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The upcoming FIFA international window will see four Portland Timbers players join up with their respective national teams for the next two weeks. Pablo Bonilla, Cristhian Paredes, Yimmi Chara, and Bill Tuiloma have all been called up for international duty with their national teams. Three of those players will be heading into World Cup Qualifiers: Bonilla with Venezuela, Paredes with Paraguay, and Y. Chara with Colombia. Tuiloma will be joining up with New Zealand for a pair of friendlies.
Yimmi Chara, Bill Tuiloma, Pablo Bonilla and Cristhian Paredes have been named to their respective national team rosters for upcoming World Cup qualifiers and friendlies.
— Portland Timbers (@TimbersFC) January 21, 2022
Details: https://t.co/PjfVfOsPA0 | #RCTID pic.twitter.com/p8YJWJrm8H
Each player has a varying degree of experience with their national side.
This will serve as Bonilla’s second call-up to the Venezuelan senior team, following his first inclusion in October 2021. He has yet to make an appearance for the Venezuela senior side but has featured at the U-20 and U-23 level for La Vinotinto.
Y. Chara will join Colombia after a successful recent stint with Los Cafeteros. In the match earlier this month, Chara logged the full 90 minutes in Colombia’s 2-1 victory and recorded an assist on the game-winning goal. Chara has made 15 appearances for Colombia in his career.
Paredes makes his return to the Paraguayan national team, earning his first call-up since 2018. He has made six competitive appearances for the senior men’s side in his career so far.
Tuiloma will join New Zealand for a pair of friendlies. The All Whites will travel to Abu Dhabi and Dubai to face Jordan and Uzbekistan, respectively. Tuiloma has made 27 appearances for the senior national side in his career and recently recorded his first-ever international goal in October 2021.
All four players are expected to miss Portland’s preseason training camp in Tucson. The team will be traveling from January 21 until February 3. While there, the Timbers will have a pair of friendlies against the Seattle Sounders and Sporting Kansas City.
Juggling international absences, along with the recently announced unavailability of Larrys Mabiala and Dario Zuparic due to surgery recovery, will pose a test for head coach Giovanni Savarese as he seeks to prepare his squad for the opening of the 2022 MLS season on February 26.
You can read the club’s full press release here.