Three matches into the 2019 Major League Soccer regular season and clubs around the league are seeing players depart for international duty, including four players from Real Salt Lake.
On Thursday, RSL forward Corey Baird and the USMNT will face Ecuador (6 p.m. MT, ESPN2) at Orlando City Stadium before facing Chile on Tuesday (5:55 p.m. ET, ESPN2) at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston. Baird received his second senior call-up to the USMNT after a standout performance in the team’s January camp that saw him earn his first senior minutes and notch his first assist in his first two starts for his country.
A product of Real Salt Lake’s Academy, he has one assist in three matches this season for RSL (1-1-1, 4 points) after leading all rookies in scoring with eight goals, adding five assists in his 2018 MLS AT&T Rookie of the Year campaign.
“Our goal is to keep making progress. Building on the themes of last camp, building on the style of play of last camp, but also now evaluating a new group of players,” U.S. Head Coach Gregg Berhalter said. “We made progress in the first camp and it’s now asking if we can take it to another level. When we are done with this camp, it’s important that we have a good idea of our strongest group of players heading into the Gold Cup.”
RSL midfielder Albert Rusnák was called to the Slovakian National Team for its upcoming UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying matches against Hungary on Thursday in Slovakia and Wales on Sunday in Wales. A rising star in MLS, Rusnák already has two goals this season for RSL and has started all three of the club’s matches. In 64 matches with RSL since joining the club prior to the 2017 season, Rusnák has 21 goals and 21 assists, leading the club in both categories over that stretch. In 2018, he was second on the team in goals with 10 and fourth with seven assists. In 2017, he earned club Golden Boot and MVP honors after posting seven goals and 14 assists – the second-highest assist total in club history.
Rusnák will be looking to add more goals for Slovakia having already notched four goals in 17 caps while making 16 appearances for his country since his arrival in Utah. He scored his first international goal on March 22, 2018, in the King’s Cup in Thailand. He scored his second goal in a friendly with Denmark on September 18 and added two more on October 16 against Sweden and November 16 against Ukraine.
RSL forward Sam Johnson was called to the Liberian National Team for an African Cup of Nations qualifying match against Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday at Stade des Martyers in Kinshasa, DR Congo. Johnson has appeared off the bench in all three of RSL’s matches in 2019, totaling 76 minutes for the club thus far.
Another RSL Academy product has been summoned to international duty as forward Julian Vazquez was called to the Mexico U-18 side for matches in Dubai, United Arab Emirates for the Sportchain Cup. On Wednesday, March 20, Vazquez scored in Mexico’s 3-2 win over the Russian U-18 side at Sevens Stadium to help his country claim its first win in Dubai. Vazquez and the rest of the Mexican U-18 side will face Belgium on Friday, March 22 before closing their trip to Dubai against England on Sunday, March 24.
While all four players will miss the club’s match at LAFC on Saturday (8:30 p.m. MT, KMYU), they are all expected to return ahead of the next home match on March 30 at Rio Tinto Stadium against FC Dallas (7:00 p.m. MT).
RSL.com will have all the latest updates about the club’s international stars as matches are played during the March international window.
