INGLEWOOD, Calif. —- When Sebastian Berhalter’s corner kick floated toward the back post, most of the sellout crowd of 70,492 supporters were still settling into their seats. Some were waiting in line for beer, others were still still enveloped in conversation of how excited they were to witness a World Cup game.
Then Auston Trusty announced himself to the world.
The ball floated perfectly over a cluster of bodies before dropping onto the left leg of Trusty, who took a touch before unleashing a left-footed finish into the back of the net for the game’s first goal.
The stadium erupted as the United States grabbed a stunning early lead over Turkey just 2 minutes and 30 seconds into the match, making it the second-fastest goal ever scored by the U.S. at a FIFA World Cup.
In the stands, actor Brad Pitt celebrated with his Fight Club co-star Edward Norton.
On the pitch, Trusty celebrated his first-ever international goal with the U.S. by running toward the bench, the same as he did when he scored his first professional goal with the Philadelphia Union eight years prior.
“It’s an honor to score a goal in this World Cup competition,” Trusty said after the United States’ 3-2 loss to Turkey. “It’s a dream come true. I don’t know why I celebrated like that. It wasn’t intentional, but it was a full-circle moment.”
Trusty became the first Philadelphia Union homegrown player ever to score in a FIFA World Cup, a milestone nearly 15 years in the making.
Trusty’s journey began in nearby Media, Pennsylvania, where soccer wasn’t just a hobby. It was the family business.
The youngest of six children, Trusty grew up in a household where every sibling played collegiate soccer, his older sister Onnie played for the United States women’s youth national team. Trusty was the ball boy and was inspired by watching his older sister. Making it his own dream to one day represent his country on the international stage.
He entered the Philadelphia Union’s youth system in 2011 as one of the original Union Juniors before climbing through the club’s academy pipeline, signing as the fifth homegrown player in franchise history and eventually making 56 starts for the first team.
Trusty’s career has crossed nearly every level of the professional game since then. Arsenal. Birmingham City. Sheffield United. Now Celtic, where he recently celebrated a Scottish Premiership title.
On Thursday, all of those stops seemed to converge in one unforgettable moment less than three minutes into the match.
“I live and breathe for corners,” Trusty said with a grin. “I got an opportunity and took advantage of it. It was good to get a goal.”
The night ultimately ended in frustration after Turkey battled back for a stunning victory with a stoppage time goal on the game’s final possession. Trusty, who was injured just minutes before, was unable to get back on defense to help stop the last-second heartbreak.
“I rolled my ankle pretty bad. At the same time my hamstring was cramping, but we had no subs so I had to stay in the game,” he said. “It’s just an unfortunate loss, but we have to keep going. We won the group. That’s a positive. We have to put this behind us and learn from it.”
The result may fade as the knockout stage begins. But the images of Trusty’s goal will live forever.
For one breathtaking moment on home soil, a kid from suburban Philadelphia buried a piece of American soccer history into the back of the net, and reminded everyone that World Cup dreams don’t always belong to the biggest stars. Sometimes, they belong to the defender who simply refuses to stop attacking the next corner kick.
