By Phil Schoen

International play is the order of the day, and the United States soccer world is no different. The national team is down in Costa Rica preparing for tomorrow’s World Cup qualifier which will be broadcast here on beIN SPORTS. It provides a chance for several foreign-based Americans to step up to the challenge following last week’s disappointing performance against Mexico.

Middlesbrough goalkeeper Brad Guzan stepped off the bench to fill in for the injured Tim Howard and is likely to get the start against the Ticos. However, it also opens the door for Club Leon’s William Yarbrough and Ethan Horvath of Molde. The only international defender not to get on the field was Tottenham’s promising young center back Cameron Carter-Vickers. An appearance against Costa Rica would cap-tie the Spurs defender, but it’s unlikely to happen with so much on the line.

Christian Pulisic wore the number 10 shirt against el Tri, and showed he was ready for it. The real question is who else will step up for the red, white and blue. A young European-based trio hopes to prove they have what it takes, as Julian Green (Bayern Munich), Lynden Gooch (Sunderland) and Caleb Stanko (Varduz) look to get on the field. While Jozy Altidore and Bobby Wood were some of the few bright spots against Mexico, Werder Bremen’s Aron Johansson could step in off the bench tomorrow.

The senior side isn’t the only U.S. national team in action this week. Youth teams at the u15, u17 and u19 level have all been called in for various tournaments. In a continuing sign of the growth of Major League Soccer, most of the under-15 team is already affiliated with an MLS academy team.

On the u19 squad, there is a mix of MLS, US Development Academy products and college players – with just a few exceptions. Christian Pulisic’s cousin, Will Pulisic, is one of four players who are earning their keep outside the country. Will Pulisic plays goalkeeper for Borussia Dortmund’s youth team. The other members of the u19 foreign legion are defender Danny Barbir of West Bromwich Albion, midfielder Adam Ozeri of Alianza Lima and forward Brandon Vazquez of Tijuana.

Most players called up for the under-17 U.S. national team camp play their club soccer in the MLS academy system. There are others, like promising playmaker George Acosta (Weston FC, Fla.) involved in other clubs in the U.S. development academy structure. However, goalkeeper Carlos Dos Santos stands alone. The Philadelphia-native is the only American on the squad who is based abroad.

After three years in the Philadelphia Union academy, the 16-year-old netminder signed with Portuguese power Benfica back in August and has already suited up for their under-19 team.

Even though there weren’t a lot of games at the senior level, there were many U.S. players who were in action. A quick check on the action that did take place.

ENGLAND

Djair Parfitt Williams scored for West Ham’s u23 side in a 1-1 draw with Northampton Town in Checkatrade Trophy Cup play. The Hammers advanced on penalties, 3-2. However, both teams do not advance out of the group to the next round.

GERMANY

It was only a friendly, but 18-year-old Goppingen-born right back Toni Suddoth made his Stuttgart debut on Saturday against Darmstadt. He had earned his first cap with the U.S. under-20 national team just last month.

Elsewhere, 18-year-old McKinze Gaines played his third friendly match for Wolfsburg and is getting closer to his Bundesliga debut. The Texas-native has five goals and five assists with Wolfsburg’s unbeaten u19 team. New Wolfsburg boss Valerien Ismael brought Gaines off the bench in a 3-1 loss to Union Berlin on Wednesday.

In u19 cup play, U.S. forward Kevin Coleman came off the bench to score and help Kaiserslautern to 5-0 victory over Pirmasens. Right back Corey Anton also subbed in for 1.FCK, while promising forward Alexander Dexter and defender Austin James were on the losing side.

PORTUGAL

Erik Palmer-Brown hit the crossbar on one shot and scored on another as Porto B beat Leicester City 2-0 in Premier League International Cup.

SPAIN

Just days after playing with the U.S. u16 team in the Val-de-Marne tournament in France, Konrad de la Fuente returned to FC Barcelona’s Cadet A team, and returned to the scoresheet. The Miami-born striker found the net in a 2-0 win at Jabac i Terrassa.

Most of you are well-aware of the large number of Americans plying their trade in England, Germany and Mexico. Many others are earning a living in the Netherlands and throughout Scandinavia, but there are other players with U.S. connections who are pushing their way to new frontiers. While it may not number into the thousands like Argentina and Brazil, there are hundreds of U.S. players breaking new ground around the globe. With the international break and World Cup qualifying, there wasn’t as much action out there to cover, so this column might be a bit shorter, but I thought I would take the chance to introduce you to just a few of them.

ARGENTINA

The California-born Hoyos brothers grew up in Orange County before the family moved to Argentina. Both brothers showed promise and signed with Esudiantes de la Plata when they arrived, however neither was able to break into the first team. 23-year-old Kevin moved to Victoria in Honduras before returning to Argentina, eventually moving to fourth division side Villa Krause. His 25-year-old brother Michael had more success, doing well enough to play for Argentina’s under-20 national team. Michael Hoyos played in Crete before returning home to Sarmiento, moving to Santamarina before hooking up with Boca Unidos in the second tier Primera B Nacional. The aurirojo are down near the relegation zone, but Hoyos has played all but one game on the season.

ARMENIA

Armenia’s Ararat Yerevan might not seem like a U.S. hotbed, but last season three Americans were on the books. They have all moved on, but Bryan de la Fuente has stayed in Armenia, moving to FC Shirak. The 24-year-old midfielder was born in Laredo, Texas and had played on the U.S. under-20 national team, helping win the prestigious Milk Cup in Northern Ireland back in 2010 before heading overseas. De la Fuente scored nine goals over the past two seasons with Ararat, and has one goal in nine games with his new team. Shirak finished second last season, but lead the league by five points after the opening 13 matches this year with de la Fuente in the midfield mix.

AUSTRIA

Defensive midfielder Colt Klipfel is playing for SV Sierning in the Landesliga Ost, Austria’s fifth tier. The 29-year-old Texas State product is playing on Sierning’s reserve team and taking pictures and blogging about his experiences along the way.

AZERBAIJAN

Just a kid out of Compton, Adan Coronado is now half a world away, suiting up for AZAL in Azerbaijan’s Premyer Liga. Growing up in Hawaiian Gardens, Calif., Coronado plays on the wing for the Baku-based team which finished mid-table last year, but is in danger of the drop this season. Coronado went over to Germany as a teen for several trials, eventually signing with Kickers Emden. He moved to teams in Montenegro and Bosnia the following two seasons before heading back to Germany, making the jump to Azerbaijan last January.

BELGIUM

Panama City, Fla. might be a spring break capital, but it’s also the birthplace of attacking midfielder Kenny Saief. The 22-year-old also has Israeli citizenship, and has been capped twice by Israel. Both appearances came earlier this year in friendlies against Serbia and Croatia. He was on the bench in Israel’s World Cup qualifier against Italy, but has not yet been capped in an official game. Saief started his pro career with Bnei Sakhnin, but for the past three seasons he’s been in Belgium playing for KAA Gent. This season, he’s scored twice for the fifth-placed Buffalos, who are just a point out of second.

BOLIVIA

Miami-born Alejandro Melean spent four years playing college soccer at Holy Cross, before picking up and heading back to his Bolivian roots. Since then, he’s been capped 15 times by Bolivia’s national team. After four years with Oriente Petrolero, Melean moved to Sport Boys Warnes this season, scoring his first goal with his new team in their most recent game, a 5-2 win over Nacional Potosi to lift his club further from the drop.

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

He was born in Dubrovnic, but grew up in Binghamton, New York, and now Danijal Brkovic has gone back to his roots to play in Bosnia. Brkovic left after high school to join Velez Mostar. Three clubs later, he now suits up for for Bosnian Premier League side Celik. The 25-year-old striker scored his third goal of the campaign just before the international break in a 3-0 win over his old side, Olimpic Sarajevo. The win might not be enough to lift Celik to the top half of the table which means they will close the season in the relegation round.

Nermin Crnkic was born in Bosnia, and after growing up in Michigan he has returned home. While in the states, he was an NSCAA All America in high school and played midfield with Michigan Bucks in the USL. He moved to play in Sweden when he graduated from high school. After three years in the Czech leagues, Crnkic now plays for FK Sarajevo, with three goals on the season. When he went head to head with Brkovic and Celik last month, his two goals helped Sarajevo win. After 15 rounds, Sarajevo stands third and will be competing in the Championship Round of the season.

Toronto-born Yank Mahip Riar’s world tour has also taken him to Bosnia, where he now plays for BSK Banja Luka in the regional leagues. His journey has taken the defensive midfielder from Moldova to Serbia, Montenegro and now to Bosnia.

These are just a few of the U.S. footballers playing overseas. We will continue to shine the light on many more in the weeks and months to come. American soccer ambassadors continue to make inroads around the globe. Feel free to add your comments below to share your thoughts, shout-outs and suggestions. We’re asking for your help to correct any errors and make sure nothing important gets overlooked. So tweet to us @beINSPORTSUSA, or to me directly @PhilSchoen and use the hashtag #beINOverseas. We’ll pass it on.