Red Bulls Lose Nine Players on International Duty

By Daniel Feuerstein | Morris Township, NJ | September 22nd, 2026

Red Bull New York ended their four-match road trip on a high earning seven out of a possible 12 points. Winning their Hudson River Derby match at Yankee Stadium against NYCFC, they are now going to prepare for their next match as they host for the first time St. Louis City SC. But for the final time in this current competition calendar for Major League Soccer, this match falls on the International Window Dates of the new Combined windows of September and October, as no matches will be played from now till Tuesday, October 6th. The Red Bulls will lose a total of nine players to senior and youth national team call-ups.

Losing Julian Hall & Adri Mehmeti to Mauricio Pochettino

Many people were waiting with bated breath to see the final roster for these four matches for the senior side of the U.S. Men’s National Team, as both Adri Mehmeti and Julian Hall will get their first shot at training with Mauricio Pochettino. They will face Peru in Orlando, Chile in St. Louis, Mexico in Glendale, Arizona, and Canada in St. Paul, Minnesota. All their hard work this season finally paid off as they will join others from MLS and clubs abroad to face teams from other countries and play for international pride. We will see who gets to start and who will come off the bench, but for these two players, they have earned their spots.

The Panamanian trio

Three players will represent their country, located in Central America. Striker Mijahir Jimenez, midfielder Rafael Mosquera, and right fullback Omar Valencia have been called up to the Panamanian National Team for their upcoming friendlies in September, when they take on India on Friday, September 25th, and New Zealand on Thursday, October 1st. These three players have been the future for Panama under Thomas Christensen, and he is looking to infuse new blood for this new cycle, just like Pochettino has done for his roster of the USMNT.

Ronald Donkor fighting in AFCON Qualifiers

For the very first time, Midfielder Ronald Donkor has been called up by the senior side of Ghana to perform in their African Cup of Nations Qualifiers. For the last three seasons, Donkor has been with Red Bull New York mostly as a defensive midfielder, but when Michael Bradley took over, he became an offensive player and has scored his first two career MLS goals this season against DC United and the game-winner against the Columbus Crew, and has recorded six assists this season. Ghana will face the Ivory Coast on Thursday, September 24, and face Gambia on Tuesday, September 29. All his hard work has paid off in finally getting to this level.

David Ruiz goes to Honduras

The CONCACAF Nations League Group Stage matches begin this combined window of September & October, as David Ruiz has been called up to Honduras to play in their Group B matches in League A as they face Suriname at home on Friday, September 25th, on the road at Jamaica on September 29th, then on the road at Martinique on Thursday, October 1st, and back home against Jamaica on Monday, October 5th. Also in Honduras’s group are El Salvador and Guatemala. Since joining on loan from Inter Miami, Ruiz has played in the last four matches.

Youth National Team also made a call

Now that the Senior sides have finally called up their respective Red Bulls players across the globe, the youth sides are calling their players in. U.S. Under-19 Boys National Team head coach Rob Valentino has called in left fullback Matthew Dos Santos and winger Dennis Nelich for their trip to Marbella, Spain, from Thursday, September 24th to October 6th. At this camp, the team will face Wales on September 24, then face England on October 2. Their final match will be against Norway on October 5. Matthew Dos Santos, on two short-term loans to start the season at Orlando City and the home opener against the New England Revolution, has taken over as the starter at left back. Nelich got his first game and first start at Los Angeles FC at BMO Stadium.

So, as these nine players are leaving the Red Bulls to join their respective national teams and take on a full-strength St. Louis City SC, the positive is that this will be the very last time this type of interference with club teams playing during international windows will happen; it will never happen again when they play in their new competition calendar, which is the International schedule calendar that many of us have been begging for these 30 years, as long as MLS has been around as the first division league.

Red Bull New York loses nine players for International Duty during a match against St. Louis City SC.

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