Five Houston Dynamo players have been called up for international duty by their respective national federations ahead of the upcoming FIFA international break, the club announced today.
Forward Ronaldo Peña was called up by the Venezuelan Football Federation (FVF) to represent Venezuela and has an opportunity to earn his first cap at the senior international level for the first time in his career; forwards Alberth Elis and Romell Quioto were called up by the National Autonomous Federation of Football of Honduras (FENAFUTH); defender Adolfo Machado was called up by the Panamanian Football Federation (FEPAFUT); and midfielder Arturo Alvarez was called up by the Salvadoran Football Federation (FESFUT).
Venezuela will face the Basque Country national team on Oct. 12 in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain and United Arab Emirates in Barcelona on Oct. 16. Despite having been part of a training camp at the senior level before, Peña has yet to make his senior-level debut for Venezuela and could play his first match for La Vinotinto during this international match window. Peña was a member of the Venezuelan team that finished second at the 2017 FIFA Under-20 World Cup, where he scored one goal against Germany during the group phase. The 21-year old has played in eight games with two starts for the Dynamo this season and scored his first MLS goal in a 1-1 draw against FC Dallas on August 23.
Honduras will face the United Arab Emirates on Oct. 11 in Barcelona, Spain in a friendly match. Quioto has appeared in 40 matches for his country and has seven goals. At age 22, Elis has already represented his country 28 times and has scored seven goals. Through their first two years with the Dynamo, Elis and Quioto have each established themselves among Major League Soccer’s most dangerous attacking threats. Elis is just the second player in Dynamo history to record a combined 20 goals and assists, with 11 goals and nine assists on the year, while Quioto has a team-leading 11 assists to go along with five goals.
Panama will travel to Asia to play South Korea in Cheonan on Oct. 10 and Japan on Oct. 12 in Niigata. This summer, Machado was a member of the Panamanian National Team at the 2018 FIFA World Cup as the country made its World Cup debut in Russia. During his tenure with Los Canaleros, he has earned 77 caps and has scored one goal. In his second season with the Dynamo, Machado has played 1,624 minutes in 20 appearances with 17 starts.
El Salvador will host Barbados on Oct. 13 in San Salvador. Los Cuastaltecos are competing in the CONCACAF Nations League as they seek a spot in the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Alvarez has earned 43 caps for El Salvador since making his debut during the 2010 World Cup Qualifying campaign and has scored four goals at the international level. The 33-year old has played in 16 regular season matches for the Dynamo, and helped the team reach the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final playing in two matches and recording two assists in the tournament.
Following this FIFA international match window, the Dynamo will return home to host Seattle Sounders FC at 4:00 p.m. CDT on Sunday, October 21 at BBVA Compass Stadium. Tickets may be purchased online at HoustonDynamo.com, by phone at 713-276-GOAL, or in person at the BBVA Compass Stadium Box Office, which is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. CDT.
