Until today, the Hungarian Men's National Team had never qualified for a major international soccer tournament in Krisztian Nemeth's lifetime.
The 26-year-old striker played 15 minutes on Sunday in his 23rd career international appearance as Hungary secured a berth at UEFA Euro 2016 with a 2-1 victory over Norway at Groupama Arena in Budapest. The men's national team, last on such a significant stage during the 1986 FIFA World Cup, will now compete at their first European championship since 1972 after advancing 3-1 on aggregate in the home-and-away playoff.
The two-legged series capped off a campaign in which Nemeth featured in each of his country's last seven Euro 2016 qualifiers. He scored twice against Greece last month and played the full 90 minutes on Thursday in the playoff's opening fixture as Hungary beat Norway for the first time since 1981.
Euro 2016 will be held in France from June 10 though July 10 with 24 teams playing for the Henri Delaunay Trophy and UEFA's entry into the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. An official draw will take place in Paris on Dec. 12 to determine the group pairings for next summer's competition, which will be shown live in the United States on the ESPN family of networks.
MLS Players in European Championships
Roberto Donadoni (NY) - Italy, Euro 1996
Lothar Matthaus (NY) - Germany, Euro 2000
Miklos Molnar (KC) - Denmark, Euro 2000
Robbie Keane (LA) - Ireland, Euro 2012
Nemeth contributed 16 goals, including the game-tying goal in the 2015 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final, to go along with seven assists across all competitions in 2015 during his debut season with Sporting Kansas City. His 23 combined goals and assists are the most by a KC newcomer since the team's inaugural year in 1996.
