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Albert Rusnak has been called up to the Slovakian national team — and Real Salt Lake will release him, bucking a trend across MLS with clubs declining call-ups for international players.
As a result, Rusnak will not be available for some time — most of October.
The three matches for which he’s been called up are Oct. 8, 11 and 14. He will then be subject to a mandatory 10-day quarantine upon returning stateside.
- Oct. 8: UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifying, Republic of Ireland
- Oct. 11: 2020-21 UEFA Nations League, Scotland
- Oct. 14: 2020-21 UEFA Nations League, Israel
He will have departed prior to Sunday’s match, and as a result, he’ll miss the following matches:
- Oct. 4 vs. LAFC
- Oct. 7 vs. Seattle
- Oct. 10 vs. Vancouver
- Oct. 14 vs. Portland
- Oct. 18 vs. Colorado
- Oct. 24 vs. FC Dallas
That leaves just three regular season matches that Rusnak might play in.
Elliott Fall
“We are excited for Albert to get this opportunity in such big games for Slovakia. It speaks volumes about what he means for his national team. Of course, we will miss him at RSL while he is away, but we are confident in our roster and we believe that that players we have will get the job done during Albert’s time with the national team.”
Albert Rusnak
“Representing my country at the international level is special,” Rusnák said. “The knockout game against Ireland is all or nothing for us and with two more Nations League matches after that, against Scotland and Israel, it’s a great opportunity for us.”