Sporting Kansas City forward Alenis Vargas has joined the Honduras Men’s National Team for a pivotal two-legged series against Mexico in the 2024-25 Concacaf Nations League quarterfinals.
Honduras will host the first leg on Nov. 15 at Estadio Francisco Morazan in Vargas’ hometown of San Pedro Sula (8 p.m. CT on TUDN & Paramount+). The decisive second leg is slated for Nov. 19 at Estadio Nemesio Diez in Toluca, Mexico (8:30 p.m. CT on TUDN & Paramount+). The winner of the quarterfinal match-up will be one of four teams advancing to the Concacaf Nations League Finals, which will take place next March at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.
At age 20, Vargas is the second youngest player on a 28-man squad assembled by Honduras head coach Reinaldo Rueda. The Sporting KC winger earned his first national team selection of any kind in March, traveling with Los Catrachos for a 2024 Copa America playoff against Costa and a friendly versus El Salvador. He has yet to make his international debut for a Honduras side looking to reach the Concacaf Nations League Finals for the first time since the 2019-20 edition of the tournament.
In his first season with Sporting, Vargas tallied two goals and one assist in 22 appearances across all competitions, including eight starts. He opened his scoring account for the club with a brilliant solo goal in a 3-1 victory at Toronto FC on March 30 and bagged a dramatic late winner in a 2-1 home triumph over Seattle Sounders FC on June 8. Vargas, who added a clever assist in Sporting’s 3-2 league win over FC Dallas on July 7, recorded the fourth fastest top speed during the 2024 MLS regular season at 22.7 mph.
Vargas joined Sporting last December in a transfer from Costa Rican side Futbol Consultants Desamparados. He spent the 2023 campaign on loan from Futbol Consultants at Sporting KC II in MLS NEXT Pro. Vargas recorded six goals and five assists while drawing three penalty kicks in 21 appearances for the club, helping SKC II qualify for the playoffs with a third-place finish in the Western Conference.
Born and raised in San Pedro Sula, 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.
