Columbus Crew SC today announced that two of its players have received international call-ups from their respective international federations: Harrison Afful (Ghana) and Justin Meram (Iraq).
Afful is set to join Ghana ahead of its 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying match against Egypt in Alexandria (November 13). The Black Stars currently sit tied for second place in the Confederation of African Football Group E with Uganda, while Egypt and Congo round-out the group. Ghana’s last qualifier match ended in a Third Round 0-0 draw with Uganda. The five CAF group winners will qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Afful has earned 65 caps all-time for Ghana, with his last coming in a friendly start against South Africa on October 11.
Meram is slated to join Iraq ahead of its friendly against Jordan (November 6) and its 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying match against United Arab Emirates (November 15). The Third Round of the Asian Football Confederation qualification features two groups of six teams each in a double round-robin format, with the top two teams in each group directly qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the third-place team advancing to the Fourth Round. Iraq is in Group B along with Australia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Thailand and currently sits in fifth place. Meram has earned 20 caps for Iraq in his career, with the last coming in a 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying match against Saudi Arabia on September 6.
