All three of the New England Revolution's international call-ups started for their respective countries in World Cup Qualifying on Wednesday, wrapping up the September window ahead of Saturday's meeting with New York City FC.
Tajon Buchanan was the standout on this occasion, registering one goal and one assist in Canada's 3-0 win over El Salvador to move into a tie for second in the Concacaf Octagonal. Playing at BMO Field in Toronto - just 30 minutes from his hometown of Brampton - the 22-year-old crossed for Jonathan David to head home Canada's second goal in the 11th minute, then rounded out the scoring with a goal of his own in the 59th minute.
Buchanan finished the round of matches with three appearances (two starts), helping the Canadians to draws with Honduras and the United States before Wednesday's win over El Salvador.
It was also a big day for Adam Buksa, who played alongside Robert Lewandowski to form Poland's forward line in their 1-1 draw with England. Buksa played 63 minutes and was removed with the score still 0-0, watching from the sidelines as Harry Kane gave the visitors a lead only for Damian Szymański to equalize with a dramatic header in the 92nd minute.
In his first three senior international appearances (two starts) Buksa registered four goals, including a debut strike in a 4-1 win over Albania and a second-half hat trick in a 7-1 victory over San Marino. With seven points from the window, Poland sit third in Group I of UEFA World Cup Qualifying, just one point behind Albania.
Matt Turner made his ninth straight start for the U.S. to close out the night's action, backstopping the Americans to a massive 4-1 road win over Honduras. Trailing 1-0 at the break, a string of second-half substitutes sparked the USMNT to a four-goal outburst, lifting them to a first win in the Octagonal and pushing them into a tie for second place in the overall standings.
Turner made two saves on the night, including a critical diving stop in the 64th minute when the game was still 1-1. Through 10 appearances with the USMNT, Turner is 8-0-2 with a goals against average of 0.29, having conceded just three goals in those 10 games.
Buchanan, Buksa, and Turner will now return to the Revs ahead of Saturday night's meeting with New York City FC, a rematch of a showdown just two weeks ago at Yankee Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Gillette Stadium, with coverage on TV38, myRITV, CoziTV, 98.5 The Sports Hub, and WBIX 1260 AM Nossa Radio.
