Four Sporting KC players in international action this week

Editorial Note: This article was published before the U.S. Soccer Federation announced the roster for the U-23 training camp which included Sporting KC goalkeeper Jon Kempin. His information has been added to the table below.

The Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs are taking a break this weekend for FIFA fixtures and while Sporting KC’s playoff run ended two weeks ago in Portland, four Sporting KC players will be in action over the following eight days. Three of those players will continue their journey toward the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, while another is looking to earn a berth in next year’s UEFA European Championship in France.

Matt Besler - United States

The Sporting KC captain rejoins the U.S. Men’s National Team after a stellar club season in Kansas City. Matt Besler now joins the USMNT as they begin their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign. The journey starts Friday night with a match against St. Vincent and the Grenadines at Busch Stadium in St. Louis (5:30 p.m. CT, ESPN2, UniMas). They will then head south for a road match against Trinidad and Tobago on Nov. 17. The match will be broadcast on beIN Sports and NBC Universe with a 5 p.m. CT kickoff.

Besler enters the week with 27 caps, including four in 2015. This will be the second World Cup qualifying cycle for the Overland Park native.

Soni Mustivar - Haiti

After skipping the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup to remain with Sporting KC last summer, Soni Mustivar returns to the Haiti Men's National Team for a pair of World Cup qualifiers. Haiti will hit the road to take on Costa Rica on Nov. 13 (8 p.m. CT) before hosting Jamaica on Nov. 17 (5 p.m. CT).

Mustivar has six caps for Haiti and last played for the national team at the 2014 CFU Caribbean Cup.

Marcel de Jong - Canada

This is one of the more interesting situations to watch as Canada is looking to earn their first FIFA World Cup berth since 1986 and has one of their most talented squads in recent memory. Sporting KC defender Marcel de Jong made his international debut for Canada at age 21 and has been a fixture over the past nine years. Canada opens the fourth round of qualifying with a home match against Honduras on Nov. 13 (9 p.m. CT) before traveling to El Salvador for a road match on Nov. 17 (7:30 p.m. CT).

De Jong has 39 appearances with three goals for the Canada Men’s National Team. He’s made eight appearance for the team this year and scored a spectacular goal against Ghana in his last appearance.

Krisztian Nemeth - Hungary

While three of Sporting KC’s players are fighting for sports in the World Cup, Krisztian Nemeth and Hungary are fighting for a berth in a competition that’s eluded them since 1972.

After finishing their Euro qualifying campaign in third place, Hungary advanced to the two-game playoff against Norway. The first match will take place Thursday in Oslo. It will kick off at 1:45 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1. The decisive second match will take place Sunday in Budapest. It will kick off at 1:45 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN. The team that scores the most goals over the course of the two matches will advance to the 2016 European Championship in France.