Auston Trusty goes from FIFA gamer to Celtic reality at Allianz amid 'magical' Bayern moment
The USA cap is convinced Brendan Rodgers' men are ready for the next level after their brave display at Bayern Munich
The closest Auston Trusty got to the Allianz Arena as a kid was playing at the legendary space age stadium on computer games.
But the American defender is now convinced it’s Celtic who are ready to go to the next level on the back of their amazingly brave display against Bayern Munich. The Hoops may have bowed out of the Champions League in Bavaria the other night but they certainly went out swinging. And the performances in Bayern’s incredible arena has only fuelled the belief at Parkhead they can mix it with the big boys.
It will take some time for the late pain to subside. But the time will come to reflect on a successful campaign, where Brendan Rodgers’ side competed with the best and hinted there could be even more thrill rides to come. The dream was on when Nicolas Kuhn struck against his old club on Tuesday night. But hearts were left shattered when Alphonso Davies smuggled in an equaliser just 15 seconds from the end when extra time was looming.
It was a brutal finale but Trusty soaked in the special occasion in Germany. And it’s given him belief there are even better times ahead for this Celtic group.
He said: “When I was back in the States playing. I was playing there on FIFA, you know. So, to have it in real life and to see the person playing the pitch and have the environment and stuff like that cheering us on and creating the atmosphere here, you know, it’s pretty magical.
“I mean, it is what dreams are made of. I would have liked another goal. I would have liked a couple more goals. We had some good chances. I think we had the best chances in the game. It was pretty amazing.
“Yeah, it was a unique performance. I think this is just the beginning of it. The mindset of this team, again, when people count us out, we back ourselves. So it’s only up from here.”
No one gave Celtic much hope against Bayern but the performance from the Parkhead men made the whole of Europe take note. Trusty insisted the Hoops always had faith they could cause a stir.
He said: “Coming here we had everyone who doubted us, everyone who counted us out. The result we got at the end of the day is something to be proud of and how we did this entire campaign is something to be proud of.
“The mindset was ‘why not us?’. We have the ability, we have the mindset, and it’s really up to us. We went out there and showed that, to come out here and get the result.
“The tie, we really should have won but we tied up at the end. It shows a lot of the team how much we back ourselves.
“Honestly, there’s been many highs throughout this entire campaign. I couldn’t pick just one but it’s a pleasure to play with these guys every single day, every single game.
“And a lot of teams, a lot of people, have counted us out in certain situations but to see us back each other and get results, that’s what it means to be a good player here.
“We’re extremely confident, you know. We were extremely confident coming into this game and against any team we play. That’s just the mindset of the team. We can only build from here and that’s really what you want to see.”
Celtic have come a long way since their 7-1 drubbing in Dortmund. They’ve shown they can compete at this level but there’s a promise of more to come.
Parkhead powerbroker Dermot Desmond was high in the stands in the Allianz Arena and the Irish billionaire must have been plotting how best to persuade Rodgers to stay beyond the final year of his current contract – and how much backing the boss could send Celts towards something really special.
Trusty is delighted to be on board for the thrills to come through after being launched in at the deep end back against Borussia. He said: “Obviously you don’t want the result in Dortmund but at the same time, when you have nights like that, it shakes you to your core and it’s only up from there.
“It shows the true backbone of the team because a lot of teams wouldn’t come forward after that. To see this organisation and to see this team come together after that and only rise and get better and better each game, it’s pretty amazing. That’s the team you want to play for, that’s what you want to be in.”
The Celtic squad have hit heights over the course of the campaign and it’s also been the making of Trusty. The former Sheffield United centre back has emerged as one of the biggest hits of the run and he’s relished his chance on Europe’s main stage.
He said: “My confidence is extremely high. I back myself. The best thing about being in this competition is that when you do your thing and play your game, no one can take that away from you.
“This is the highest level of club competition. So, no one can take anything away from you, any doubt. No one can say anything. I can play my game and I’m playing at the highest level.”