FC DALLAS PLAYERS CALLED FOR NATIONAL TEAM

Five FC Dallas Players Get The Call For National Team Duty

FC Dallas players have now earned 19 UnitedHealthcare International Call-ups this season

FC Dallas players Bryan Acosta (Honduras), Reggie Cannon (United States), Jesse Gonzalez (United States), Ricardo Pepi (US U-17) and Paxton Pomykal (United States) have been called up to their respective countries during the FIFA international break running from September 1-11.

FC Dallas Academy player Nicolas Carrera will also join Ricardo Pepi and the U.S. U-17 team. 

All FC Dallas players will be depart following the match against FC Cincinnati on Saturday, August 31. 

Acosta, 25, has two goals in 39 appearances for Honduras National Team and recently appeared in the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup group stage matches. The defensive midfielder has scored two goals in 21 appearances for FC Dallas this season, scoring his first MLS goal against LA Galaxy on March 9 and the game-winning goal against Atlanta United on April 20.

Acosta and Los Catrachos will play international friendlies against Puerto Rico (September 5 at 8 PM CT) and Chile (September 10 at 9:20 PM CT) in Honduras. 

Cannon, 21, made his international debut in a friendly against Peru on October 16, 2018. Since then, Cannon has six caps for The Stars and Stripes, last appearing in the 2019 Gold Cup matches including the final against Mexico on July 7. Cannon has appeared in 56 matches for FC Dallas, recording two goals and three assists. 

Gonzalez, 24, earns his second call up of the year and fourth overall for the U.S. Men’s National Team since making a one-time change of association in 2017 after participating in youth camps for Mexico. Gonzalez has 26 starts in goal for FC Dallas this season and is currently tied for fifth in the league in goals against average with 1.27 GAA.

Pepi, 16, has 12 appearances for the U-17 squad, last appearing in the Concacaf U-17 Championship in May where he helped the U.S. reach the final before falling to Mexico in extra time. Pepi joined FC Dallas on a short-term loan from North Texas Soccer Club during the club’s run in the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup before signing as the 26th Homegrown in FC Dallas history on June 21. While with North Texas Soccer Club, Pepi has nine goals in 12 appearances.  

Pomykal, 19, earns his first call up to the senior team but recently captained the U.S. U-20 national team that reached the U-20 World Cup quarterfinals in Poland.

The attacking midfielder has appeared in 28 matches for FC Dallas this season and scored his first professional brace in a 4-2 win against Real Salt Lake on March 30. Pomykal also represented FC Dallas, along with Matt Hedges, in the 2019 MLS All-Star game against Atlético Madrid on July 31. 

The U.S. will face Mexico on September 6 at 7:30 PM CT in MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. and Uruguay on September 10 at 7 PM CT at Busch Stadium as final preparation for Concacaf Nations League, a tournament that will help determine qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Both matches will be on FS1, Univision and TUDN. 

Carrera, 17, earns his second call-up to the U.S. U-17 squad after first joining the team in July. He has scored five goals in 33 appearances so far with the FC Dallas Academy and made his professional debut for North Texas Soccer Club this season against Toronto FC II on June 12. 

Pepi, Carrera, and the U-17s will participate in the 4 Nations Tournament in Assen, the Netherlands from September 5-9 and face Mexico, Netherlands, and Denmark at the competition.

This tournament will serve as the final preparation ahead of the U-17 World Cup in the fall where the U.S.  will play Senegal (October 27), Japan (October 30) and Netherlands (November 2) in Group D.

Did you Know … Fun Facts About FC Dallas

A member of Major League Soccer since its inception in 1996, FC Dallas is owned and operated by Hunt Sports Group. The professional team plays its regular season from March to October at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. FC Dallas won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and MLS Supporters’ Shield in 2016.
 
Toyota Stadium is one of the first soccer-specific stadiums built in the United States and is also home to the National Soccer Hall of Fame which opened on November 2, 2018. It hosts MLS and international soccer matches, high school, and college football games, as well as concerts and other events.
 
The 145-acre Toyota Soccer Center also includes 17 regulation-sized, tournament-grade soccer fields and is also home to the organization’s nationally-renowned youth development system.

Source: FC Dallas Press Release