A battle of NYCFC players: the USMNT and Australia will meet in World Cup game | OneFootball

Unless one has been living under a rock, fans know that there are New York City FC players who are at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Matt Freese is with the United States men's national team. Then, Aiden O'Neill and Kai Trewin are with the Australia national team. In addition, former Pigeon Joe Scally and former academy player Gio Reyna are also with the USMNT.

The fact that current and former players are at the World Cup is an incredible thing for NYCFC. The club can now say that they have had multiple World Cup players, and perhaps this fact will encourage others that they can join the Major League Soccer side and still play for a national team, possibly at the biggest tournament in the world.

NYCFC will feature in World Cup game

Moreover, the club and fans can truly appreciate this fact and be proud of the players when they play on Friday, June 19. The USMNT and Australia will face off in their second game of Group D. Both teams won their first matches, and Freese and O'Neill started for their respective sides.

So, when the World Cup fixture kicks off, one would expect the two players to start. Whether Trewin comes on for Australia is questionable, and unless the Socceroos are up by a lot against the Stars and Stripes, he will likely stay on the bench. Then, both Reyna and Scally have a shot of coming off the bench. If Christian Pulisic is not available, who is for some unknown reason linked to NYCFC, then Reyna will probably play more minutes than expected.

Nevertheless, with Freese and O'Neill expected to start, NYCFC will be front and center during the World Cup game. This is a moment that some might have never expected to witness, and it really is such an important moment for the Pigeons. If anyone on the team does well, then it will be talked about. Look at Reyna and his big goal in the win over Paraguay. He might have never signed for the first team, but he was still the first academy graduate to score at a World Cup.

The one concern from the USMNT perspective is O'Neill. He is a defensive midfielder and works with Freese and the rest of the NYCFC defense all the time. Hence, his knowledge of his goalkeeper could help Australia in their quest to upset the hosts. Hopefully, that will not happen.

One can easily believe that most fans of the Boys in Blue will be cheering for the USMNT. In that case, it is okay to root against the Australian NYCFC players. Still, it would be ideal for everyone, including the former players, to do well in this game.