SANDY, Utah – Real Salt Lake has announced that MF Luis Gil, FW Joao Plata, GK Nick Rimando, FW Alvaro Saborio and DF Carlos Salcedo have all been called up to their respective national teams during the FIFA International window from Oct. 6-15. All five Claret-and-Cobalt players are only scheduled to miss Real Salt Lake’s home match against San Jose Earthquakes on Oct. 11.
Real Salt Lake veteran ‘keeper Nick Rimando will join the U.S. for a friendly against fellow RSL teammate Joao Plata’s home country of Ecuador on Oct. 10 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn (5:00 p.m. MT, ESPN). U.S. Men’s National Team FW Landon Donovan will also make his final appearance for the Stars-and-Stripes against Ecuador after a storied 15-year career with the USMNT. Rimando was most recently with the U.S. for its international friendly against the Czech Republic on Sept. 3 in Prague. The MLS all-time shutout king put in a stellar second half performance to record the 1-0 win and preserve the clean sheet. Rimando has 15 career caps for the U.S. Men’s National Team for an undefeated record of 13-0-2, and was with the Americans this past summer for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Rimando will also be joined by Gil for the U.S.’s match against Ecuador. An experienced U.S. youth international, Gil has one cap with the senior USMNT, coming on in the final 15 minutes of the U.S.’s friendly win against Korea Republic at StubHub Center on Feb. 1. Gil was also included in the USMNT’s April camp, training with Jurgen Klinsmann’s squad in Phoenix and making the bench for the U.S.’s 2-2 friendly draw against Mexico on April 2.
Real Salt Lake’s 2014 leading goal scorer, Plata, will join Ecuador for the second time this year for a pair of friendlies against the United States and El Salvador. Ecuador will face the Americans on Oct. 10 in Connecticut and then take on El Salvador at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., on Oct. 14. The speedy forward most recently joined his native country for matches against Bolivia and Brazil in Sept., earning the second cap of his career and registering an assist in his 21 minutes played against Bolivia.
Saborio has been called up by Costa Rica for matches against Oman on Oct. 10 and South Korea on Oct. 14. This will be Saborio’s first inclusion with Los Ticos after suffering a broken foot while in pre-World Cup training camp at the end of May, excluding him from participating in Costa Rica’s Cinderella run to the 2014 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals. RSL’s all-time leading goal scorer has 32 international goals in 93 career caps for La Sele.
Real Salt Lake Homegrown Player Carlos Salcedo will join the Mexican U-21’s for the fourth time this year. Salcedo received his first call-up to the U-21’s this past April and joined the squad for its July and Sept. camps. Mexico’s U-21 camp serves as a preparatory squad for El Tri’s 2016 Olympic efforts. Salcedo has nine appearances for the Claret-and-Cobalt in 2014 and scored his first career goal in RSL’s 5-1 win over Colorado Rapids on Sept. 19.
Real Salt Lake returns to MLS action on Saturday, when it hosts San Jose Earthquakes at 7:30 p.m. MT at Rio Tinto Stadium. Saturday’s match will be broadcast on CW30, ESPN 700 AM and 102.3 La Gran D FM.
