CHESTER, Pa. — Two years ago, when the Philadelphia Union traveled to Toronto for a daunting Knockout Round game, they brought along a recently signed 18-year Homegrown to round out their bench.
Auston Trusty didn’t end up playing in that game, a 3-1 loss to the eventual runner-ups Toronto FC, or in any other contest until this season kicked off in March.
But after becoming one of just four players in the league to play every minute in 2018, and forming a promising center back pairing with fellow Homegrown Mark McKenzie that helped Philly qualify for the Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs for the third time in the club’s history, Trusty is ready to step into the spotlight when the Union return to the Knockout Round to face New York City FC on Wednesday (7 pm ET | FS1, UniMás in US; TSN, TVAS in Canada).