Five Columbus Crew SC players - Harrison Afful, Cristian Martinez, Zack Steffen, Wil Trapp and Gyasi Zardes - have been called up to their respective national teams for friendlies and qualifying matches this upcoming week. Find their schedule and how to watch (where applicable) below.
Zack Steffen — United States
Date: Sept. 11 at 8:30 p.m. ET
Opponent: Mexico
Competition: Friendly
Location: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tenn.
TV: ESPN, UniMás, Univision Deportes
Zack Steffen has earned four caps with the U.S. Men’s National Team, with his latest cap coming on Friday in a 2-0 defeat to five-time World Cup champion Brazil. Prior to featuring for the U.S. Men’s National Team, Steffen featured regularly for the United States’ youth national teams, from the Under-14 to the U-21 level.
Wil Trapp — United States
Date: Sept. 11 at 8:30 p.m. ET
Opponent: Mexico
Competition: Friendly
Location: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tenn.
TV: ESPN, UniMás, Univision Deportes
Crew SC captain Wil Trapp has represented the Stars and Stripes at the senior level on seven occasions, most recently wearing the captain’s armband as a starter in the Stars & Stripes' 2-0 defeat to Brazil on Sept. 7, 2018.
Gyasi Zardes — United States
Date: Sept. 11 at 8:30 p.m. ET
Opponent: Mexico
Competition: Friendly
Location: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tenn.
TV: ESPN, UniMás, Univision Deportes
Gyasi Zardes has earned 39 caps with the U.S. Men’s National Team, scoring six goals. Zardes made his debut for the U.S. in a friendly against Chile on January 28, 2015. Zardes' latest cap came as a substitution in the United States' friendly against five-time World Cup champion Brazil in East Rutherford, N.J., on Sept. 7, 2018.
Harrison Afful — Ghana
Date: Sept. 8 at 9:00 a.m. ET
Opponent: Kenya
Competition: 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying match
Location: Safaricom Stadium, Kasarani, Kenya
Following a loss to Kenya on Saturday, Sept. 8, Harrison Afful has now earned 77 caps for Ghana. Prior to Saturday's substitution appearance, Afful's most recent cap came as a starter and captain in a 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Egypt on November 12, 2017. Afful was also a member of the Ghana National Team during the last four editions of the Africa Cup of Nations, playing every minute of the 2013, 2015 and 2017 tournaments.
Cristian Martinez — Panama
Date: Sept. 11 at 9:00 p.m. ET
Opponent: Venezuela
Competition: Friendly
Location: Estadio Rommel Fernandez, Panama City, Panama
Cristian Martinez has earned two caps for Los Canaleros, with the most recent coming as a starter in a friendly match against Nicaragua at Estadio Nacional de Fútbol in Managua, Nicaragua on March 16, 2016. The midfielder also featured prominently for Panama at the Under-20 level before joining Panama's senior side.
Following their international matches, all five players return to the Black & Gold squad for Crew SC's second home match of September at MAPFRE Stadium. Columbus hosts the Colorado Rapids for Hispanic Heritage Night on Saturday, Sept. 22 in a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff.
