Raúl Ruidíaz called into Peru for October World Cup qualifiers

Raúl Ruidíaz has been called into the Peru national team for a trio of World Cup qualifiers in October. As a result, he will miss at least one Seattle Sounders match, likely two and as many as three.

Peru will host Chile on Oct. 7, visit Bolivia on Oct. 10 and visit Argentina on Oct. 14. The Sounders matches that could be affected are on Oct. 3 (vs. Colorado Rapids), Oct. 9 (vs. Vancouver Whitecaps) and Oct. 16 (at Houston Dynamo). The Sounders originally had a break between the Rapids and Dynamo matches but the Whitecaps game was rescheduled from Sept. 15 in order to accommodate the Leagues Cup semifinals.

How many games Ruidíaz misses could be determined by what kind of role Ricardo Gareca has in mind. Although the FIFA international window doesn’t open until Oct. 4, it’s possible that Gareca could try to convince the Sounders to release Ruidíaz early. On the other hand, if Ruidíaz doesn’t play much he could theoretically be back in time for the Dynamo match.

This is a particularly important qualifying window for Peru, who currently sit seventh in Conmebol at the halfway point in qualifying. They will need to climb third to gain an automatic World Cup qualifying spot and to fourth in order to get into a playoff.