Robbie Keane Called Up To Republic of Ireland National Team

Unsurprisingly, LA Galaxy forward Robbie Keane was one of 23 players called into the Irish national team by manager Giovani Trapattoni for their upcoming matches against Kazakhstan and Oman. Ireland will play Kazakhstan on the road in the capital Astana to kick off their World Cup Qualifying campaign. Keane will join up will the rest of the squad after the Galaxy's game against Vancouver September 1st.

The Galaxy have no matches between September 1st and September 14th, so it's possible Keane will miss no playing time with the Galaxy, but it will be close. In addition to the September 7th qualifier against Kazakhstan, the Irish will play Oman in a friendly on September 11th.

The United States will spend the FIFA break in Kingston, Jamaica on September 7th and then hosting Jamaica on September 11th in Columbus. MLS has made an effort this year in their scheduling to suspend play during FIFA breaks so the likes of Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane can join their national teams without penalty to their club.

Keane and Donovan should both be available to play with the Galaxy come September 14th when the club hosts the Colorado Rapids at The Home Depot Center. Five days later the Galaxy will take their first international trip of the year in the US territory of Puerto Rico.