
Four Columbus Crew SC Players Receive International Call-Ups
March 19, 2021 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Columbus Crew SC News Release
COLUMBUS - Columbus Crew SC today announced that four of its players have received international call-ups: Luis Diaz, Alexandru Matan, Eloy Room and Milton Valenzuela. Diaz is currently with the Costa Rica Under-23 National Team for the Concacaf Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship. Matan is slated to join Romania's U-21 National Team for the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Room is set to join Curacao's National Team ahead of a pair of Concacaf 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Valenzuela is scheduled to join Argentina's U-23 National Team for two friendlies against Japan.
Diaz is currently with Costa Rica's U-23 squad participating in the 2021 Concacaf Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship in Mexico, which runs through March 30. Costa Rica is in Group A, alongside the Dominican Republic, Mexico and the United States. The top two teams of each group advance to the semifinals, with the two finalists of the tournament securing a berth in the 2021 Summer Olympics in Japan. Diaz has previously represented Costa Rica at the U-21 and Senior Team level, most recently representing the Senior Team in a friendly against Qatar on November 13 of last year.
Matan has previously represented Romania at the U-17, U-18, U-19 and U-21 levels. The midfielder joins Romania for the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Hungary and Slovenia, which runs from March 24-June 6. Romania is in Group A along with Hungary, Germany and the Netherlands. The top two teams of each group advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament. During qualifiers for the UEFA European U-21 Championship, Matan made eight appearances (four starts), scoring one goal and providing one assist.
Room is set to join Curacao's Senior Team ahead of two Concacaf First Round 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Curacao hosts Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in Curacao on Thursday, March 25, before traveling to face Cuba on Sunday, March 28. Curacao is in Concacaf's Group C, which also features the British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Guatemala and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The six First Round group winners are set to advance to the Second Round, where they will participate in two-legged qualifier. To date, Room has earned 34 caps with Curacao, posting 11 shutouts.
Valenzuela joins Argentina's U-23 squad for two friendlies against Japan, both of which are slated to take place in Japan. Argentina faces Japan on Friday, March 26, before facing the Japanese again three days later on Monday, March 29. Valenzuela is one of only two MLS players, along with New York City FC's Valentin Castellanos, to be included in Argentina's roster. The defender had previously represented Argentina at the U-21 level, having represented the Albiceleste at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea.
The Crew SC First Team is set to travel to Orlando, Florida, on Sunday, March 21, for the third leg of its preseason camp. Following the training camp in Orlando, the Crew opens the 2021 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League on the road on April 8, against Nicaraguan side Real Esteli FC in the First Leg of the Round of 16, before hosting Real Esteli at home for the Second Leg on April 15. The Black & Gold are set to kick-off the 2021 MLS regular season at Historic Crew Stadium on Sunday, April 18, against the Philadelphia Union.
Supporters interested in learning more about purchasing 2021 Season Ticket Memberships should visit CrewStadium.com, where they can see the view from each seat location along with the benefits of each section. Fans can also schedule their own private virtual tour of the New Crew Stadium with a Crew SC ticket representative.
Major League Soccer Stories from March 19, 2021
- Colorado Rapids Face Sporting Kansas City on Saturday in Second Preseason Scrimmage - Colorado Rapids
- Real Salt Lake's Noah Powder Named to Trinidad and Tobago World Cup Qualifying Squad - Real Salt Lake
- Nouhou and Diaz Called into International Duty - Seattle Sounders FC
- Francisco Calvo Called up to Costa Rica National Team for Two Upcoming Friendlies - Chicago Fire FC
- Preseason Preview: Nashville SC Faces Louisville City FC in First Preseason Friendly of 2021 - Nashville SC
- Four Columbus Crew SC Players Receive International Call-Ups - Columbus Crew SC
- Houston Dynamo FC Partners with Lone Star Rivals for La Copita Preseason Tournament - Houston Dynamo FC
- FC Dallas to Participate in Newly Formed Preseason Competition Named "La Copita" - FC Dallas
- New Preseason Competition Announced - Austin FC
- Start Time for New York Red Bulls Home Opener Moved to 8 p.m. - New York Red Bulls
- Austin FC and C4 Energy Announce Multi_year Partnership - Austin FC
- Bjorn Johnsen and Mustafa Kizza Selected by National Teams - Club de Foot Montreal
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
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