Columbus Crew SC today announced that eight players have received call-ups from their respective international federations for upcoming National Team duty: defenders Harrison Afful (Ghana) and Sergio Campbell (Jamaica), midfielders Kevan George (Trinidad and Tobago), Cedrick Mabwati (DR Congo), Justin Meram (Iraq), Ben Swanson (United States Under-20) and Wil Trapp (United States Under-23) and forward Kei Kamara (Sierra Leone).
Kamara joins Sierra Leone for its 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match on Sunday, September 6 against the Ivory Coast. The contest is slated to take place in Lagos, Nigeria. The forward, currently leading MLS in goals, has made 23 appearances for his country all-time, with the last coming in 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying on September 10, 2014 against DR Congo.
Afful is set to join Ghana ahead of two upcoming matches for the Black Stars: an international friendly against Congo on Tuesday, September 1 and a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification match against Rwanda on Saturday, September 5. The defender has made two appearances (both starts) for Crew SC since his signing with the club on July 30. He has 53 caps all-time for Ghana, including two appearances at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, where he notched an assist against eventual champions Germany in the Group Stage.
Campbell is slated to join the Reggae Boyz for two CONCACAF qualifying matches for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Jamaica plays Nicaragua in a two-legged series as part of the Third Round, with the first contest taking place on Friday, September 4 in Kingston, and the second occurring on Tuesday, September 8 in Managua, Nicaragua. The defender has earned two caps for Jamaica previously, both at the 2010 Caribbean Championship, and has made one appearance (one start) for Crew SC in his rookie MLS campaign.
George and the Soca Warriors are set to play Mexico in an international friendly on Friday, September 4 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah. With five appearances (two starts) and an assist for Crew SC this season, George has earned 14 caps for his country all-time. He was previously called-up by Trinidad and Tobago for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, where he started each of the Soca Warriors’ four matches in the tournament.
Mabwati is set to join DR Congo for its 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match on Saturday, September 5 against the Central African Republic. The attacker has previously earned 13 caps for his country, most recently playing against Madagascar on June 14 in the Leopards’ first Group B qualifying match.
Meram has earned 14 caps for Iraq, dating back to his first call-up on November 10, 2014 ahead of the Gulf Cup of Nations. The Lions of Mesopotamia are slated to play two matches as part of the second round of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Iraq takes on Chinese Taipei in Tehran, Iran on Thursday, September 3, followed by a match against Thailand in Bangkok on Tuesday, September 8.
Swanson joins the United States U-20s for the first time after a successful career with the U-18s, where he was previously called up twice this season. The midfielder is slated to join the U-20s for the 2015 Stevan Vilotic-Cele Tournament in Serbia. The side is scheduled to participate in three matches over the tournament, playing Serbia on Thursday, September 3 and France on Friday, September 4 followed by a match against a to-be-determined opponent on Monday, September 7.
Trapp is set to join the United States U-23s in their final training camp ahead of the 2015 CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament, which takes place in the United States from October 1-13. The U.S. U-23 training camp runs from August 30 – September 8 in Manchester, England and includes two friendly matches against England on September 3 and versus Qatar on September 8.
Kamara, Afful, Campbell, George, Mabwati, Meram, Swanson and Trapp are among a contingent of players from Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter’s squad to earn international call-ups in 2015, also including Waylon Francis (Costa Rica), Kristinn Steindorsson (Iceland) and Romain Gall (United States U-20). Crew SC’s roster also features Jack McInerney and Michael Parkhurst (both United States) as well as Emanuel Pogatetz (Austria) with senior National Team call-ups.
Crew SC travels to the Bronx this weekend to take on New York City FC at Yankee Stadium for the first time. The match is set to kick-off at 4:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 29 (Time Warner Cable SportsChannel / CD102.5 FM / La Mega FM 103.1).
