Toni Tchani chooses Cameroon

In the end, Tony Tchani chose the country of his birth.

The Crew SC midfielder accepted an international call-up from his native Cameroon for a pair of African Cup of Nations qualifiers against South Africa, potentially snuffing any chance he had of one day playing a meaningful game for the United States.

If Tchani plays in either game against South Africa this month (Saturday in Limbe or March 29 in Durban), he will be cap-tied to Cameroon, and cannot play for the United States.

Tchani, a naturalized citizen, was called into the annual U.S. January camp and made his debut U.S. debut against Iceland on Jan. 31.

Because the Iceland game was a friendly, Tchani was not cap-tied to the U.S. He was initially called in by Cameroon in November but did not join the team because of a hamstring injury.

If Tchani does not make an appearance in either South Africa, he will remain eligible to play for both teams.

Crew SC midfielder Wil Trapp was called into the U.S. under-23 camp in preparation for a do-or-die Olympic qualifying series against Colombia.

Trapp and Tchani will join Crew teammates Harrison Afful (Ghana) and Rodrigo Saravia (Guatemala) on international duty this month.

Midfielder Justin Meram was not called into Iraq’s camp in advance of a pair of World Cup qualifiers against Thailand and Vietnam.