While most of La Liga’s oxygen was consumed by the first el clásico since José Mourinho’s return to Real Madrid this weekend, another rivalry put Alex Freeman in the spotlight position.

Or quite a few positions, as it turned out.

While not among the most storied derbies in Spain, Valencia v Villarreal has grown into a regional contest with considerable teeth since billionaire Fernando Roig bought Villarreal rather than following his brother, Paco, as the head of Valencia.

For Freeman, who came off the bench in last week’s Champions League loss to Liverpool, his first taste of the rivalry on Saturday came in a somewhat unfamiliar position: left-back. The 22-year-old largely looked the part away from his usual spot on the right, living up to Mauricio Pochettino’s recent praise of his reading of the game.

Freeman had opportunities to test his left foot, creating a pair of chances before Valencia opened the scoring from the penalty spot. It seemed Villarreal’s best chance at an equalizer would come through a set piece, but instead it came from the run of play – and Freeman was there to finish it.

The Orlando City product switched back to his usual station at right-back after a few 65th-minute substitutions, and was asked to provide width as a right midfielder subbed off. It quickly proved a wise adjustment. Villarreal worked down the left in the 69th minute, lopping a cross to Freeman just inside the area. Freeman prodded the ball through a thicket of Valencian bodies, finding the narrowest of windows between the goalkeeper and his last defender, to score his first goal in La Liga.

Freeman was later moved to a third station, moonlighting at right midfield as Iñigo Pérez sent on another defender. While not directly involved in the last-gasp winner, Freeman kept his run down the flank even as Villarreal worked up the left and center to keep the defense laterally stretched. Most Villarreal players collapsed to their knees as the final whistle blew. Not Freeman, who instead walked around and congratulated his teammates.

After the game, Pérez lauded Freeman as one of four “top-level” full-backs available to him who “are fundamental, vital to developing my vision of football”.

“We need them to be very versatile, and in this case, Alex is a super player,” Pérez added. “He can easily play center-back, full-back, left-back, further forward, wing-back; he’s even played on both flanks for his national team. Therefore, this versatility and dynamism, combined with his skill level, means that, for a coach, the confidence to field him in any position or ask him to do things that might surprise him makes me bolder, and, as you’ve seen, he’s able to play with astonishing composure.”

Named man of the match for his efforts, it’s easy to forget that Freeman hasn’t even spent a full year in Europe. He only officially left Orlando on 29 January, and Villarreal look smart for signing him before his star-making turn at the World Cup, securing his future for an initial fee of $4m.

His next move may require an extra digit, though there are still elements to be refined. Valencia’s veteran forwards found it too easy to get better positioning to beat Freeman in the air to aerial distribution, planting firmer in their stances and reading angles a half second quicker than the American. Some of that could come down to playing on the opposite flank from his usual spot, but it’s still an adjustment one can expect him to make with increased playing time. He has previously struggled to use his dribble to create extra space from his defender, although he did have a few valuable upfield scampers before Villarreal were reduced to 10 men in the 79th minute.

It was the latest strong shift for a player who Pochettino has long seen as having world-class potential.

“He is so humble, he has an amazing profile, he always listens,” Pochettino said after Freeman scored in the US’s World Cup win over Australia on 19 June. “You really enjoy being with him, coaching him, and [he] is an amazing player. For me, [he has potential] to be one of the best players at his position in the world.”

Freeman is already a rarity for US men playing abroad: a defender who can change games for a Champions League-level club. No player has become a brighter star since Pochettino arrived as US manager, and Freeman is only just getting started.