New York City FC is pleased to welcome back six First Team players who were selected for international duty this month.
Among those call-ups was Mounsef Bakrar. The forward celebrated his senior international debut with Algeria after being introduced as a second-half substitute against Bolivia. Helping his country secure a 3-2 win, Bakrar recorded an assist to make it a memorable debut.
It was a similar story in Algeria’s next game against South Africa, with Bakrar once again introduced in the second half and once again tallying an assist as the two teams played out a 3-3 draw.
There was also good news for Mitja Ilenič as he continued his involvement with Slovenia’s U21s.
The defender played the full 90 minutes as Slovenia ran out 3-0 winners against Bosnia last week. The result handed Slovenia a significant boost in their pursuit of qualification for the UEFA Under-21 Championships next year.
Unfortunately, Jovan Mijatović had a slightly more challenging time away with Serbia’s U19s as they sought to qualify for the UEFA Under-19 Championships taking place this summer.
The forward played the full 90 minutes for Serbia as they were beaten 3-1 by their Danish counterparts. He would sit out his side’s second game against Portugal, which they lost 4-1, a result that ended any hope of qualifying. Mijatović was returned to the starting XI for Serbia’s final game against Greece during which they recorded a 3-3 draw.
Goalkeeper Tomás Romero enjoyed a busy international break with El Salvador as they took on Bonaire, Argentina, and Honduras. The shot-stopper earned a start against Bonaire in a 1-1 draw before being named on the bench during a 3-0 loss to Argentina. He was restored to the starting XI for El Salvador’s final game against Honduras, which finished 1-1.
Elsewhere, New York City FC was represented in the Concacaf Nations League in the form of Tayvon Gray and his involvement with Jamaica. The defender was a late substitute for the Reggae Boyz against the U.S. Men’s National Team in a game they would ultimately lose in extra time. He would make a second substitute appearance during Jamaica's win in the Third Place Play-off game against Panama.
Fellow defender Christian McFarlane rounded out the international call-ups and enjoyed a successful time with England’s U17s as they qualified for the UEFA Under-17 Championships.
The Three Lions kicked off their March fixture list with a 5-1 win against Northern Ireland, a game in which McFarlane was introduced as a second-half substitute. The defender was then called into the starting XI for England’s next game against Hungary and found himself on the scoresheet in a 5-0 success.
England concluded the month with a game against France’s U17s. McFarlane was once again handed a place in the starting XI and registered an assist as England fell 2-1 to Les Bleus.
The Club would like to congratulate all six players on their involvement with their national teams.
