SEATTLE, WASH. – Three Sounders FC players have been called into international duty during the upcoming FIFA break, with Gustav Svensson (Sweden), Nicolás Lodeiro (Uruguay) and Nouhou (Cameroon) reporting to their respective national teams. Svensson joins Sweden for a pair of 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying UEFA playoff matches against Italy, while Lodeiro and Nouhou have all been called in for friendly action. Upon their return, Sounders FC faces the Houston Dynamo in the Western Conference Championship, with the first leg in Texas set for November 21 (7:00 p.m. PT / FS1).
Additionally, defender Román Torres traveled down to Panama City following the second leg of the Western Conference Semifinals to take part in the 114th anniversary of Panama’s independence from Colombia. At those celebrations, Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela presented Torres with the national flag and the keys to Panama City. Torres is set to re-join Sounders FC following the celebrations and will skip Panama’s friendlies against Iran and Wales in order to train with Seattle ahead of the Western Conference Championship.
After finishing second in Group A, Sweden drew a matchup with Italy in the second round of UEFA Qualifying, with the winner advancing to the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The two-match, aggregate series begins with the first leg in Sweden on November 10, before concluding at Italy in Milan on November 13.
After punching its ticket to Russia, Lodeiro is set to join Uruguay for a pair of friendlies in Poland on November 10 and at Austria on November 14. Uruguay secured its place in the 2018 FIFA World Cup after finishing second in CONMEBOL Qualifying with 31 points (9-5-4).
Still looking for his first international cap, Nouhou earns his third-consecutive call-up for Cameroon and joins the squad for a friendly at Zambia on November. Cameroon failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup after finishing third in Group B with three points (0-1-3).
After advancing past Vancouver in the Conference Semifinals, Seattle is amidst preparations for its Western Conference Championship matchup with the Houston Dynamo, with the first leg in Houston set for Tuesday, November 21 (7:00 p.m. PT / FS1) and the second leg in Seattle on Thursday, November 30 (7:30 p.m. PT / ESPN). Single-match tickets for the second leg are available via SoundersFC.com/Playoffs and the CenturyLink Field box office.
