COLUMBUS – Columbus Crew SC today announced that midfielder Justin Meram has earned a senior roster call-up from the Iraq National Team for an upcoming friendly against Japan on Thursday, June 11. Meram is on the roster for the Lions of Mesopotamia as named by Head Coach Akram Salman for the match, which is set to take place at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, Japan.
The midfielder has earned 13 caps dating back to his first call-up from Iraq on November 10, 2014. He made his debut for the team at the 2014 Gulf Cup of Nations, where he made three appearances. He then earned a second call-up ahead of the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, where he was an important contributor as Iraq made a run to the semifinals of the tournament.
This is Meram’s second call-up of the 2015 Major League Soccer season, as the midfielder was also named to the squad for a pair of friendlies against DR Congo in March. He started each of those contests, helping Iraq to a victory in each.
Meram has recorded three goals and three assists in 12 appearances for Crew SC this season. He joins a contingent of players from Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter’s squad to earn international call-ups in 2015, including Waylon Francis (Costa Rica), Kristinn Steindorsson (Iceland), Wil Trapp (United States), Romain Gall (U.S. Under-20s) and Ben Swanson (U.S. Under-18s). Crew SC’s roster also features Sergio Campbell (Jamaica), Kevan George (Trinidad & Tobago), Kei Kamara (Sierra Leone), Michael Parkhurst (United States) and Emanuel Pogatetz (Austria), all with senior National Team experience.
Crew SC returns to MLS regular-season play by hosting the LA Galaxy at MAPFRE Stadium on Saturday, June 13 in a contest that is set the see the capacity of MAPFRE Stadium temporarily increased in order to meet supporter demand. The match is set to kick-off at 7:30 p.m. ET.
