Peru call-up puts Gallese in a bind
Lions determined to keep goalkeeper with them
It wasn’t a surprise when Orlando City goalkeeper Pedro Gallese was called up to the Peruvian national team for its FIFA World Cup qualifying matches in October.
Gallese has been a stalwart for Peru during the past two years. During 62 matches, the keeper has played in the Copa América and World Cup, saving penalty kicks off Luis Suárez and shutting out a Lionel Messi-led Argentinian side.
But as Major League Soccer attempts to block national teams from calling up players, it’s unclear whether Gallese will represent his country in October.
On Friday, MLS delivered a letter to several federations, including Peru and Paraguay, refusing to relinquish players for the October window, according to the New York Times. Neither federation has issued a response.
The letter came as part of a larger movement by leagues and associations around the world concerned about the safety of national team call-ups during a global pandemic.
A group of leagues, club associations and FIFPRO held a meeting with FIFA earlier this week to discuss the October and November international windows. Neither side could reach an agreement by the end of the meeting.
FIFA has yet to release official guidelines on how clubs should handle player safety while releasing athletes to their national teams.
U.S. Soccer already chose to postpone its October call-ups to preserve player and staff safety.
South American players in MLS face conflicting highly important matches.
The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) scheduled its World Cup qualifying matches in October. These matches decide which of the federation’s 10 teams will compete during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
In MLS, meanwhile, October will feature most of the final matches of Phase Two of the regular season. Playoff qualification, seeding and the league’s Support
ers Shield winner will be decided in October.
Although the international window ends on Oct. 13, MLS policy requires all players returning from outside of the U.S. to quarantine for at least 10 days. It would remove players from contention for almost a month of play.
Peru is scheduled to play two qualifying matches in October — against Paraguay on Oct. 8 and against Brazil on Oct. 13. Six other MLS players besides Gallese were called up by the Peruvian national team.
Peru’s schedule would guarantee Gallese’s absence for the Lions’
matches against Atlanta, Columbus and New York City FC. If MLS continued to require a 10-day quarantine upon his return, Gallese would miss matches against the New York Red Bulls and Inter Miami.
The absences don’t include the next international window that starts on Nov. 12, allowing Gallese only five weeks of availability across two months.
CONMEBOL requires teams to play18 matches to earn World Cup bids and has limited time to stage them thanks to the pandemic. The organization has not yet shown any signs it will alter its schedule
despite concerns raised about player safety.
With 10 games left in the regular season, the call-up also covers a critical stretch for Orlando City.
The Lions are No. 2 in both the Eastern Conference table and the Supporters Shield race. As a result, every game carries extra weight as the team looks to make history by earning a top seed and a first MLS trophy.
The head-to-head match with Columbus on Oct. 11 offers the best chance for the Lions to narrow that margin and take the lead for the conference and the Supporters’ Shield.
Orlando City knew national team call-ups would be part of the equation for Gallese when they signed him during the offseason. Those expected absences were why it was critical to retain 2019 starting goalkeeper Brian Rowe.
The veteran brings eight years of league experience and recorded 110 saves and seven shutouts as the Lions’ starter last year.
But with the postseason on the line, it will be vital for the Lions to have Gallese, their game-changing starting keeper, between the posts in as many games as possible.