VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Australian midfielder Aiden O’Neill said the excitement of the 2026 World Cup was a major reason he left Belgium for the United States in his prime.

O'Neill joined New York City FC during the 2025 Major League Soccer season, sharing a locker room with fellow Australian Kai Trewin and several Americans including U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese.

After a season and a half as teammates, O’Neill and Freese have been thrown into the biggest roles of their lives. They'll be on opposite sides on Friday when Australia faces the United States in Seattle.

“We’re excited to play against each other,” O’Neill said. “It’d be good to get one up on him, that’s for sure.”

When manager Tony Popovic boldly left veterans Mathew Ryan and Jackson Irvine out of the starting XI for Australia’s group opener against Turkey, O’Neill quickly became the leader of the Socceroos’ four-man midfield. Meanwhile, Freese got the start in his first-ever World Cup match against Paraguay.

Strong starts

Both O’Neill and Freese shone in their World Cup debuts, contributing to wins. When the teammates face off again on Friday, the result could decide the top of Group D.

Trewin, a defender who is also on NYCFC and Australia’s World Cup squad but did not appear in the 2-0 win over Turkey, added that he has “never wanted to win a game more than this one.”

NYCFC reached the MLS Cup playoff semifinals with O’Neill and Freese as starters in 2025. Trewin moved from Australia to join the two in the starting lineup for 2026, and the squad currently sits in a playoff spot again during the league’s World Cup break.

Now, the matchup between the Australians and Americans will likely be the biggest game for all three to date.

___

Ben Kule is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.

___

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Qatar’s World Cup defeat to Canada on Thursday went so awry that goalkeeper Mahmoud Abunada appeared to break down in tears after the final whistle, receiving comfort from a teammate and Canada’s Jacob Schaffelburg.

“It was a tough match, because everything that could go wrong, did go wrong,” coach Julen Lopetegui said. “That’s how football is sometimes.”

Qatar played two men down for most of the second half after a pair of red cards and went on to lose 6-0, the worst defeat in the Persian Gulf country's short World Cup history. Qatar debuted in the tournament as the host in 2022 and lost 2-0 to Ecuador, 3-1 to Senegal and 2-0 to the Netherlands.

The second red card was issued to midfielder Assim Madibo, who tackled Canada's Ismaël Koné from behind, breaking Koné's lower left leg. Koné was stretchered off the field and taken to a hospital for surgery.

Koné’s replacement, Nathan Saliba, buried a 20-yard free kick in the 64th minute for Canada’s fourth goal.

Controlling rebounds was a struggle for the Qatari defenders, who could not clear the ball after two of Abunada’s saves. Canada had 10 shots on goal while Qatar had none.

Standout left back Homam Ahmed was the first player sent off. His yellow card was upgraded to a red in the 33rd minute.

“It was a very tough match for many reasons,” Lopetegui said. “The players did their best. It was very difficult to face this match with two players less with this environment.”

After Canada's postgame huddle, Lopetegui and Canada coach Jesse Marsch had a heated exchange.

Marsch said Madibo apologized to Koné after the game, but he took issue with the way Qatar players reacted after the injury.

“I don’t understand a reaction from their entire bench to try to start a fight about it being a red card when a clear foul just happened that broke a player’s leg,” Marsch said. “So, strange behavior.”

Qatar is last in Group B but still has a chance to reach the knockout round. It faces Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday in Seattle.

___

Ben Kule is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.

___

AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup