Forward Clint Dempsey and midfielder Marco Pappa were summoned Sunday to national team duty for a pair of international friendlies. Dempsey is headed to Europe with the U.S. Men’s National Team for matches against Denmark and Switzerland, while Pappa will remain in the U.S. with Guatemala to take on Canada and El Salvador.
The U.S. plays Denmark Wednesday in Aarhus in the first meeting between the teams since 2009 (3 p.m. PT / ESPN2, WatchESPN, UniMas, UDN). On March 31, Jurgen Klinsmann’s crew meets Switzerland in Zurich (9 a.m. PT / FOX Sports 1, UniMas, UDN).
Dempsey is tied for sixth all-time with 112 USMNT appearances and seventh with 101 starts, including appearances in each of the last three FIFA World Cups. The U.S. captain, Dempsey’s 40 international goals rank second all-time for the USA while his 13 assists are tied for eighth.
Guatemala plays Canada in a closed-door friendly Friday at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The team travels to Carson, CA., March 31 for a match against El Salvador at 8 p.m. PT at the StubHub Center.
Pappa has 37 caps and 12 goals for the Guatemala National Team. He won the Golden Ball and Golden Boot at the 2014 Copa Centroamericana after scoring four goals in three games.
Dempsey and Pappa are expected to miss Tuesday’s international friendly with Club Tijuana, as well as Saturday’s MLS regular-season match at FC Dallas.
The Xolos match starts at 7 p.m. at CenturyLink Field, while Saturday’s return to league action is slated for 5:30 p.m. PT at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, TX.