Sporting Kansas City winger Marinos Tzionis has been selected to the Cyprus Men’s National Team for a UEFA Nations League play-out series against Estonia. The first leg is slated for March 24 at A. Le Coq Arena in Tallinn, Estonia, and the decisive second leg will be played on March 29 at AEK Arena in Larnaca, Cyprus.
Tzionis, a 20-year-old who has already earned 13 senior caps for Cyprus, will join his national team following Sporting Kansas City’s road match versus Chicago Fire FC at 5 p.m. CT Saturday on 38 The Spot, the Sporting KC app and SportingKC.com.
Cyprus MNT Match Schedule
- Thursday, March 24 at Estonia | 12 p.m. CT | A. Le Coq Arena | Tallinn, Estonia
- Tuesday, March 29 vs. Estonia | 11 a.m. CT | AEK Arena | Larnaca, Cyprus
Tzionis and Cyprus will face Estonia with hopes of avoiding relegation to 2022-23 UEFA Nations League D. Both countries finished in last place of their respective groups in 2020-21 UEFA Nations League C and will now go head-to-head, with the winner remaining in League C and the loser dropping to League D for the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League competition.
Tzionis previously represented Cyprus at the U-17 and U-19 youth levels—featuring in qualifying competitions for the European U-17 Championship in 2018 and the European U-19 Championship in 2019—before breaking into the senior national team in September 2020. In the two months that followed, he earned five starts and six total appearances in the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League as the Cypriots finished with a 1-4-1 record. Over the course of 2021, Tzionis start four of six appearances in FIFA 2022 World Cup qualifying.
One of Sporting’s three U22 Initiative signings this past offseason alongside fellow Europeans Logan Ndenbe and Robert Voloder, Tzionis has participated in each of the club’s first three matches this season. He came off the bench in a loss at Atlanta United FC and a win over Houston Dynamo FC before making his first MLS start in a defeat at the Colorado Rapids on Saturday.
Tzionis joined Sporting in January following an excellent spell at hometown club Omonia Nicosia, where he scored 15 goals in 88 appearances from 2018 until his departure for Kansas City. During his time with Omonia, he won a Cypriot First Division title and featured in 18 matches across Europe’s three most prestigious club tournaments: the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.
