HARRISON, N.J. (November 16, 2016) - New York Red Bulls defender Kemar Lawrence, Homegrown midfielder Derrick Etienne Jr., and Designated Player and midfielder Sacha Kljestan all represented their respective national teams during the November FIFA International window.
Lawrence joined Jamaica and Etienne donned the Haitian kit as part of Caribbean Cup Qualifiers. Lawrence and Jamaica hosted Suriname on November 13, while Haiti played at home against Guyana on November 9 and away at St. Kitts and Nevis on November 13.
Lawrence didn’t play in the game due to the injury sustained in the first leg of the Red Bulls’ playoff matchup against Montreal, which also caused him to miss the second leg. The 1-0 victory guarantees Jamaica will play in the Caribbean Cup Finals between June 22 and 25, 2017. Additionally, the Reggae Boyz will play in the 2017 Gold Cup from July 7 to 26, 2017.
Etienne Jr. made his first appearance for the Haitian side on November 9 against French Guiana, and made his first start against St. Kitts and Nevis on November 13. He subbed into a 4-2 game, with his team trailing, which ended in a 5-2 loss. In the second game, he was subbed out when the score was 0-0, and it ended with a 2-0 victory. Although Haiti was eliminated from the Caribbean Cup Finals, they kept their slim hopes alive of qualifying for the 2017 Gold Cup. Etienne Jr. is now cap-tied to the Haitian National Team.
Kljestan joined the USMNT on their start to “The Hex,” the first portion of the Final Round of 2018 World Cup Qualifying. He didn’t appear in the opening game against Mexico, which resulted in a 2-1 loss. In the second game, Kljestan was subbed in during the 74th minute. The USA was already behind 3-0, and it ended 4-0. These are just the first two of 10 matches that make up the Hex. The next two games are in late March.
