By DAN KARELL
Two New York Red Bulls players are heading to Europe for international friendlies next month.
Football Australia announced on Monday night that Red Bulls midfielder Tim Cahill and defender David Carney are included in the Australia squad for friendly matches next month against France (October 11) and Canada (October 15).
The only two Australians in Major League Soccer will jet off from New York to Paris after the Red Bulls’ match on October 5 against the New England Revolution, and luckily for Red Bulls head coach Mike Petke, the team is off on the weekend of October 12/13, meaning that the duo from down under won’t miss any matches barring an injury.
Cahill (64 caps, 28 goals) makes his return to the squad after missing the last two Australia teams due to injury, and Carney (48 caps, six goals) returns to the international side for the first time in more than a year after failing to find a club to play at during the same time span. Carney recently played his fourth match for the Red Bulls, going the full 90 on each occasion as he slowly shakes off the rust from having been away from regular soccer for such a long span.
Australia qualified for the World Cup on June 18, with a 1-0 victory over Iraq at home. Like the U.S. Men’s National Team, head coach Holger Osiek is using what few international dates he has at his disposal to the fullest, calling in a strong squad for the two friendly matches.
The match against France is due to take place at the Parc des Princes, the Paris Saint-Germain ground, while the match four days later against Canada will take place at Craven Cottage in south London.
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What do you think of this news? Do you see them playing in both friendly matches? Surprised that Socceroos coach Holger Osiek called them in during the Red Bulls final stretch of the regular season?
Share your thoughts below.