Atlanta United attacker Ezequiel Barco called up to Argentina U23 national team
Ezequiel Barco will be joining the Argentine U23 national team during this international break, this as the Atlanta United attacker is looking to become a part of his country’s Olympic roster this summer.
Now in his fourth season in MLS and with Atlanta United, Barco has been a significant player for Argentina at the U20 national team level where he has made 14 appearances. He also starred for Argentina at the 2019 U20 World Cup where he had two goals and two assists in four games.
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In seven competitions this year (four MLS matches and three appearances in the CONCACAF Champions League), Barco has two goals and an assist. He has played a total of 524 minutes this season across those seven senior side appearances.
The call by the Argentina U23 national team could be a jolt for Barco as the Atlanta United attacker is having a solid season after three difficult seasons in MLS.
Since joining Atlanta United in 2018, Barco has found adjusting to the league a bit of a challenge. Capable of playing on the wing as well as centrally, he has 11 goals and nine assists in 60 appearances (43 starts) spanning 3,999 minutes played through this weekend.
In his last two MLS appearances, Barco has come off the bench after suffering a recent hamstring injury. He came in at halftime on May 1 in Atlanta United’s 2-1 loss to the New England Revolution and then played 32 minutes as a substitute in Saturday’s 2-2 home draw against Nashville SC.
Argentina will play two matches in Spain as they gear up for this summer’s Olympics in Tokyo. They are scheduled to have friendly matches against Denmark and Saudi Arabia.