Once again, Vancouver FC forward Gabriel Bitar will be playing for Lebanon.
Ottawa native Bitar earned an international call up with Lebanon鈥檚 Men鈥檚 National Team ahead of the 43rd edition of Pestabola Merdeka this September in Malaysia.
The 2024 Pestabola Merdeka, or Merdeka Cup, is an international friendly tournament that will feature three invited countries, Tajikistan, Lebanon, and the Philippines, as well as hosts Malaysia in a two-round competition.
Bitar, 26, and Lebanon will first take on the reigning tournament champions Tajikistan on Wednesday, Sept. 4.
The winner of that match will advance to the final on Sunday, Sept. 8, where it will face the victor between Malaysia and Philippines. All matches will be played at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
This is Bitar鈥檚 third international call up for the Lebanese National team in 2024, after previously participating in FIFA World Cup qualifiers in March and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in January.
He made four appearances across both competitions, including playing eight minutes against Lebanon鈥檚 upcoming opponent, Tajikistan, in the nation鈥檚 final group match of the AFC Asian Cup.
Bitar made his senior team debut for Lebanon in December 2022 in a friendly match against United Arab Emirates.
Bitar joined Vancouver ahead of the club鈥檚 inaugural year in 2023 and has since made 45 appearances across all competitions.
After scoring in Vancouver鈥檚 most recent Canadian Premier League (CPL) match against Valour FC, Bitar is now tied with Alejandro 鈥榃ero鈥� D铆az as club鈥檚 all-time leader in goals with ten total. Bitar is also currently Vancouver鈥檚 all-time leader for assists with six to date.
Bitar has made 16 starts in 20 appearances for Vancouver in 2024, scoring four goals and registering two assists.
He will not be available for Vancouver鈥檚 next home match on Friday, Sept. 6 when the club hosts Marvel Superhero Night against York United FC. Kickoff is 7 p.m. at Willoughby Community Park.
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