Sporting Kansas City forward Alenis Vargas has been selected to the Honduras Men’s National Team for two matches during the FIFA international window in March.
Vargas, who signed for Sporting in December after a standout 2023 season with Sporting KC II in MLS NEXT Pro, will represent his country for the first time after never previously earning a national team selection at the youth or senior levels. The 20-year-old will join Honduras for a 2024 Copa America qualifying playoff against Costa Rica on March 23 and a friendly against El Salvador on March 26.
Vargas will depart for international duty on Sunday and is slated to miss Sporting’s home match against the LA Galaxy on March 23 before returning to the club ahead of a trip to Toronto FC on March 30.
Honduras Match Schedule: March International Window
- Saturday, March 23 vs. Costa Rica | 6:15 p.m. CT | Frisco, Texas
- Tuesday, March 26 vs. El Salvador | 7:30 p.m. CT | Houston, Texas
Vargas is part of a Honduras squad assembled by head coach Reinaldo Rueda that will aim to qualify for the 2024 Copa America by defeating Costa Rica in a one-game playoff on March 23 at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The winner of the match will enter Group D of the Copa America alongside world powerhouse Brazil, Colombia and Paraguay.
The 2024 Copa America will unfold from June 20 to July 14 in 14 cities across the United States, including two group stage games in Kansas City: Peru against either Canada or Trinidad and Tobago on June 25 at Children’s Mercy Park (tickets) and the United States against Uruguay on July 1 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium (tickets).
After facing Costa Rica in the Copa America playoff, Vargas and Honduras will venture west for a friendly contest against Concacaf rival El Salvador on March 26 at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston.
Vargas, one of four newcomers signed by Sporting during the offseason, made his MLS debut with a substitute appearance in a 1-1 road draw at Houston Dynamo FC on Feb. 24. He joined the club in December in a transfer from Costa Rican side Futbol Consultants Desamparados.
Vargas spent the 2023 campaign on loan from Futbol Consultants at Sporting KC II. In 21 appearances under head coach Benny Feilhaber, Vargas recorded six goals and five assists while drawing three penalty kicks and helping the team reach the MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs with a third-place finish in the Western Conference.
A native of San Pedro Sula, Honduras—the same birthplace of former Sporting midfielder and longtime club great Roger Espinoza—Vargas did not begin playing competitive soccer until he was 16. He developed in the Leones Academy from 2019-2020 before joining the reserve team at Honduran powerhouse C.D. Olimpia in December 2020 at age 17.
Vargas left his home country in 2022, signing for Futbol Consultants in Costa Rica’s second division. During the latter half of the year, he trained with reigning top-flight champion Cartaginés, where he was coached by former striker and Costa Rican World Cup veteran Paulo Wanchope.
