Five members of the Chicago Fire will be in action during the upcoming international break, largely in matches with major tournament implications for either 2024 or 2026. Xherdan Shaqiri, Gastón Giménez, Miguel Navarro, Georgios Koutsias, and Chris Brady are the five first-teamers who have been called into duty. Each of them should play a role in their team’s success over the next week.
Here’s a breakdown of the Fire players in action during the current international break in men’s soccer.
Xherdan Shaqiri (Switzerland): EURO 2024 Qualifiers, Group I
Shaqiri and Switzerland will finish off the Group Stage of their EURO 2024 Qualifying in this international window, playing three contests over a week to ensure Group I play is completed. Switzerland is four points clear of third place in Group I with an extra match to play, allowing Shaqiri and co. the opportunity to control their destiny in the international break.
Nov. 15 vs. Israel, 1:45 PM CT
Nov. 18 vs. Kosovo, 1:45 PM CT
Nov. 21 vs. Romania, 1:45 PM CT
Gastón Giménez (Paraguay): CONMEBOL 2026 World Cup Qualifiers
Giménez and Paraguay will play their final two World Cup qualification matches of 2023 in the international window after Giménez was an unused substitute in both of the squad’s qualifiers in the previous window. Paraguay is currently seventh in the CONMEBOL qualification table, one spot behind the six automatic qualification spots the region gets in 2026.
Nov. 16 vs. Chile, 6:30 PM CT
Nov. 21 vs. Colombia, 5:00 PM CT
Miguel Navarro (Venezuela): CONMEBOL 2026 World Cup Qualifiers
Navarro’s Venezuela squad currently occupies the No. 4 seed in CONMEBOL’s 2026 World Cup Qualification table, going 2-1-1 through four matches in previous international windows. Navarro made one appearance for Venezuela during the last international break, playing the entire match in a 3-0 win over Chile on Oct. 17.
Nov. 16 vs. Ecuador, 4:00 PM CT
Nov. 21 vs. Peru, 8:00 PM CT
Georgios Koutsias (Greece U-21): U-21 EURO 2024 Qualifiers, Group G
Georgios Koutsias and his Greece U-21 squad have some work to do in the upcoming window, looking to climb out of the fourth spot in Group G. After going winless in the previous international window (Koutsias did score on Oct. 13 vs. Croatia U-21), Greece U-21 need at least one win during the current window to keep pace in its group.
Nov. 16 vs. Faroe Islands U-21, 8:00 AM CT
Nov. 21 vs Portugal U-21, 8:00 AM CT
Chris Brady (U.S. Men’s Olympic Team): Friendlies
Chris Brady was selected as one of the two goalkeepers on head coach Marko Mitrović’s squad as they prepare for the Olympics next summer in Paris. Mitrović and Co. are holding camp in San Pedro de Pinatar, Spain for the duration of the international break, giving this group more than a week together to prepare for next summer.
Nov. 18 vs Iraq, 10:00 AM CT
Nov. 21 vs Morocco, 8:00 AM CT
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