22-year-old joins Venezuela for international friendlies against Iceland and United Arab Emirates
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – New England Revolution defender Christian Makoun has been called into the Venezuela National Team for a pair of international friendlies in Austria. La Vinotinto will take on Iceland in Mödling, Austria on Thursday, Sept. 22 (12:00 p.m. ET) and will wrap up the international window against the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday, Sept. 27 (11:00 a.m. ET) in Wiener Neustadt, Austria.
Makoun has been capped twice by the Venezuela National Team, making his senior international debut on March 25, 2022, logging 90 minutes in FIFA World Cup Qualifying against Argentina. Five days later, Makoun started and played 90 minutes to close out World Cup Qualifying against Colombia. The defender had made the bench for seven prior World Cup Qualifying matches and was an unused substitute in a friendly against Saudi Arabia on June 9, 2022. Makoun represented Venezuela on 23 occasions at the youth international level, including 14 caps for the Venezuela Under-20 side. Makoun captained the U-20s in nine matches and saw action in a pair of 2017 U-20 FIFA World Cup contests.
Makoun was acquired by New England in a trade with Charlotte FC on August 4 and has since appeared in six matches for the Revolution, starting three times. For his MLS career, Makoun has logged 49 appearances with 36 starts, notching two goals, both last season while with Inter Miami. Prior to his MLS career, the defender played parts of three seasons with Zamora FC in native Venezuela, making 34 appearances across all competitions with one goal and two assists. Makoun also spent the 2018-19 season on loan with the Juventus Under-23 side, making 21 appearances across all competitions with three goals and an assist.
New England is off this weekend for the international break before hosting Atlanta United FC on Saturday, October 1. The regular season home finale at Gillette Stadium kicks off at 1:30 p.m. ET and airs nationally on UniMas/TUDN in Spanish, with an English stream available on Twitter. The match can also be heard locally on 98.5 The Sports Hub and in Portuguese on 1260 AM Nossa Radio.
