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Bulls Abroad: wins for Oyongo & Miller; losses for Cahill & Miazga

The Bulls abroad concluded their October international commitments with mixed results...

Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Red Bulls had four players involved in the most recent round of international matches, of whom the most successful was arguably Ambroise Oyongo.

Oyongo sat out Cameroon's first match of the October international window - a 0-0 draw against Sierra Leone on October 11 - but was restored to the starting lineup for the Indomitable Lions' second game of this month's FIFA-mandated international break against the same opponent. He played the full 90 in a match Cameroon wrapped up with two goals in the opening 10 minutes.

The win maintains Cameroon's undefeated record in this qualifying round for January's Africa Cup of Nations. With four matches played, the Lions lead Group D by four points, after Ivory Coast surprisingly lost its home game against the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Cameroon will conclude its Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign in November, with a home game against DR Congo (on November 15) and a trip to Ivory Coast on 11/19. A point from either game will guarantee Cameroon's qualification for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations. A win in either game will guarantee the Indomitable Lions win the group.

The team has now won all three qualifying matches in which Oyongo has played.

Roy Miller concluded his participation in Costa Rica's October internationals with a brief off-the-bench appearance for Los Ticos against South Korea in Seoul.

Miller had started Costa Rica's previous match, a 4-3 win over Oman, but coach Paolo Wanchope left out a number of presumed first-choice players from the lineup for that game. Against South Korea, key players from the team's World Cup run were returned: Keylor Navas started in goal; Joel Campbell led the forward line; and Miller made way for Michael Umana in defense (Umana had been denied an entry visa to Oman, and therefore was not available for Los Ticos' preceding match).

Costa Rica beat the Koreans 3-1, continuing an impressive unbeaten run since Wanchope took over the team from World Cup mastermind Jorge Luis Pinto. Under Wanchope, Los Ticos have now won four of five games and drawn the other. Miller has featured in three of those matches.

Costa Rica's next scheduled game is against Uruguay on November 13.

Tim Cahill is heading back to RBNY with less to celebrate. His Socceroos lost to Qatar for the first time in their history - 1-0 in Doha - closing out a mini-tour of the Middle East with no wins and no goals.

Against United Arab Emirates on 10/10, Australia drew 0-0, with Cahill kept on the bench until the closing stages of the game. Against Qatar, the Socceroos' all-time leading scorer started as part of eight changes to the lineup for the UAE match. He was substituted in the 76th minute for rising star Mathew Leckie.

Australia has now lost seven of 10 games played in 2014. Currently, the team only has one more scheduled friendly - against Japan in Osaka on November 18 - before it will attempt to win the 2015 AFC Asian Cup on home soil.

Completing the international activities of Red Bulls' players in the October international break, Matt Miazga joined the US U-23 team's match against a Brazil U-23 squad in the 61st minute. He replaced 16-year-old Cameron Carter-Vickers, with the US losing 1-0. The Brazilians went on to win, 3-0.