Columbus will be without Raitala due to Finland call-up

Columbus Crew SC will be a man down later this month after it was announced Wednesday that left back Jukka Raitala is among the group called up by the Finland national team for a pair of games later this month.

Finland is set to travel to Turkey for a World Cup qualifying match on March 24 before hosting Austria in a friendly on March 28.

The Finnish team currently sits fifth out of six teams in Group I, with just one point on four games.

Raitala has started both of the Black & Gold’s first two games of the season.

The call-up will force Raitla to miss a home game vs. Portland Timbers on March 25. It’s unclear if the April 1 contest hosting Orlando City will be affected.

Joining Raitala in the Finnish squad will be Major League Soccer cohorts Rasmus Schuller (Minnesota United FC) and Alexander Ring (New York City FC), as well as former D.C. United midfielder Marcus Halsti.