Joao Plata has been called up to the Ecuadorian national team for the first time since 2011, when won a single cap for his nation.

He'll be part of a squad playing friendlies against Bolivia (Thursday, Sept. 4) and Brazil (Tuesday, Sept. 9).

It's a nice recognition for a player who has been in scintillating form in MLS, but it does leave Real Salt Lake with a hole in the lineup. It seems inevitable that he'd miss RSL's match against FC Dallas on Saturday, Sept. 6, but it seems unlikely that he'd miss anything else.

The Brazil-Ecuador friendly is in New Jersey, so travel shouldn't be much of an issue.

An absence does leave an opportunity for newcomer Sebastian Jaime to get a first start, potentially, but there's no real sense whether that's too soon for the Argentine.