellis said. “He took us to Orlando when the opportunity wasn’t there in South Florida, and he just kind of paved the way for both of us.”

Freeman echoed that sentiment. “Javi has been one of those guys who took a chance on us when no one else believed,” he said. “As a person, I feel like that’s something that’s very hard to do, knowing he was doing it in a professional aspect as well.”

The match also carries a personal dimension against Peru. Both Freeman and Ellis have ties to Lions midfielder Wilder Cartagena and former Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, who are part of the Peruvian squad. “Me and Wilder already talked about it,” Freeman said. “It’s going to be a battle, and it’s how we go into that battle and hopefully come out on top.”

The USMNT faces Peru at Inter.co Stadium in Orlando on Saturday.