Andrew Marcinko
Alright FIFA, who do we have to bribe to get some more conveniently scheduled international breaks around here?
Ok, I’ll admit, I’m still a little sour about the Qatar thing. I’m teetering between ‘Anger’ and ‘Bargaining’ on the five stages of grief. I’m told ‘Depression’ is up next, which can only mean some unfortunate scotch-fueled tweets to @SeppBlatter complete with crying emoticons and some regrettable pleading. Just ignore those.
For now, I wanted to take a moment to consider this year’s MLS playoffs along with the upcoming international breaks. Recall last year, when there was a two week break between legs of the conference semifinals, followed by ANOTHER two week break prior to the MLS Cup Final. I enjoy some quality footy as much as the next guy, but my attention span can only handle so much. I am still American after all.
The good news is MLS seems to have gotten it right this time around. Below, we’ve put together the match schedule for the 2014 MLS playoffs. The November international break is November 10th – 18th, which falls snugly between the semifinal round and the conference championships.
This is a much more favorable timeline for the MLS than last year. The International break comes at a natural stopping point between the semis and the conference finals, and there will only be the normal one week break before the MLS Cup.
In related US Men’s National Team news, the Yanks will play a friendly against Ireland in Dublin on November 18th. It’s unclear as of now exactly what this will mean for the US internationals playing in MLS, however it would be my guess that anyone who was involved in the playoffs will be excused from duty. Those who are eliminated by that point will surely benefit from some time off after the long season, and I can’t imagine that Jurgen Klinsmann will ask any player to make the trip across the Atlantic and then return to play in a Conference Championship match within a week.
Southampton goalkeeper Cody Cropper may train with the USMNT during the November break.
The match could also provide an exciting opportunity for some of the younger Americans playing in Europe. Guys like Timothy Chandler and Mix Diskerud could see an increased role, and we could get appearances from less experienced youngsters like Joe Gyau, or even Will Packwood. It would be interesting as well to see if Klinsmann gives Cody Cropper a chance to back up Guzan, with Tim Howard taking a break and Nick Rimando, Bill Hamid, and Sean Johnson all on MLS squads.
The October international break won’t be without it’s MLS casualties. Though it falls before the playoffs begin, Real Salt Lakes’ Joao Plata has been called up to Ecuador’s national team and will miss their Oct. 11th match against San Jose and possibly also their Oct. 17th tilt against the Timbers. 
These are hardly meaningless late season matches for RSL, who currently sit just one point ahead of FC Dallas for 3rd in the West. That’s the difference between a knockout round game and a guaranteed trip to the semis. Honduras has also called up Houston Dynamo midfielders Boniek Garcia and Luis Garrido, San Jose Earthquakes defender Victor Bernardez, Chivas USA midfielder Marvin Chavez and Sporting Kansas City midfielder Jorge Claros.
The USMNT has not released a roster yet for the October friendlies, but it’s a safe bet that Klinsmann will at least be cognizant of the league responsibilities of the MLS players. More on that to come when the roster comes out. It’s worth noting as well that ESPN’s Doug McIntyre is reporting that Miguel Ibarra of NASL’s Minnesota United will be called up. That’s the first player called from an American league other than the MLS since Clyde Simms in 2005.
Here are the remaining USMNT matches for 2014:
USMNT vs Ecuador – October 10th 7pm – East Hartford, CT
USMNT vs Honduras – October 14th, 8pm – Boca Raton, FL
USMNT vs Ireland – November 18th, 2:45 PM (EST) – Dublin, Ireland