Three Houston Dynamo players and two players from RGV FC have been called up for international duty by their national federations ahead of the upcoming FIFA international break, the club announced today.
Forwards Alberth Elis and Romell Quioto were called up by the National Autonomous Federation of Football of Honduras (FENAFUTH), while defender Adolfo Machado and RGV FC forward Carlos Small were called up by the Panamanian Football Federation (FEPAFUT). Additionally, RGV FC midfielder Pablo Aguilar was named to the National Football Federation of Guatemala (FEDEFUT).
Honduras and Panama will face one another on Friday, Nov. 16 at 8:00 p.m. CST at Estadio Nacional Tiburcio CarÃas Andino in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
After their match, Honduras will have a quick turnaround as they return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 20. Los Catrachos will travel to Temuco, Chile to face Chile at Estadio Municipal Germán Becker at 6:15 p.m. CST.
Elis has earned 29 caps for Honduras and has scored seven goals at the international level. Quioto has appeared in 41 international matches and has scored eight goals for Los Catrachos. The duo were last called in to the national team for a friendly against the United Arab Emirates in Barcelona, Spain on Oct. 11, with Quioto scoring the opening goal in the 1-1 draw.
After finishing their second season with the Dynamo, Elis and Quioto continue to prove to be integral parts to one of Major League Soccer’s most dangerous front lines. Elis finished with 11 goals and 10 assists last season, becoming the first Dynamo player to record double-digit goals and assists in the same year. Meanwhile, Quioto finished the regular season with six goals and 12 assists, becoming one of three players in club history to record that many assists in one season.
During his second season with the Dynamo, Machado received an opportunity of a lifetime as he was called to represent Panama in their first FIFA World Cup venture. In Houston, Machado started in 21 games with 18 starts led the team in clearances for the second consecutive year, with 78.
All three players were integral in helping the Dynamo win the club’s first Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship. During the Open Cup Final against the Philadelphia Union, Elis recorded two assists while a cross from Quioto late in the match resulted in an own goal for Philadelphia to provide the final margin of victory. Quioto also scored two goals in Houston’s 4-2 quarterfinal victory over Sporting Kansas City to keep the club’s championship run alive. Machado was key component of the Dynamo’s defense in the quarterfinals and semifinals of the tournament.
Small appeared in 15 USL matches, making 11 starts, for the Toros late this season scoring five goals and one assist. He was part of the Panamanian U-20 squad in 2015 where he appeared in nine matches and tallied one goal. On February 17, 2016, Small made his international debut for Panama during a friendly match against El Salvador. He scored his first two international goals in a 5-0 victory against Grenada on October 24, 2017.
Aguilar appeared in 27 USL matches and made 22 starts for the Toros this season, scoring two goals and one assist. The 23-year-old stands to make his international debut for Guatemala if he takes the pitch against Israel this weekend.
