Three Minnesota United players were called up by their respective national teams this past week. Francisco Calvo (Costa Rica), Michael Boxall (New Zealand) and Rasmus Schuller (Finland) will all represent their countries in international friendly matches over the weekend.
Calvo and Los Ticos begin preparations for the 2018 World Cup in Russia with a pair of friendlies against Scotland on March 23 and Tunisia on March 27. He has been a mainstay in the Costa Rica lineup for some time now and has played 11 of its last 12 matches, including the final stretch of World Cup Qualifying.
After crossing the quarter-century mark for appearances in his last call-up, Schuller joins Finland for a pair of matches in front its home fans. The Finns will welcome Macedonia on March 23, followed by Malta on March 26. Schuller has featured in Finland’s last four matches across World Cup Qualifying and international friendlies, helping his team to a 2-0-2 record in that stretch.
Boxall and the All-Whites assemble for the first time since the heartbreaking loss in a series with Peru for the final spot in the 2018 World Cup. The champions of Oceania will start their rebuilding process in a friendly match against Canada on March 24. Rather than have one country travel across the globe, the two teams will meet in the middle to play the match in Spain.
March International Friendlies
Friday, March 23
Finland vs Macedonia | 2:00 p.m. CT
Costa Rica at Scotland | 2:45 p.m. CT | WatchESPN, ESPN Deportes
Saturday, March 24
New Zealand vs Canada | 10 a.m. CT
Monday, March 26
Finland vs Malta | TBD
Tuesday, March 27
Costa Rica at Tunisia | 2:00 p.m. CT
