Celtic’s Auston Trusty handed an early World Cup opener hint after USMNT’s selection decision

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There is still a lot going on at Celtic, especially with Martin O’Neill staying on for next season.

But the main spotlight is now turning to the 2026 World Cup, where several Celtic players are expected to feature, including Auston Trusty.

This is a home World Cup for the United States men’s national soccer team (USMNT), with the United States of America co-hosting the tournament alongside Mexico and Canada.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side fell to a 2-1 defeat against Germany in Saturday’s warm-up fixture, with Trusty having to settle for a place on the bench.

Ultimately, the starting lineup provided the biggest hint yet as to how the manager intends to deploy his squad once the Americans’ World Cup officially begins against Paraguay on June 13 (UK Time).

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Auston Trusty starts from the bench as the USMNT lose to Germany before World Cup opener

After the nightmare 33-day spell of Wilfried Nancy at Celtic, what’s interesting is that Trusty is playing in a back three under Pochettino.

The same applies to Liam Scales at the Republic of Ireland.

It’s interesting how things have turned out for Celtic’s main starting defenders from the recently concluded campaign.

But Trusty plays as a left-sided centre-back of a back three, and he came off the bench in the 63rd minute against the Germans when Julian Nagelsmann’s side were winning 2-1.

USMNT actually produced a strong showing, despite the defeat, with Trusty being handed a rating of 6.7 by Sofascore for his 27 minutes on the pitch.

Does Antonee Robinson’s injury possibly open the door for Trusty?

Not only has Trusty played in a back three, but he has also been deployed as a wing-back, once again, just like Scales for Ireland.

Following Robinson’s outrageous volley to level the scores against the Germans, the Fulham defender was forced off with what looked like a muscle injury and replaced by Trusty.

You just wonder if Robinson is injured, if that opens the door for Trusty to start because the next stop for the USMNT is that opening World Cup game.