Ahead of USA-Australia, Columbus's ties Down Under
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Joe McGuire is next in a growing line of Australian punters at Ohio State. David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Did you know Australia is very nearly on the other side of the planet from Columbus?
Why it matters: The U.S. World Cup journey continues Friday, and we're checking out some of our very international city's ties to our opponents.
- 🇦🇺 Up next: Australia.
The intrigue: We may be a 20-hour flight away, but Central Ohio and The Land Down Under have more of a relationship than you might think.
- And a lot more than Paraguay.
Here are just a few:
🏈 A punter pipeline: Ohio State football fans would argue that kickers are Australia's greatest export to Columbus.
- Current punter Joe McGuire is the third Aussie Buckeye punter in recent memory, following in the footsteps of Jesse Mirco and Cameron Johnston.
- We've got so many Australian punters, they have to leave to find playing time.
🏉 Another football: We've got our own Australian rules football club.
- The Columbus Cats is a nonprofit dedicated to growing the game in Central Ohio with both men's and women's teams.
- They've got an excellent logo.
⚽️ Crew connection: Fans may remember Australian defender Milos Degenek (on this year's World Cup team) from his two-season stint in Columbus.
- He left at the wrong time — the Crew won the 2023 MLS Cup months later.
🍔 An expanding empire: Our world-famous brand, Dublin-based Wendy's, arrived in Australia last year.
- A Brisbane restaurant was the flagship of a massive expansion plan to open 200 restaurants there in the next decade.
- Wendy's tried this in 1982, but closed its 11 Australian locations by 1985.
🫡 Official ambassadors: Layna and Tori arrived at the Columbus Zoo in 2024 as part of the Tasmanian devil ambassador program — their island namesake is an Australian state.
- Ambassadorship is part of the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program, an effort to curb the devastating effects of Devil facial tumor disease.
- The zoo also boasts the first public aquarium with four male weedy seadragons carrying eggs, a koala exhibit rare for North America, kangaroos, wombats and bettongs.