Sporting Kansas City defender Botond Barath and forward Krisztian Nemeth were named to the Hungary Men’s National Team roster today ahead of two international matches in Europe next month.
Barath, Nemeth and the Magyars will travel to face Montenegro in a friendly on Sept. 5 before resuming their UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying campaign by hosting Slovakia on Sept. 9. The duo will join Hungary's 26-man squad following Sporting’s MLS regular season match against the Houston Dynamo on Saturday night at Children’s Mercy Park.
Hungary enters September sitting atop the Group E standings in UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying with three wins and a loss. The Magyars are one of five teams in a challenging group alongside Azerbaijan, Wales, Slovakia and 2018 FIFA World Cup finalist Croatia, with nations squaring off in a home-and-away, double round-robin format that concludes in November. The top two finishers in the group will advance to UEFA Euro 2020, which is scheduled to take place in 12 cities across 12 different European countries next summer.
Hungary Men’s National Team: September Match Details
<strong>Date</strong> |
<strong>Opponent</strong> |
<strong>Stadium</strong> |
<strong>Competition</strong> |
<strong>Kickoff (CT)</strong> |
<strong>TV/Stream</strong> |
<div>Thu., Sept. 5</div> |
<div>at Montenegro</div> |
<div>Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica</div> |
<div>Friendly</div> |
<div>1:45pm</div> |
<div>ESPN3, ESPN app</div> |
<div>Mon., Sept. 9</div> |
<div>SLOVAKIA</div> |
<div>Groupama Arena, Budapest</div> |
<div>UEFA Euro Qualifying Group E</div> |
<div>1:45pm</div> |
<div>ESPN3, ESPN app</div> |
Sitting at No. 45 in the latest FIFA rankings, Hungary are riding a wave of momentum under Italian head coach Marco Rossi. After taking a 2-0 loss at Slovakia in their Euro qualifying opener in March, the Magyars have defeated Croatia, Azerbaijan and Wales to take hold of first place in Group E. Barath has started in each of the three victories, while Nemeth appeared in the win over Azerbaijan on June 8.
Barath, 27, has started 17 of 19 appearances for Sporting across all competitions during his first season with the club. The versatile defender has earned six caps for Hungary since debuting last fall.
Nemeth, 30, has logged 36 appearances for Hungary since 2010, scoring four goals and competing at UEFA Euro 2016 in France. He has started 19 of 23 appearances for Sporting this season, scoring seven goals in MLS play and four in the Concacaf Champions League.
Sporting will conclude a three-game homestand Saturday night when rivals Houston visit Kansas City for a pivotal Western Conference clash at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets for the contest are available at SeatGeek.com and the first 7,500 fans in attendance will receive Sporting KC branded sling grips for their mobile phones courtesy of match sponsor U.S. Bank.
FOX Sports Kansas City Plus, FOX Sports Midwest Plus and FOX Sports GO will provide three hours of live coverage on Saturday beginning at 7 p.m. CT. Listeners can also catch the action live on ESPN 94.5 FM and ESPN Deportes KC 1480 AM, with The Final Whistle postgame show immediately following on 94.5 FM.
