HARRISON, NJ – New York Red Bulls defenders Rafa Marquez (Mexico), Roy Miller (Costa Rica) and Tim Ream (United States), midfielder Dane Richards (Jamaica), forward Juan Agudelo (United States), and goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul (Senegal) have been called up to their respective national teams in order to participate in international matches starting Sept. 2. All six players will be back and available for selection for the Red Bulls’ subsequent MLS match against Vancouver Whitecaps FC at Red Bull Arena at 7:30 PM ET (TV: MSG).
On Sept. 2, the U.S. will square off with Costa Rica in an international friendly at The Home Depot Center in Carson, CA, with the match set to kick off at 8:00 PM ET (TV: ESPN2, Galavision). Then, the U.S. travels to Brussels, Belgium to face Belgium on Sept. 6 (TV: ESPN). Recently appointed U.S. head coach Jurgen Klinsmann named both Agudelo and Ream to the U.S. squad after having also selected the duo for the U.S.’s recent friendly against Mexico.
Ream, a 2010 finalist for MLS Rookie of the Year, has earned six appearances for the U.S. He has started five of the six games he has appeared in, including the U.S.’s first two matches of the Gold Cup against Canada and Panama. For the Red Bulls this season, Ream has started all 20 games he has been available for selection.
In 2010, Agudelo became the youngest player to ever score for the national team when he found the back of the net against South Africa in the Nelson Mandela Challenge. Since debuting for the national team last year, Agudelo has earned 11 appearances for the squad, including Klinsmann’s first match against Mexico. He has recorded five goals and one assist for the Red Bulls this season.
On Sept. 2, Marquez and the Mexican National Team will be heading to Warsaw, Poland to participate in a friendly against Poland. Mexico will also take on Chile in Barcelona, Spain on Sept. 4 and Cameroon in Paris, France on Sept. 7. Since making his first appearance for Mexico in 1997, Marquez has been a fixture on the national team, earning 108 appearances and recording 12 goals. He has made 13 starts for New York this season.
Miller was called into Costa Rica’s squad for their matches against the U.S. on Sept. 2 in Carson, CA and Ecuador in Quito, Ecuador on Sept. 6. Miller has earned 22 caps for his country. The defender is in the midst of his second season for the Red Bulls and has started in each of the team’s 26 games, notching three assists while missing only one minute of play.
Richards rejoins the Jamaican National Team after been an integral part of the Reggae Boyz CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinal run. Richards started all four games and recorded two assists for Jamaica during the Gold Cup. This time around, Richards and Jamaica will be playing Ecuador in a friendly on Sept. 2 in Quito, Ecuador. During the 2011 season for the Red Bulls, he has matched career highs in both goals (5) and assists (7).
Coundoul will be heading to Dakar, Senegal to participate in Senegal’s African Cup of Nations qualifier against the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Sept. 3. Coundoul has played in 11 games in 2011 for New York, tallying three shutouts.
