Aiden O'Neill is a traveler and will bring his knowledge of experience to NYCFC

Last Friday, New York City FC announced the signing of Aiden O'Neill from Royal Standard de Liège. The Australian joins the Pigeons on a contract that will keep him with the club through 2028. He was signed right before the transfer window closed.

Despite the drastic need for other players in other positions, the defensive midfielder is a great addition. While Jonathan Shore has been solid in the midfield this season, O'Neill is a defensive midfielder who is more like James Sands, who is out on loan. Plus, this allows Pascal Jansen to rotate his midfield, especially during busier times like May will be. The Bronx team will play eight games with the possibility of nine.

Hence, O'Neill's signing came at the perfect time. He is a new player though, and fans will probably like to know him a little better.

More about NYCFC's Aiden O'Neill

O'Neill was born in Brisbane, Australia, and spent the first 14 years of his life in his home country. He played his youth football with University of Queensland FC and Brisbane Athletic. However, his family moved to England when he was 14, ultimately leading him to join the academy of Burnley Football Club. Subsequently, he would sign his first professional contract with the English side in 2016.

The Australian only made a few appearances for Burnley, and instead spent the majority of his time on loan. O'Neill was with the following clubs during his time with Burnley: Oldham Athletic Association Football Club, Fleetwood Town Football Club, Central Coast Mariners FC, and Brisbane Roar FC.

Since the midfielder was not playing with Burnley, he eventually left the club in 2020 and joined Melbourne City FC. The Australian side is a City Football Group team, so O'Neill is familiar with how CFG teams tend to play. It was with Melbourne that he really turned into the player he is today, so it was not shocking that he signed with Royal Standard de Liège, his previous club before NYCFC.

As such, he had played in England, Australia, and Belgium, making him a bit of a journeyman. What makes him more of a journeyman is that he has played for seven clubs since becoming a professional at 17. The 26-year-old has plenty of experience by playing for the multiple clubs that he has played for. O'Neill can subsequently utilize his experience to help him adjust to NYCFC and possibly advise some of the younger players.

In addition, O'Neill has played for Australia since 2023 and has made 19 appearances. As such, he may miss some time with the Pigeons to play with the Socceroos.

On a personal level, the new NYCFC player revealed in his first interview that he loves to fish and go to the beach, which means playing in the Big Apple is perfect for the midfielder. There are numerous beaches and fishing spots around the tri-state area. He also said that he has a farm and is very passionate about it. If he ends up building a home here, then he has numerous places he could purchase as well.

Hopefully, O'Neill will bring his all on the pitch and also be someone fans can like off the pitch. The new NYCFC player will ideally fit right in.