Two Delco kids. One World Cup shutout.  

Delaware County landed on soccer’s biggest stage Friday after the U.S. men’s national team beat Australia, 2-0, in the World Cup, writes Jonathan Tannenwald for The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

When the final whistle blew, Media native Auston Trusty made his way across the pitch to goalkeeper Matt Freese, who was born in Wayne, and pulled him into a hug.  

Neither realized the moment was being photographed. 

“He came over to me and said, ‘Two Delco-heads just had a shutout in the World Cup together. That’s fate,’” said Freese. “And I laughed and I said, ‘Yeah, who would have thought?’” 

The reunion carried weight beyond the scoreline.  

Both players came up through the Philadelphia Union pipeline, and both carry deep local roots. 

Freese, an Episcopal Academy graduate, kept the clean sheet in the net.  

Trusty, who grew up in Media and played for Nether United in Nether Providence, made his World Cup debut with family, friends, and two of his earliest youth coaches watching from the stands. 

Together, they helped push the USMNT into the knockout rounds ahead of the group-stage finale against Turkey.  

The win also marked the first time since the inaugural 1930 tournament that the U.S. program has claimed two victories in a single World Cup group stage. 

Later that night, a Turkey loss locked up first place in the group for the United States with a game to spare. 

It was a homegrown snapshot of just how far Delco’s soccer pipeline now reaches.  

For Freese and Trusty, one embrace at midfield folded personal history, hometown pride, and national soccer history into a single frame. 

Get the full story of how two kids from Delaware County turned a youth soccer pipeline into a World Cup shutout in The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

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