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USL Players Earn Selection for September’s International Action

By USLSoccer.com Staff, 09/03/19, 5:12PM EDT

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First-time call-ups highlight players heading for World Cup Qualifying, Concacaf Nations League


Forward Madison FC's Ally Hamis Ng'Anzi, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC's Thomas Vancaeyezeele and North Carolina FC's Dre Fortune are among the USL Championship and League One players heading on international duty this week.

TAMPA, Fla. – Twenty-nine players from across the USL Championship and USL League One have been selected for international duty this week in FIFA World Cup Qualifying and the Concacaf Nations League, with a handful of first-time call-ups being earned by those featuring prominently for their clubs this season on the domestic level.

Among the first-timers is North Carolina FC’s Dre Fortune, selected by Trinidad & Tobago for the first time at the senior level after having previously represented the country in the U-20 and U-17 ranks. A two-time Championship Player of the Week honoree this season, Fortune is joined by OKC Energy FC’s Alvin Jones, the Charlotte Independence’s Kevan George and Memphis 901 FC’s Leston Paul in the Soca Warriors’ squad, with the side set to face Martinique in a home-and-home series to open Group C in League A of the new CNL tournament.

Also selected for the first time is Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s Thomas Vancaeyezeele, selected by French Guiana for its CNL contests in League B against Grenada and St. Kitts & Nevis. A native of France, Vancaeyezeele has made 58 appearances for the Hounds since joining the club as a rookie prior to the 2018 Championship season, becoming one of the club’s most consistent presences in defense and central midfield.

A pair of League One standouts will also look to make their international debuts this week, with Forward Madison FC’s Ally Hamis Ng'Anzi earning selection for Tanzania and Greenville Triumph SC’s Omar Mohamed for Somalia as they face two-legged series in CAF World Cup Qualifying. Ng'Anzi could square off with ATL UTD 2’s Bienvenue Kanakimana, selected for the first time at the senior level by Burundi for the series against Tanzania that kicks off on Wednesday.

One other player having a standout 2019 season that could make his international debut is Ottawa Fury FC’s Christiano Francois, who was selected alongside Haiti regulars Jems Geffrard (Fresno FC) and Zach Herivaux (Birmingham Legion FC) for a pair of contests against Curacao. Francois had previously been named to the country’s 35-man preliminary roster for the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup. 

More familiar names are also back on international duty, with the Charleston’s Zeiko Lewis selected once more by Bermuda and the quintet of Louisville City FC’s Shaun Francis and Speedy Williams, Phoenix Rising FC’s Junior Flemmings, Bethlehem Steel FC's Chavany Willis and OKC Energy FC’s Je-Vaughn Watson all named in Jamaica’s squad.

In addition to those players called up to their senior national teams, more than 40 current and former players from the Championship, League One and League Two have been selected across the United States U-23, U-20 and U-17 National Teams called into camp this week. In the spotlight in particular are the U.S. U-17s, who are in the Netherlands for their final preparations ahead of the FIFA U-17 World Cup next month in Brazil.

USL International Call-Ups – September 2019

Bermuda – Zeiko Lewis (Charleston Battery)

Burundi – Bienvenue Kanakimana (ATL UTD 2)

Dominican Republic – Josh Garcia (OKC Energy FC)

French Guiana – Thomas Vancaeyezeele (Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC)

Grenada - AJ Paterson (Charleston Battery)

Guam – Shane Malcolm (Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC), Dallas Jaye (Greenville Triumph SC)

Guatemala - Allen Yanes (New York Red Bulls II)

Haiti – Jems Geffrard (Fresno FC), Zach Herivaux (Birmingham Legion FC), Christiano Francois (Ottawa Fury FC)

Jamaica – Shaun Francis (Louisville City FC), Devon Williams (Louisville City FC), Je-Vaughn Watson (OKC Energy FC), Junior Flemmings (Phoenix Rising FC), Chavany Willis (Bethlehem Steel FC)

Liberia - Joel Johnson (Charlotte Independence)

Malawi – Yamikani Chester (North Carolina FC)

Palestine – Nazmi Albadawi (North Carolina FC)

Puerto Rico – Alec Diaz (Tacoma Defiance)

Rwanda – Abdul Rwatubyaye (Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC)

Sierra Leone – Mustapha Dumbuya (Phoenix Rising FC)

Somalia – Omar Mohamed (Greenville Triumph SC), Abdi Mohamed (Memphis 901 FC)

Tanzania – Ally Hamis Ng'Anzi (Forward Madison FC)

Trinidad & Tobago – Dre Fortune (North Carolina FC), Alvin Jones (OKC Energy FC), Kevan George (Charlotte Independence), Leston Paul (Memphis 901 FC)

United States Youth National Teams

United States U-23 National Team: Matt Freese (Bethlehem Steel FC), JT Marcinkowsi (Reno 1868 FC), Andrew Thomas (San Francisco City FC), Kyle Duncan (New York Red Bulls II), Justen Glad (Real Monarchs SLC), Chris Gloster (New York Red Bulls II), Aaron Herrera (Real Monarchs SLC), Mark McKenzie (Bethlehem Steel FC), Donovan Pines (Loudoun United FC), Auston Trusty (Bethlehem Steel FC), Brenden Aaronson (Bethlehem Steel FC), Edwin Cerillo (North Texas SC), Alex Mendez (LA Galaxy II), Brandon Servania (Tulsa Roughnecks FC), Omir Fernandez (New York Red Bulls II), Jesus Ferreira (Tulsa Roughnecks FC), Brooks Lennon (Real Monarchs SLC), Sebastian Saucedo (Real Monarchs SLC), Mason Toye (Forward Madison FC)

United States U-20 National Team: David Ochoa (Real Monarchs SLC), Patrick Schulte (Saint Louis FC), Jose Kevin Bonilla (North Texas SC), George Campbell (ATL UTD 2), Nathan Harriel (Bethlehem Steel FC), Leonardo Sepulveda (LA Galaxy II), Cole Bassett (Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC), Thomas Roberts (North Texas SC), Tanner Tessman (North Texas SC), Johan Gomez (North Texas SC)

United States U-17 National Team: Aaron Cervantes (Orange County SC), Sebastian Anderson (Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC), Adam Armour (North Carolina FC), George Bello (ATL UTD 2), Nicolas Carrera (North Texas SC), Mauricio Cuevas (LA Galaxy II), Kobe Hernandez (LA Galaxy II), Ethan Dobbelaere (Tacoma Defiance), Gilbert Fuentes (Reno 1868 FC), Bryang Kayo (Loudoun United FC), Adam Saldana (LA Galaxy II), Gianluca Busio (Swope Park Rangers), Alfonso Ocampo-Chavez (Tacoma Defiance), Ricardo Pepi (North Texas SC), Griffin Yow (Loudoun United FC) 

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