Though The Avengers base of operations in New York did indeed play a significant role in the film’s story, the first film in the series made a point to keep Earth’s Mightiest Heroes at a distance while Scott focused on a smaller scale threat.
The decision to have Scott reference his time alongside other members of Marvel’s most famous hero team seems like a stark contrast to the events of the original Ant-Man.
Now that Scott has served as a member of Team Cap, however, the Ant-Man franchise seems slightly more willing to reference other Marvel heroes and embrace how connected he is to the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe.