Kai Trewin, 24-year-old Australian center-back and sometimes defensive midfielder of Melbourne City FC in the A-League, is joining New York City FC.
The move was first reported on January 23 by Joey Lynch of ESPN Australia, and was then confirmed by Melbourne City's manager, Aurelio Vidmar, during comments he made on a match broadcast before Melbourne lost badly, 6-2 away to Macarthur FC.
Vidmar was asked point-blank if Trewin had played his final game with Melbourne and said "yes," then said "It’s been reported yesterday, an announcement will probably be in the next day or so. But he was struggling with his knee yesterday from the game last week...so we won’t see him unfortunately anymore."
Rudi Edsall
In first reporting the transfer, Lynch of ESPN Australia wrote that Trewin would be sold to New York City FC for "more than a seven-figure sum (AUD)," so we're talking a roughly $685,000 or more figure paid to bring Trewin to MLS.
Trewin looks set to fill the role vacated by Justin Haak, another 24-year-old center-back and sometimes defensive midfielder who left New York City this offseason to sign with LA Galaxy.
When Trewin joined Melbourne City in May 2024, the official announcement of his signing referred to him as a "ball-playing defender," so expect that New York City just added another defender comfortable passing the ball around the back and trying to progress it upfield.
Trewin set the tone at the back for Melbourne City during their trophy-winning 2024-25 season, leading the club in passes completed per match (62.5) and accurate long passes per match (5.2) while also making the most clearances (5.2) and interceptions (1.3) per match, all according to Sofascore's A-League stats.
He'd seem to fit the profile of what Haak brought to the 2025 New York City FC squad, and Trewin's arrival would fit with what NYCFC Head Coach Pascal Jansen told the media during his first press conference of the season.
Jansen plainly stated that he'd asked the club to sign a reinforcement for the back-four and a new No 9, so this Trewin signing would check off one box on the NYCFC Head Coach's proverbial wishlist.
If the signing is confirmed, NYCFC would add a second player involved with the Australia national team, with Trewin joining midfielder Aiden O'Neill – both players featured for the Socceroos in November when the team played at one of New York City's home venues, Citi Field, in a friendly against Colombia. Trewin has two career caps for Australia and both came during the team's November 2025 friendlies played here in the United States.
New York City has not yet confirmed the Trewin signing, but all indications from Australia point to it being finalized in the next few days, meaning new Sporting Director Todd Dunivant's first move of significance will involve tapping into the inner-City Football Group talent pool to replace a departed Homegrown defender/midfielder.
Hudson River Blue Staff
