The Major League Soccer season is set to pause next week for the FIFA international break. The United States men's national team will take on Belgium and Portugal in Atlanta in a pair of pre-World Cup friendlies, while nations around the globe are putting the final touches on their World Cup preparations.
Five Nashville SC players have been called up to represent their nations on the international stage.
SixOneFive Soccer Staff
Patrick Yazbek - Australia
The 23-year-old midfielder has been a crucial part of Nashville SC's early success. He's played in all eight matches this seasons, making five starts and logging a pair of assists in a 3-1 win over Minnesota United.
He's been steadily inching towards a more consistent role with the Australian national team, and his club form could push him into more minutes this window as the Socceroos prepare to take on a World Cup group including the United States, Paraguay, and the winner of the European playoff between Türkiye, Romania, Kosovo, and Slovakia.
Yazbek has been capped eight times for his country, including playing in their final two World Cup qualifiers and four of their last six friendly matches.
Upcoming matches:
- Australia vs Cameroon | March 27 | Sydney, Australia | 4:10 am CT | Friendly
- Australia vs Curaçao | March 31 | Melbourne, Australia | 3:10 am CT | Friendly
Woobens Pacius - Haiti
Born in Canada, Woobens Pacius made his international debut for Haiti last season. He also made his debut for Nashville this year, scoring twice in the Concacaf Champions Cup series against Atlético Ottawa, and making his first MLS start against the Columbus Crew.
He's looking to carve out a larger role for a Haiti side making their first appearance at a World Cup in 52 years.
Upcoming matches:
- Haiti vs Tunisia | March 28 | Toronto, Canada | 7 pm CT | Friendly
- Haiti vs Iceland | March 31 | Toronto, Canada | 11:30 am CT | Friendly
Xavier Valdez - Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic didn't qualify for the World Cup, so they'll be playing in the 2025-26 Concacaf Series, a tournament set up by the confederation for nations who were eliminated from World Cup qualifying in the early stages.
Goalkeeper Xavier Valdez has been the nailed-down No. 1 for his country, earning 19 caps and starting 14 of their last 15 matches. Despite being third on the Nashville SC depth chart, he's proven at the international level and will continue to develop at just 22 years old.
Upcoming matches:
- Dominican Republic vs El Salvador | March 26 | Santiago, Dominican Republic | 6 pm CT | 2025-26 Concacaf Series
- Dominican Republic vs Cuba | March 29 | Santiago, Dominican Republic | 1 pm CT | 2025-26 Concacaf Series
Reed Baker-Whiting & Thomas Williams - United States U21
Two Nashville SC youngsters have been selected to the United States U21 training camp in South Korea, where they'll play a pair of friendlies against Japan's U21s and South Korea's U23s.
Reed Baker-Whiting and Thomas Williams both joined Nashville this season, coming from Seattle Sounders and Orlando, respectively. Williams has made 11 appearances from the U17 to U23 levels, while Baker-Whiting has 19 appearances from the U15 level up.
Former Nashville SC attacker Alan Carleton has also earned a call-up to this squad, after transferring to Sandvikens IF in the Swedish second tier this winter.
Upcoming matches:
- USA U21 vs Japan U21 | March 27 | Cheonan-si, South Korea | 1 am CT | Friendly
- USA U21 vs Japan U23 | March 31 | Cheonan-si, South Korea | 2 am CT | Friendly
