Sporting Kansas City midfielder Roger Espinoza has been selected to the Honduras Men’s National Team for two upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Espinoza joins a 26-player squad as Honduras opens the Hexagonal with home games against Panama on Nov. 11 (2:35 p.m. CT) and Trinidad and Tobago on Nov. 15 (4:05 p.m. CT). Both matches will kick off at Estadio Olimpico in San Pedro Sula.
Led by head coach Jorge Luis Pinto, Honduras is trying to make its third consecutive World Cup appearance. Los Catrachos are one of six CONCACAF nations competing for three automatic berths to the 2018 FIFAF World Cup in Russia, with the Hexagonal unfolding in a home-and-away, double round-robin format from November 2016 through October 2017. The fourth-place finisher will face an Asian side in a World Cup playoff in November 2017.
Espinoza is one shy of his 50th international appearance for Honduras, having represented his country at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, 2012 Summer Olympics and 2014 FIFA World Cup. The 30-year-old midfielder has scored four goals for Los Catrachos since debuting in 2009. He last played for Honduras on March 29, starting in a 2-0 win over El Salvador to help the team ultimately advance from the semifinal qualifying round.
Born in Puerto Cortes, Honduras and raised in Aurora, Colorado, Espinoza began his professional career with Kansas City as the 11th overall pick in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft. He ranks 10th in Sporting KC history with 184 appearances across all competitions, recording four goals and 22 assists in two separate stints with the club.
Espinoza spent his first five professional seasons in Kansas City, winning the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and receiving MLS All-Star recognition in 2012. The midfielder moved abroad to English club Wigan Athletic from 2013-2014, starting in the Latics’ famous upset win over Manchester City in the 2013 FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium.
After a two-year spell in England, Espinoza returned to Sporting Kansas City in 2015. He is coming off a banner year in 2016, notching an MLS career-high five assists, ranking second in MLS in duels won and leading the team with 34 total starts.
