On Tuesday, New York City FC saw three of their players earn caps for their national teams in the friendly between the United States men's national team and the Australian national football team. Matt Freese started for the USMNT in goal, and James Sands, who is out on loan with FC St. Pauli, started and played 64 minutes in the midfield. Then, Aiden O'Neill, who is arguably Sands' replacement in the defensive midfield, started and played the entire match.
The match itself was anything but friendly. Both national teams wanted to win, and it was full of drama, testiness, and a few clashes among the players.