Auston Trusty says he will carry the dream of representing the USA at the World Cup with him forever.
The Celtic defender scored his first international goal on his country’s run to the round of sixteen at a home tournament.
In the end, Belgium proved a task too tough for Mauricio Pochetinno’s men; Trusty watched from the bench as his team were eliminated in a 4-1 defeat.
Reflecting on the tournament as a whole, however, the 27-year-old was brimming with pride.
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Auston Trusty on the World Cup: ‘I hope it inspired people’
Trusty wrote on his Instagram: “A dream I’ll carry with me forever.
“Not the ending we hoped for, but wearing this badge, representing my country, making my World Cup debut, and scoring on the biggest stage in football are moments I’ll never take for granted.
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“One of our biggest goals was bigger than winning matches. It was to inspire the next generation.
“More than anything, I hope this summer inspired people.
“I hope kids all across the country are asking their parents for a football, spending hours in the backyard, at the park, or in the street imagining they’re playing in a World Cup.
“I hope more families are watching football together, more communities are embracing the sport, and more people discovered just how beautiful this game really is.
“Most of all, I hope young players saw that there’s a pathway to this stage and believed, maybe for the first time, that one day it could be them.
“If this World Cup inspired a new generation to dream bigger, then we’ve helped build something that will last far beyond this tournament.
“This isn’t the end of the story. It’s the beginning of the next chapter.
“The best is still ahead of 🇺🇸.”
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How other Celtic players fared at the World Cup
Alistair Johnston had an exceptional tournament, also making the last sixteen with Canada, for whom he played every minute.
Daizen Maeda and Japan were eliminated in the round prior, admittedly against tough opposition in Brazil. Against Sweden, he scored at a second consecutive World Cup.
Both men have generated interest in the transfer market, and Maeda in particular could be set to leave.
It was less enjoyable for the likes of Sebastian Tounekti, Hyunjun Yang and Kieran Tierney, who were all eliminated in the group stage.
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