CHICAGO (Nov. 8, 2019) – The Chicago Fire Soccer Club announced today that midfielder Micheal Azira, defender Francisco Calvo and forward Elliot Collier have been called up by the national teams of Uganda, Costa Rica and New Zealand, respectively, for upcoming matches in November.
Azira rejoins Uganda for Group B action of Africa Cup of Nations qualifying, traveling to face Burkina Faso at Stade du 4 Août in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, at 1:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Nov. 13. The Cranes will then host Malawi at Mandela National Stadium in Kampala, Uganda, at 7:00 a.m. CT on Sunday, Nov. 17. Uganda kicked off qualifying with a 1-0 win against Ethiopia and a 3-0 win against Burundi in October.
Azira was a member of the Uganda squad that participated in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, in which the team advanced to the Round of 16 with a win against the Democratic Republic of Congo and a tie against Zimbabwe before falling 1-0 to Senegal.
Costa Rica currently sits in second place in Group D of the Concacaf Nations League’s League A, with one game in hand on their group opponents. Los Ticos will face Curaçao on Thursday, Nov. 14, at Ergilio Hato Stadium at 6:00 p.m. CT, before hosting Haiti on Sunday, Nov. 17, at Estadio Ricardo Saprissa at 7:00 p.m. CT.
Calvo was most recently part of the Costa Rican side that drew 1-1 with Haiti on Oct. 10 and tied 0-0 with Curaçao on Oct. 13 in its first two Concacaf Nations League matches. His 49 caps for Costa Rica include two FIFA World Cup appearances and 10 Concacaf Gold Cup appearances.
New Zealand will face the Republic of Ireland at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland, on Thursday, Nov. 14, before traveling to face Lithuania on Sunday, Nov. 17, at National Stadium in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Collier spent the 2019 season on loan in the USL Championship with first-year team Memphis 901 FC. In 26 USL Championship appearances, Collier scored the second-most goals (six) on the team. The Hamilton, New Zealand, native scored his first career hat trick in a 4-1 home win on July 6, becoming the first player in Memphis’ history to notch three goals in a game.
