All of the NYCFC players at the World Cup will be in the Round of 32 | OneFootball

On Thursday night, the United States men's national team and Australia national football team played their final games in the group round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Stars and Stripes did not have any current New York City FC players start, for Matt Freese was on the bench due to heavy rotation in the Starting XI. Then, Aiden O'Neill started for the Socceroos, while Kai Trewin was on the bench.

However, former Homegrown player Joe Scally and former academy player Gio Reyna earned the nods in the US Starting XI. This was nice to see, but Mauricio Pochettino still made a risky move by rotating nine players, even though they were already in first place. Australia, on the other hand, needed their best players since they were trying to secure second place.

In the end, the USMNT lost 3-2 after Türkiye scored a late goal. But Australia failed to score and ended their match in a 0-0 draw. Hence, NYCFC's O'Neill and Trewin end the group in second.

NYCFC's connected players played for the USMNT

As mentioned, Reyna and Scally started for the USMNT. Sadly, the NYCFC-connected players were okay and did not play to the level that they can play at. Scally struggled a little in the backline, failing to prevent Türkiye players from going around him way too many times. He was better in the second half, though. Reyna needed to be more influential in the midfield, but was not. But he was decent in his play, proving he should easily continue to make an impact off the bench.

The US could have easily had another solid match that ended in a win. However, despite scoring first, their opponents scored two goals in return. The Stars and Stripes allowed Türkiye to outplay them and control the pace of play for most of the first half and at the end of the second half.

There was some promise, though, once Sebastian Berhalter tied the game for the USMNT in the 49th minute. Plus, the return of Christian Pulisic was a huge help offensively. But poor defending led to the late goal that saw the US lose.

Truth be told, it probably would not have mattered whether Freese started over Matt Turner. The backline, which was completely different compared to the last two games, was poor defensively. It did not help that Auston Trusty and Miles Robinson were the center-backs. Trusty has been good at the club level and had some good moments, including his goal, but Robinson has been poor all year. Neither was good for the US backline. So, the NYCFC goalkeeper would not have made a difference.

More NYCFC players are moving on after Australia's draw

Once again, Trewin did not play any minutes for the Socceroos, and it looks like he might not see the pitch during the World Cup. But O'Neill once again started and played the full 90 minutes for Australia. He and his fellow midfielders were instrumental in their team controlling the game and maintaining more of the possession.

Throughout the match, it actually felt as if the night was destined to end in a draw. Sometimes, it felt like the players were just kicking the ball back and forth. Australia was more threatening in the attack, but Paraguay did well defensively.

Meanwhile, O'Neill played his best game of the World Cup, and he won the Superior Player of the Match award. Sometimes, his work in the midfield is not noticeable, but when he is absent, it is clear that he is missed. He is the type of player who can make a difference.

Alas, knowing that all of the NYCFC players will be in the Round of 32 is a good accomplishment, and something that can be noted in the club's history. What the future holds, though, is unknown.

Except for the schedule. Now, the path is set in stone if the USMNT and Australia move on in the World Cup.