Are There Any MLS Players Called To The EUROs?
One of the biggest soccer events of the summer is just days away from getting underway, as some of the world's best players will be in action at the European Championships.
This summer's event will see some of the top national teams from the continent in action, with all having the one goal of winning EURO 2024 in Germany.
There is likely to be interest from North America in the tournament, with a number of the top stars from the MLS set to be in action during the summer. You can find more information about waging on MLS and US sports in this website.
So, which MLS players will be competing for their national side in Germany?
Olivier Giroud - France
One of the newest names to be plying their trade in the MLS following the EUROs this summer will be Olivier Giroud, who announced that his time in the European game had come to an end after an agreement was reached to sign for Los Angeles FC. The French World Cup winner has been a vitally important member of the national side throughout his career, scoring his team's 100th goal at the World Cup in 2014.
Since then, he featured regularly as France reached the final at EURO 2016, before playing a vital role in France's World Cup success in 2018. He would show his importance once again at the 2022 World Cup, scoring the winning goal against England in the quarterfinal before France were defeated by Argentina. He will retire from international soccer following the EUROs this summer as his nation's leading scorer.
Xherdan Shaqiri - Switzerland
Xherdan Shaqiri will be one of the most important players for his national side this summer, as the winger represents Switzerland. The 32-year-old has played over 120 times for the Swiss, scoring 31 goals to make him the fourth-highest scorer in the history of the national side. Shaqiri has played an important role for Switzerland during one of their most successful periods on the international stage, playing in four World Cups and three editions of the EUROs.
The winger has always been regarded as one of the most dynamic players in his position winning the Bundesliga on three occasions with Bayern Munich before moving to Inter Milan and then Stoke City. Shaqiri also played an important role on the field for Liverpool between 2018 and 2021, winning the Champions League and Premier League. The winger has been part of the Chicago Fire roster since 2022, and he has scored 16 goals in 75 appearances across all competitions.
Henrich Ravas - Slovakia
It will be a huge summer at the EUROs for the Slovakian national side, as they bid to successfully make it out of the group stage for the first time since 2016. Henrich Ravas will be a key member of the squad this summer, with the goalkeeper forming one of three options for the coach in Germany.
Ravas was first included in the Slovakian squad back in November 2022, but he didn't feature in friendly matches against Chile and Montenegro. The goalkeeper was once again named for a winter training camp in December 2022, but didn't feature in matches.
His international prospects have improved in recent months after being called up in the first qualifying round ahead of matches against Luxembourg and Bosnia in March 2023.
However, he is still yet to make his international debut. Ravas has been a solid choice for clubs throughout his career, making his breakthrough after moving from Derby County to FK Senica in 2021. Since then, he has played in Slovakia and Poland, before moving to the MLS earlier in the year to join the New England Revolution.
Lewis Morgan - Scotland
Lewis Morgan will be among the players that will be looking to produce the goals to help Scotland reach the knockout stage at the EUROs for the first time. Morgan has been on the radar of the international team since 2018 when he was called into the squad for the first time by Alex McLeish. The striker made his full senior debut at international level in a 2-0 home defeat against Peru. However, it wasn't until this summer that Morgan was re-called to the international set up ahead of the EUROs.
To date, the 27-year-old has played three times for Scotland, but he could have an increased role for the team this summer following the injury picked up by Lyndon Dykes. Morgan was a standout striker in the second tier of Scotland for St Mirren, before joining Scottish giants Celtic in 2017. After a three-year stay at Celtic Park, he joined Inter Miami in 2020, scoring seven goals in 58 matches across two seasons. However, his game has reached new heights since joining the New York Red Bulls. Since signing for the team in 2022, the striker has scored 27 goals in 59 appearances across all competitions.
David Brekalo - Slovenia
Slovenia will be an outsider in this Euro, being in a group with tournament favorites England, Denmark and Serbia. One of the weapons from the Slovenian national team is Orlando City's defender David Brekalo.
David has 13 caps for the Slovenian national team, and he will compete for a place in the starting eleven, next to Udinese's Jaka Bijol, who is likely a guaranteed name in the lineup for the first Euro 2024 game.
Brekalo arrived at Orlando in February, after 3 years in Norwegian team Viking FK. Since then, he has played 15 games for Orlando and scored 1 goal.
Daniel Gazdag - Hungary
Seen as a potential dark horse in this tournament, Hungary will try to upset tournament hosts Germany in Group A, where they will also face Shaqiri's Switzerland and Lewis Morgan's Scotland.
Among the players called to the Hungarian national team for Euro 2024 is Philadelphia Union attacking midfielder Daniel Gazdag. Gazdag is one of the players in better form in MLS, with 10 goals in 15 MLS games.
Daniel arrived in Philly in 2021, from Hungarian team Honved and he became one of the team stars quickly. He has 133 games for Union, scoring 61 goals and completing 17 assists.
For Hungary he as 25 caps and 4 goals. Gazdag is likely to be a starter in Euro 2024, next to the team's highest rated player, Dominik Szoboslai from Liverpool.