Chicago Fire captain Francisco Calvo and midfielder Gastón Giménez both got the start on Sunday in their World Cup Qualifiers for Costa Rica and Paraguay, respectively.
Calvo went the full 90 minutes at home vs. table leaders Mexico, but Los Ticos fell 1-0 after a first-half penalty from Orbelín Pineda.
Costa Rica now sits on one point after two qualifying matches and will next take on Jamaica this Wednesday before club play resumes again. The top three teams from the eight-team table automatically qualifying for the World Cup, while the fourth-place team advances to a continental playoff.
Meanwhile, Giménez played 67 minutes in Paraguay's 1-1 home draw with Colombia.
The appearance was Giménez's ninth for La Albirroja after last suiting up in the red-and-white during a pair of appearances at this summer's Copa América tournament.
Sunday's result brought Paraguay's record in the 10-team qualifying tournament to 1-5-2, good for sixth place at the moment.
The top four teams in the standings at the completion of the region's 18 rounds will qualify for Qatar. The fifth-place team will enter the inter-confederation playoffs, where they'll compete against representatives from Concacaf, the Asian Football Confederation, and the Oceania Football Confederation for one of two remaining qualification spots.
Paraguay will next face Venezuela on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT.
