Zdenek Ondrasek has received a shock call-up to the Czech national team, the first-ever senior international call for the 30-year-old FC Dallas striker.
After a slow start to his first season in MLS, “Cobra” has been in strong form for FCD of late. Ondrasek scored his first goal for Dallas in a 3-3 draw at Montreal on Aug. 17, sparking a run of five goals in six appearances. He’s averaging 0.67 goals per 90 minutes, a similar strike rate to Chris Wondolowski.
“The coaches watched him carefully for a long time. In recent weeks he has asked for a nomination for his performance for Dallas. We think that he deserves the invitation to the national team and that he can help us,” said Czech national team general manager Libor Sionko.
Ondrasek arrived in Dallas last winter after stints in Poland, Noway and his native Czech Republic. He represented his country at the Under-21 level in 2011 but has not been called since.
The Czechs are set to host England on Oct. 11 and Northern Ireland on Oct. 14 in UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying action. They currently sit in second place in Group A, three points behind the English, with a 3-2-0 record thus far.
