SEATTLE, WASH. – Seven Sounders FC players have been selected for national team duty during the upcoming FIFA international break before the Conference Finals of the Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs. Forward Jordan Morris has been called-up to the U.S. Men’s National Team, while defenders Román Torres and Joevin Jones are set to join Panama and Trinidad & Tobago, respectively, as the Hexagonal stage of CONCACAF 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying begins later this week. Additionally, midfielder Nicolás Lodeiro joins Uruguay and forward Nelson Valdez has been called in to Paraguay for a pair of CONMEBOL World Cup Qualifying matches, while defenders Oniel Fisher and Damion Lowe are set to join Jamaica for a 2017 Caribbean Cup Qualifying match.
Morris, 22, joins the USMNT for the beginning of the final Hexagonal stage of CONCACAF 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying. Jurgen Klinsmann’s squad first takes on Mexico on Friday, November 11 at 5:00 p.m. PT at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, before facing Costa Rica on Tuesday, November 15 at 6:00 p.m. PT at Estadio Nacional in San Jose, Costa Rica. The Sounders FC Homegrown Player has 12 caps for the U.S. Men’s National Team, most recently logging 30 minutes as a substitute in a friendly vs. Cuba on October 7.
Torres, 30, has been called in by Panama for its first two Hexagonal matches, beginning on Friday, November 11 at 12:35 p.m. PT at Honduras in San Pedro Sula. Panama then travels home to take on Mexico on Tuesday, November 15 in Panama City. Kickoff for that match is slated for 6:00 p.m. PT at Estadio Rommel Fernández. Torres has 82 career caps for Panama and made his return to Los Canaleros against Jamaica on September 2 following a torn ACL suffered in September of 2015.
Jones, 25, brings his 57 international caps to Trinidad & Tobago for the kick-off of Hexagonal action. The Soca Warriors host Costa Rica on Friday, November 11 at 3:00 p.m. PT at Hasley Crawford Stadium in Port of Spain before traveling to San Pedro Sula to take on Honduras on Tuesday, November 15 at 2:00 p.m. PT. Jones recently scored a brace – giving him eight career international goals – in a World Cup Qualifier against Guatemala on September 2.
The Hexagonal is the fifth and final stage of CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying, consisting of the final six teams playing each other in a home-and-away round robin format. The top three teams at the conclusion of the stage earn automatic qualification to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, while the fourth-place team would face the fifth-place representative from the Asian Football Confederation in a two-match aggregate playoff next November.
Lodeiro, 27, returns to Uruguay for a pair of CONMEBOL 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, beginning with a home match against Ecuador on Thursday, November 10 at 3:00 p.m. PT in Montevideo. Los Charrúas then travel to Santiago, Chile to face the Chilean National Team on Tuesday, November 15 at 3:30 p.m. PT. Uruguay currently sits in second place in CONMEBOL 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying with 20 points (6-2-2), one point behind first-place Brazil. Lodeiro has 50 career international caps for Uruguay, including six appearances in the current qualifying period. He most recently scored a goal in a 3-0 win over Venezuela on October 6.
Valdez, 32, has been called into the Paraguayan National Team following goals in back-to-back matches in the Audi 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs. Paraguay hosts Peru on Thursday, November 10 at 3:30 p.m. PT before traveling to La Paz to take on Bolivia on Tuesday, November 15 at 12:00 p.m. PT. Valdez has 68 career caps and 12 international goals for Paraguay, who currently sits seventh CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying with 15 points (4-3-3), just one point behind the final spot to advance with eight matches remaining. Valdez last appeared for Paraguay on June 4 in a 0-0 draw against Costa Rica in the Copa America Centenario.
Just 10 games into the 18-match final CONMEBOL Qualifying round between 10 teams, the top four teams in the table advance automatically to the 2018 FIFA World Cup, while the fifth-place team plays in an inter-confederation playoff against the winner of the Oceania Football Conference for a spot to play in Russia.
Fisher, 24, and Lowe, 23, are set to join Jamaica for a 2017 Caribbean Cup Qualifying match against Suriname taking place on Sunday, November 13 at 3:00 p.m. PT at National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. With three points through one match, Jamaica is tied atop Group 1 with Suriname, as the two sides vie for a berth in the final round of 2017 Caribbean Cup Qualifying. The 2017 Caribbean Cup takes place next June in the United States.
Sounders FC faces FC Dallas Sunday evening for the second leg of the Western Conference Semifinals at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas (6:00 p.m. PT / FS1, FOX Deportes, KIRO Radio 97.3 FM, El Rey 1360 AM). The Conference Semifinals are held over two legs, with aggregate goals determining which team moves on to the Conference Championships. In the event that both teams score an equal number of goals over the course of the two matches, the team with the greater number of road goals for the series advances. Should the series be tied for both total goals and away goals, the teams play two 15-minute periods of extra time at the conclusion of the second leg in which away goals do not count. This is followed by penalty kicks, if necessary, to determine the winner.
Should Sounders FC advance, the club would take on Colorado Rapids in the Western Conference Championship, who defeated the LA Galaxy via penalty kicks Sunday afternoon following extra time after a 1-1 aggregate draw over both legs. The Galaxy earned a 1-0 win last Sunday in Los Angeles, and Colorado won today’s second leg 1-0 before a scoreless extra time period. The Rapids proceeded to top LA 3-1 in the ensuing penalty kick shootout.
