After what feels like a long international break, the Boys in Blue are back in New York getting ready to take on Toronto FC on Friday. To commemorate their return, let's take a look at how each of the lads did in national team duty.
Alexander Callens - Peru
Callens reported to the Peruvian Men's National Team in both of the team's friendlies first against Paraguay, then El Salvador. In the first matchup against Paraguay, the defender was listed as a substitute and didn't get his number called to enter the game, but that was not the case against El Salvador. Callens started for the team on their second leg of friendlies and played a full 90 minutes in a 2-0 defeat.
Maxime Chanot - Luxembourg
Chanot met up with the Luxembourg nationals to take on Lithuania and Ukraine in a series of friendlies. Chanot started in both of the matchups and played for the entirety of the games, representing his country with pride. Luxembourg reigned victorious over Lithuania 2-1 but fell to Ukraine by the same scoreline, the team will have a chance to face off against Lithuania and Ukraine again in June, as well as facing a new opponent - Madagascar.
Ronald Matarrita - Costa Rica
Mata jetted off to meet up with the Ticos national team squad to take on Guatemala and Jamaica during the break. The defender started the first game against Guatemala on the bench but got subbed in to play the second half as Costa Rica was down by one looking to make a comeback. Mata started in the second match up against Jamaica and played 64 minutes before getting subbed off, Costa Rica won 1-0.
Sean Johnson - U.S.
Johnson reported to national team duty for Gregg Berhalter's USMNT against Ecuador and Chile. The keeper played the entirety of the first game, recording a clean sheet and helping his team get their first win of the break. In the match against Chile, Johnson was out of the 18 with Ethan Horvath starting in his place for a 1-1 draw.
Johnathan Lewis - U.S.
Lewis also reported to the USMNT, starting both games on the bench but he was subbed in, in both matches. He came on to play for his country for a total of 30 minutes during the break, giving the young forward his third and fourth opportunities to represent his country. The USMNT will next square off against Venezuela in June for yet another friendly.
Alexandru Mitriță - Romania
Mitriță headed off to play for Romania in their matchup against Sweden in their bid to qualify for the UEFA Euro 2020. The attacker started for his country and played for 46 minutes before getting subbed off. Romania wasn't able to come away with the win as they fell 2-1, but the team had a shot at redemption as they beat the Faroe Islands 4-1 on Tuesday.
Keaton Parks - U.S. U-23s
Keaton got some good minutes under new U.S. U-23 Head Coach Jason Kreis, featuring in two matches vs. Egypt & the Netherlands respectively in Spain.
Juan Pablo Torres - U.S. U-20s
Fellow midfielder Juan Pablo Torres earned the start for the U-20s in their preparations for the World Cup, defeating Japan. Next stop: Poland in May!
Anton Tinnerholm - Sweden
Although Tinnerholm reported for duty with the Swedish National Team, he didn't get a chance to take the pitch in both their matchups against Romania and Norway as the team tried to qualify for UEFA Euro 2020. The team won their first game, beating Romania 2-1, but settled for a 3-3 draw against Norway.
Ismael Tajouri-Shradi - Libya
Although Tajouri-Shradi was listed as questionable against LAFC, he had a chance to take the pitch for Libya and played for a total of 54 minutes, as the team was trying to qualify for the African Cup of Nations - unfortunately, the team fell to South Africa, 2-1 and narrowly missed out on the opportunity to play in the summer's finals.
As the team fared well abroad, we're happy to welcome them back to the Big Apple as the hunt for NYCFC's first win is on. Don't miss out as NYCFC heads north of the border to take on our Canadian counterparts, Toronto FC at BMO Field on Friday night.
