A slew of MLS players will be in action for their national teams as the October FIFA window comes to a close, with dozens of MLSers taking part in World Cup qualifiers, friendlies and regional tournament qualifiers all over the world.
Here’s a rundown of how they performed:
Laurent Ciman – Belgium
Ciman went the full 90 for Belgium in their 6-0 World Cup qualifying win at Gibraltar on Monday. The Montreal Impact defender played nearly 70 minutes in relief of Jordan Lukaku in Belgium’s first game of the window, a 4-0 home win against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday.
Ambroise Oyongo – Cameroon
Another Montreal Impact defender went the full 90 as Cameroon kicked off the final round of CAF World Cup qualifying with a solid 1-1 draw at Algeria on Monday. The result put Cameroon in a tie for second with Algeria in their difficult group, which Nigeria currently leads after their win against Zambia. Only the group winner will advance to the 2018 World Cup.
Ronald Matarrita, Johan Venegas, Kendall Waston – Costa Rica
A trio of Costa Ricans saw action in their country’s 4-3 friendly win at Russia on Sunday, with Montreal Impact attacker Johan Venegas going the full 90, New York City FC defender Ronald Matarrita starting and playing 75 minutes and Vancouver Whitecaps defender Kendall Waston coming off the bench in the 69th minute of the match in Krasnodar.
Carlos Gruezo – Ecuador
Gruezo didn’t play in Ecuador’s dramatic, comeback 2-2 draw at Bolivia on Tuesday. The result moved Ecuador into third place in CONMEBOL qualifying – they lead fourth-place Colombia on goal difference.
David Accam, Harrison Afful – Ghana
Both David Accam and Harrison Afful saw action for Ghana in their 1-1 friendly draw at South Africa on Tuesday. Afful started and played the first 62 minutes, while Accam came on at halftime and played the entire second half. Former Portland Timbers goalkeeper Adam Kwarasey went the full 90 in net for the Black Stars, who drew 1-1 with Uganda – with Afful going the full 90 – in a World Cup qualifier last Friday.
Andre Blake, Oniel Fisher, Damion Lowe, Kemar Lawrence, Je-Vaughn Watson, Shaun Francis, Omar Holness – Jamaica
It took them until extra time to do it, but the Reggae Boyz won 4-2 at Guyana on Tuesday in a Caribbean Cup qualifier. A slew of MLS players contributed, with San Jose’s Shaun Francis scoring the game-winning goal in the 112th minute. New England Revolution midfielder/defender Je-Vaughn Watson also scored, halving an early 2-0 deficit to make it 2-1 in the 63rd minute.
Philadelphia goalkeeper Andre Blake, New York Red Bulls defender Kemar Lawrence and on-loan Seattle Sounders defender Damion Lowe also went the full 90, while Sounders defender Oniel Fisher started and was pulled 10 minutes into the second half.
Vytas – Lithuania
Three days after appearing off the bench in a 1-1 draw at Scotland, Vytas went the full 90 in Lithuania’s 2-0 win against Malta on Tuesday. The result moved Lithuania to 1-0-2 in their first three World Cup qualifiers, good for second place in Group F.
Giovani dos Santos – Mexico
While he occasionally appeared to frustrate head coach Juan Carlos Osorio, Giovani dos Santos went the full 90 and assisted on the lone goal in Mexico’s 1-0 win against Panama at Toyota Park on Tuesday.
Armando Cooper – Panama
The new Toronto FC signing played the full 90 for Panama on Tuesday, picking up a yellow card in their 1-0 loss to Mexico outside Chicago.
Cordell Cato, Aubrey David, Kevin Molino, Kenwyne Jones, Joevin Jones – Trinidad and Tobago
San Jose’s Cordell Cato, Dallas’ Aubrey David, Atlanta’s Kenwyne Jones and Seattle’s Joevin Jones all started, but Trinidad and Tobago couldn’t pull out a result at Martinique on Tuesday, losing 2-0 after extra time in their Caribbean Cup qualifier. Orlando’s Kevin Molino did not play after reportedly being sent home from the team.
The result means that T&T will not play in the 2017 Caribbean Cup, as they finished second in their group to Martinique. They'll play in a fifth-place playoff with two other teams, with the winner of the playoff facing a Central American team for a spot in the 2017 Gold Cup.
Nicolas Lodeiro – Uruguay
Lodeiro was not with Uruguay for their 2-2 draw at Colombia on Tuesday, having already returned to Seattle ahead of the Sounders’ home match against Houston on Wednesday (10:30 pm ET; MLS LIVE).
