Blues star ‘deserves to be on World Cup stage’
JOHN Eustace has promised to contact the United States Men’s National Team set-up to once again press the World Cup claims of Auston Trusty.
The Birmingham City manager has been championing the 24-year-old’s ambitions for most of this season, saying in early September that people needed to understand how well the defender is doing since moving from the MLS.
A few weeks after that, following Trusty’s brace in a 3-0 win over Bristol City, Eustace publicly told USA head coach Gregg Berhalter (right) he needs to ‘come and watch’ the Arsenal loanee.
And following Trusty’s third goal of the season in the 2-0 victory against QPR, Eustace has told the Birmingham Post that Berhalter is yet to watch Trusty in the flesh and that he will try once more to convince him of the Pennsylvanian’s qualities.
“I haven’t made contact since but I have made enough noise to say ‘come and watch him’,” Eustace said.
“He is a good player and I think to be playing in this kind of tournament, week in week out, the Championship, is one of the toughest leagues in the world and he is standing right up to it.
“He is going to be a top player, he is going to go back to Arsenal, whenever that is, at the end of the season and hopefully push for that firstteam spot there and I think he certainly deserves to be going to the World Cup, his performances for us having been exceptional and they are only going to get better and better.
“I haven’t been aware of anyone from there watching him but I will be making contact in the next week or so just to give them a run down on Auston’s performances again and see what their
thoughts are.”
Trusty has become a firm favourite at St Andrew’s, both with team-mates and the fans who have taken to chanting ‘USA, USA’ during games.
Trusty himself has never hidden his desire to represent his country – an honour he is yet to achieve – describing the prospect as ‘a dream’.
Even on Friday night he reiterated that dream. Speaking after the QPR game he said: “My mindset coming in here was to maximise every opportunity and give myself the best chance.
“I can’t really focus on anything else except my performances here and doing what I can for the team.
“I can only control what I can control.
“But I hope so, because it’s a dream of mine.”