Quakes international roundup: Kashia, Vako start in Georgia win, Lopez off bench for Peru

The San Jose Earthquakes are buzzing off a third straight win in league play Wednesday, but three members of the squad weren’t present for that game as they went out on international duty. On Thursday they were in action for their respective countries.

Early in the day, Georgia beat Belarus 1-0 in the semifinal of their Euro 2020 qualifier playoff, with Tornike Okriashvili drawing and converting the penalty early on for the game’s only goal. San Jose duo Vako and Guram Kashia both started for Georgia, Vako lasting 81 minutes before being subbed out, and Kashia going the full 90. The latter is a good sign for the Earthquakes, considering the defender has missed the last five games for his club prior to Wednesday, presumably because of injury. With the games coming thick and fast, Matias Almeyda could certainly use him down the stretch.

Georgia will play their final Euro 2020 playoff qualifier next month against North Macedonia to try and get into the main tournament, scheduled for next summer. During the current international window, they’ve got two more games, Nations League games against Armenia (Sunday) and North Macedonia (Wednesday).

Meanwhile, San Jose defender Marcos Lopez came off the bench Thursday in Peru’s come-from-behind 2-2 draw against Paraguay on the road in South American World Cup qualifying. Lopez’s stint was a cameo, as he was a substitute in the 87th minute for Andre Carrillo, who scored the brace for Peru on the night.

Peru will look to build on their draw against Paraguay for their next qualifier, Tuesday against Brazil in Lima.

We’ll see how the Quakes abroad get on. Best of luck to them and please come back healthy.

What do you think? Leave a comment below.