Six Nashville SC players represented their countries during the international break, with Chris Applewhite and Liam Devan also participating in US youth national team training camps.
Here's a quick update on how they performed.
Matt Corcoran
United States U20 🇺🇸
Matt Corcoran started the USMNT U20s 4-1 win over a really good Morocco side, and scored in the 68th minute in an impressive performance. The US kick off their U20 World Cup campaign on September 29, and feels close to a lock that Corcoran will be in the squad.
Real Gill (Huntsville City)
Trinidad & Tobago 🇹🇹
Huntsville City winger Real Gill was called up to Trinidad & Tobago's matches against Curaçao and Jamaica, but didn't feature in either. Trinidad are in third place in Group B, three points out of second place and advancing to the intercontinental World Cup qualifying playoffs.
Andy Nájar
Honduras 🇭🇳
Andy Nájar played the full 90 minutes in both of Honduras's World Cup qualifiers, drawing 0-0 in Haiti and beating Nicaragua 2-0 at home. Playing as a right center back in a back three, Nájar was excellent in both matches. He didn't get forward nearly as much as he does with Nashville, sitting deeper and impacting the match with an impressive passing range. Honduras currently lead Group C, on pace to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Playing 180 minutes in four days before a three-game week isn't ideal from a Nashville perspective, but it looks like he's come away mostly unscathed. Don't be surprise if he starts on the bench in Cincinnati with an eye towards Philadelphia.
Jacob Shaffelburg
Canada 🇨🇦
Jacob Shaffelburg didn't play in Canada's 3-0 win in Romania, with Concacaf ruling that he could serve his single-match suspension from the Gold Cup quarterfinal loss to Guatemala during the next international friendly.
Afterwards, the winger came off the bench for the final 25 minutes of a 1-0 win over Wales, touching the ball 11 times and completing three passes.
Xavier Valdez
Dominican Republic 🇩🇴
Xavier Valdez played the full 90 minutes for the Dominican Republic in a 3-0 friendly loss to Jordan, their only match of the window. The Nashville third-string goalkeeper has locked down a starting role for his nation, starting 13 of their last 14 games in all competitions.
Patrick Yazbek
Australia 🇦🇺
Nashville's Aussie midfielder played in both Australia's friendly matches against New Zealand. Patrick Yazbek played the first half in a 1-0 win, completing 28 of 29 passes. He came off the bench four days later, playing the final 26 minutes in a 3-1 win.
While his minutes workload wasn't too intense, flying 18 hours both ways takes a toll. Yazbek was in training on Thursday with Nashville, but it remains to be seen how much he'll play in the coming week.
