Sporting Kansas City midfielder Roger Espinoza sat down with David Smale on Sports Connections for an interview ahead of Wednesday's home match against the Colorado Rapids, and Sunday's road match at the San Jose Earthquakes
The interview begins with Espinoza talking about how it feels just like yesterday that he was drafted by the Kansas City Wizards in 2008. The Sporting KC mainstay then dives into his time in the English Premier League with Wigan Athletic and how he always felt a draw to Kansas City.
Smale and Espinoza's talk turns to the topic of Sporting KC's Manager and Sporting Director Peter Vermes. Espinoza has nothing but praise for Vermes and talks about the many trophies that the duo have won together. He mentions Sporting's frequent fight for playoff contention and notes that all of their success is owed to the technical staff, owners and the fans.
Espinoza then goes into his favorite moments at Sporting. He goes into detail about what it is like to win championships and how it is the best feeling in the world for everybody involved. Espinoza knows a thing or two about lifting trophies as he has been a part of three of Sporting KC's Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup wins, and won the FA Cup with Wigan in England.
As a member of the Honduran Men's National Team, Espinoza represented his country in two FIFA World Cups and at the 2012 London Olympic Games. He told Smale about how special those events were, and how it was a dream come true.
The 35-year-old was asked about what he plans to do once his playing career comes to a close. Espinoza says he is focused on playing right now and locked in on this season, but his future is always in the back of his head as he began taking coaching courses this past offseason.
Lo'eau LaBonta, the captain of the KC Current and Espinoza's wife was one of the final topics of discussion as Espinoza went into how their relationship came to be, their competitive nature and how they push each other to be the best.
The final question was about what kind of legacy Espinoza would like to leave on Sporting KC. He wants to be an inspiration to the Sporting KC Academy products and be somebody who left it all on the field every single time he played.
Fans can listen to the interview in its entirety here and can watch both of Sporting's matches this week on 38 The Spot. Tickets for Wednesday's clash with Colorado are available for purchase at SeatGeek.com.
