International Duty: Six Herons Feature Abroad

By Inter Miami CF

March 31^st, 2021

A collection of Inter Miami CF players and one coach recently participated in a number of international matches, representing the Club across several different competitions.

Rodolfo Pizarro featured for Mexico in a pair of friendlies, Joevin Jones featured for Trinidad and Tobago and Kelvin Leerdam featured for Suriname in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, while Inter Miami assistant coach Jason Kreis helmed the U.S. U-23 Men’s National Team and Edison Azcona featured for the Dominican Republic U-23 Men’s National Team at the Concacaf Olympic Qualifying Tournament, and Drake Callender featured in the U.S. U-23 camp under Kreis prior to the tournament.

Friendlies

Pizarro and Mexico first took on Wales on Saturday, March 27 at Cardiff City Stadium. The creative midfielder came on as a substitute in the 61st minute of that match, in which El Tri fell 1-0 to Wales.

Next up was a match against Costa Rica on Tuesday, March 30, in which Pizarro and El Tri traveled to the Stadion Wiener Neustadt in Wiener Neustadt, Austria. Inter Miami’s Designated Player started in that match going 65 minutes playing as a false nine and helping the team earn a 1-0 victory.

World Cup Qualifiers

Jones first featured in the Soca Warriors’ World Cup qualifying match against Guyana on Thursday, March 25 at the Estadio Panamericano in Havana, Cuba. Inter Miami’s new signing started in that match, going 77 minutes and helping lead the team to a comfortable 3-0 victory.

Next for Jones and the Soca Warriors was a trip to the Mayagüez Athletics Stadium to face Puerto Rico on Sunday, March 28. Jones again started in that match for Trinidad and Tobago, this time going 74 minutes and scoring the team’s only goal in a 1-1 draw.

Leerdam, meanwhile, made his official debut for the Suriname national team after previously representing the Netherlands at the youth levels; he started for the team in its World Cup qualifying match against the Cayman Islands on Wednesday, March 24 at Dr. Ir. Franklin Essed Stadion, in Paramaribo, Suriname. Leerdam went the full 90 minutes and registered an assist in that match as the team claimed a 3-0 victory.

Leerdam again started and played the full 90 minutes when Suriname faced Aruba at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. on Saturday, March 27. In the process he helped the team earn a convincing 6-0 victory over their opponents.

Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament

Inter Miami assistant coach Jason Kreis traveled to Guadalajara, Mexico to serve as the head coach of the U.S. U-23 Men’s National Team as they competed in the Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament. He led the team to two victories and one loss in its three group stage matches; a 1-0 win over Costa Rica, a 4-0 win over the Dominican Republic, and a 0-1 loss to Mexico. The team advanced to the knockout rounds of the tournament with those results, facing Honduras in the semifinal where the team fell to a 2-1 loss.

Azcona, meanwhile, starred for the Dominican Republic U-23’s at the tournament; he started in all three of the team’s matches wearing the No. 10 shirt, and played the full 90 minutes in each. The 17-year-old midfielder impressed throughout the tournament, scoring the team’s only goal from the penalty spot and showcasing the attributes that made his 2020 season with Fort Lauderdale CF a success.

Lastly, goalkeeper Drake Callender was called up to the U.S. U-23 camp in Guadalajara by Kreis, training with the group prior to their participation in the tournament. Callender returned to South Florida before the tournament began.

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