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MLS San Jose Earthquakes

Six Earthquakes Players Called for International Duty

October 3, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
San Jose Earthquakes News Release


SAN JOSE, Calif. - San Jose Earthquakes defender Carlos Akapo (Equatorial Guinea), midfielder Carlos Gruezo (Ecuador), midfielder Cruz Medina (United States), goalkeeper Emi Ochoa (Mexico), midfielder Niko Tsakiris (United States), defender Oscar Verhoeven (United States) have been called up by their respective senior and youth national teams and cleared to play in upcoming international friendlies.

Akapo, 31, will represent Equatorial Guinea against Liberia on Friday, Oct. 11, in Equatorial Guinea and Tuesday, Oct. 15, in Liberia.

The Spanish-born right back made his debut for Equatorial Guinea, with whom he holds citizenship due to his father, in 2013. Akapo has since earned 37 caps and scored two goals. Most recently, he competed earlier this year in the delayed 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, where he helped his team reach the Round of 16. The defender has been a member of the Quakes since 2022, amassing 47 appearances and netting twice with one assist.

Gruezo, 29, will represent Ecuador against Paraguay on Thursday, Oct. 10, in Quito, Ecuador. La Tri then faces Uruguay on Tuesday, Oct. 15, in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Hailing from Santo Domingo, Ecuador, the holding midfielder has earned 56 caps, most recently in the 2024 Copa América, where La Tri advanced to the quarterfinals. Since signing last season with the Quakes as a Designated Player from Bundesliga club FC Augsburg, the defensive midfielder has made 51 league appearances for San Jose.

Medina, 18, will represent the United States Under-20 Youth National Team against Chile on Saturday, Oct. 12, and again on Tuesday, Oct. 15. Cruz will then represent the United States U-19 Youth National Team against Sweden on Friday, Oct. 11, and against Japan on Tuesday, Oct. 15.

The midfielder starred for the U-17 United States Men's Youth National Team in 2023, making the Concacaf U-17 Championship Best XI. He later served as team captain in the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup group stage in Indonesia. Earlier this year, the San Francisco native was called up to the USMYNT U-19 training camp in Morocco before playing in the Concacaf U-20 Championships, scoring a goal and notching an assist as the U.S. were finalists. Mexico's Youth National Team has also showed interest in Medina, calling him up to their U-20 training camp which he attended in March. He has two goals in his last two games with the Quakes' MLS NEXT Pro team, The Town FC, which just clinched a playoff position.

Ochoa, 19, will represent the Mexico U-20 National Team against Greece on Saturday, Oct. 12, and against Croatia on Tuesday, Oct. 15.

The Salinas, California, native made his professional debut in May for the Earthquakes in the 2024 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32, where he secured a clean sheet in a 1-0 victory against Oakland Roots SC. Internationally, Ochoa has represented both Mexico and the United States at youth level. Most recently, he was the starting goalkeeper in Mexico's 1-0 win over the U.S. in the final of the 2024 Concacaf U-20 Championship and was named MLS NEXT Pro Goalkeeper of the Month in September after recording three consecutive shutouts for The Town FC.

Tsakiris, 19, will represent the United States Under-20 Youth National Team against Chile on Saturday, Oct. 12, and again on Tuesday, Oct. 15.

Hailing from Saratoga, California, the midfielder has stepped up for the Earthquakes' first team the past two seasons, tallying 38 appearances in MLS play. On Oct. 2, he recorded his first MLS assist in a 3-2 win over FC Dallas. Internationally, Tsakiris was a standout in helping the USMYNT qualify for the last FIFA U-20 World Cup at the 2022 Concacaf U-20 Championship, where he scored three goals. He also represented the USA at the subsequent U-20 World Cup in Argentina, where he featured in all three group stage games, scoring a goal against Slovakia.

Verhoeven, 18, will represent the United States U-19 Youth National Team against Sweden on Friday, Oct. 11, and against Japan on Tuesday, Oct. 15.

The Pleasant Hill, California, native was signed to the first team as a Homegrown Player on May 16, 2023. That same year, the defender represented the United States at the 2023 U-17 Concacaf Championship and the 2023 U-17 FIFA World Cup. Verhoeven has broken through to the first team, making four starts for San Jose this season in MLS play.

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