When the United States men's national team fell 2-1 last month in Jamaica, it was the squad's first loss in 19 games against the Caribbean country. But American supporters no doubt noticed something familiar about the match: the faces of the Reggae Boyz. Four of Jamaicas starters and two of the substitutes play in Major League Soccer. In total, coach Theo Whitmore had nine MLS players on his roster for the vital World Cup qualifier.
Whitmore was not the only one in the region to turn to the American top tier for talent. During the September international break, non-U.S. CONCACAF countries called up 32 MLS players. For the October World Cup qualifiers that start on Friday, 28 such men including seven from Canada, six from Honduras, and five from Jamaica received calls.