Crew SC midfielder Justin Meram returns to the United States after playing two international matches with the Iraqi National Team. The Lions of Mesopotamia dropped both contests— a 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying match versus United Arab Emirates yesterday and a friendly with Jordan last week.

Tuesday’s qualifier was played at Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi with a final score of 2-0. Meram started and played the full 90 minutes for Iraq, earning his 22nd all-time international cap.

Following Tuesday’s result, Iraq now sits in fifth in Group B with three points, behind Saudi Arabia, Japan, Australia and United Arab Emirates, in that order. Thailand rounds out the group in sixth.

The Third Round of the Asian Football Confederation qualification features two groups of six teams each in a double round-robin format, with the top two teams in each group directly qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the third-place team advancing to the Fourth Round.

Crew SC defender Harrison Afful also returns from international duty for a World Cup Qualifying match with Ghana.