Revs players continue to shine bright on international stage

It was a big two-days for Revolution players on the international stage as Henry Kessler, Tajon Buchanan, Francois Dulysse, and newly-signed midfielder Arnór Traustason all competed in international action.

Henry Kessler and the United States Youth National Team looked to end CONCACAF group stage action on a high note as they reignited their rivalry with their southern neighbors Mexico on Wednesday night.

Kessler earned his second straight start for the stars and stripes after going a full 90 minutes against the Dominican Republic on Sunday.

Overall, a huge improvement for Kessler in Wednesday’s match compared to Sunday. Although his passing percentage was higher in his previous outing, Kessler still completed an impressive 44 of 49 passes.

Additionally, Kessler showed a greater sense of composure throughout Wednesday’s match. He was more comfortable possessing the ball and wasn’t afraid to make riskier passes upfield. Kessler also displayed more confidence on the defensive end as he wasn’t afraid to get closer to the attacker and wasn’t afraid to dispossess them in the process.

Although Kessler played hard all 90 minutes he was on the pitch, Mexico picked up a 1-0 win over the United States and cemented Group A’s semifinal standings.

Revs fans were able to catch their first glimpse of newly acquired midfielder Arnór Traustason earned a spot in the starting XI as his native Iceland faced off against Germany in World Cup Qualifiers.

Although Iceland had a rough day in the office, Traustason was able to show positive glimpses throughout the match with some decent passing and great offensive runs. Traustason ended the night completing five of his eight passes and even flashed his defensive ability after completing two tackles and recovered the ball twice.

Revs fans watching held their breath in the 50th minute after Traustason appeared to be limping a little after his shot went high and wide of the net. Traustason was able to shake it off and continue playing until the 71st minute where he was subbed off. Iceland would go on to suffer a 3-0 loss to the German’s.

Traustason and Iceland return to action on Sunday as they take on Armenia on Sunday at noon eastern.

Francois Dulysse earned his third consecutive start as Haiti entered their CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifier against El Salvador looking for a miracle as they hoped to keep their Olympic hopes alive.

Dulysse was called upon early as he was forced to head the ball out of Haiti’s box in just the first minute of the match.

Like in the Iceland match, Revs fans watching would hold their breath in the 37th minute as Dulysse appeared to be in distress after landing awkwardly on his ankle. Medical staff would come out onto the field and tend to Dulysse’s ankle. Thankfully, he was able to continue.

Dulysse would come up big for Haiti as he was able to block an El Salvadorian shot which would have extended their lead to two.

Dulysse had a good outing for Haiti’s final game in group stage action as he played the full 90 minutes and ended the game with one steal and went 43 for 46 on passing.

Although Dulysse had a good outing, Haiti was unable to pull off a miracle and suffered a 2-1 loss to El Salvador. Ending their Olympic hopes.

Finally, Tajon Buchanan earned his third straight start as Team Canada entered their CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying finale looking to clinch their spot atop of Group B standings.

Buchanan had a good outing during the group stage finale. Although there wasn’t much offensive production for the young midfielder, Buchanan had a strong defensive presence on Honduras and set Team Canada up on multiple occasions after drawing fouls in dangerous areas.

Buchanan would be replaced by Mohamed Farsi in the 83^rd minute. Buchanan ended the night with a great passing accuracy of 87% after completing 13 of 15 passes.

Canada and Honduras would play to a 1-1 draw, giving Honduras the top seed in Group B.

Henry Kessler and the USYNT will take on Honduras, and Tajon Buchanan and Team Canada will take on Mexico in semifinal action this Sunday.