Category: Sporting KC

Sporting Kansas City midfielder Roger Espinoza was named to the Honduras Men’s National Team roster on Thursday for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup play-in series.

French Guiana will be the host of the opening leg on March 25 before the decisive return leg in Honduras on March 29.

Espinoza is one of 23 players on head coach Jorge Luis Pinto’s roster and will miss Sporting Kansas City’s regular season match at New York City on March 28. The 28-year-old has made 45 international appearances for Honduras, scoring four goals and representing his native country at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, 2012 Summer Olympics and 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Espinoza was drafted by Kansas City in the first round of the 2008 MLS SuperDraft as a Generation adidas signing out of Ohio State University after leading the Buckeyes to the 2007 NCAA Division I Championship match and scoring in the final. He was named Kansas City’s Rookie of the Year in 2008 to begin a five-year run that culminated with MLS All-Star honors and a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship in 2012.

He joined Wigan Athletic in January 2013, making his English Premier League debut that same month before scoring his first goal for the Latics in an EPL match against Swansea. Four days later, Espinoza started and played the full 90 minutes in Wigan’s historic 1-0 victory in the 2012/13 FA Cup final over Manchester City at Wembley Stadium.

After making 57 appearances for Wigan, Espinoza returned to Sporting Kansas City prior to the 2015 season. He has made 132 appearances for the club across all competition with three goals and 12 assists, including his 44th-minute goal at FC Dallas on Saturday.
– Story from Sporting KC

Sporting Kansas City defender Marcel de Jong was named to the Canada Men’s National Team on Thursday, the Canadian Soccer Association announced, for two international friendlies during the FIFA match dates from March 23 to March 31.

Canada will play Guatemala on March 27 at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., before closing out the training camp against Puerto Rico on March 30 at Estadio Juan Roman Loubriel in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. The two games against CONCACAF opponents serve as Canada’s final tune-ups prior to the start of 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in June and the 2015 Gold Cup in July.

De Jong — one of 22 players on head coach Benito Floro’s roster — will join Canada in Orlando, Fla., on March 22 and will miss Sporting Kansas City’s regular season match at New York City FC on March 28. The 28-year-old signed with Sporting KC earlier this month and made his MLS debut on Saturday after recording more than 225 club appearances over 10 professional seasons in the Netherlands and Germany.

De Jong has made 31 appearances for the Canada Men’s National Team with two goals since his international debut at age 21 in 2007. He has represented his country at each of the past three CONCACAF Gold Cup tournaments, as well as in 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying.
– Story from Sporting KC

Tickets go on sale Thursday morning

Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan., will be the host for the Group A finales of the CONCACAF Gold Cup doubleheader on July 13.

The international doubleheader will feature two match-ups:
Game 1: Honduras/French Guiana vs. Haiti at 6 p.m.
Game 2: United States of America vs. Panama at 8:30 p.m.

The 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup will be held in the United States and Canada from July 7-26 with the top 12 national teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

All tickets will provide entry to both matches with prices starting at $35 for general admission seating in the South Stand or Members Stand at Sporting Park.

Sporting KC could feature players on three of the teams competing at Sporting Park that evening — Matt Besler and Graham Zusi on the U.S. Men’s Team; Haitian midfielder Soni Mustivar and Honduran midfielder Roger Espinoza.

The Gold Cup is the region’s marquee national team tournament and the headline competition for the U.S. Men’s National Team in 2015.

This year’s tournament carries additional significance as it will determine CONCACAF’s representatives at the Centennial Cup America in 2016 and the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2017.

Tickets for the Gold Cup doubleheader July 13 at Sporting Park go on sale at 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 19, via Ticketmaster.com.

Honduras and French Guiana are in a playoff March 25 and 29 to determine who will advance in the Gold Cup competition.

Honduras: Los Catrachos – ranked No. 77 by FIFA — represented CONCACAF at the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups and has reached the semifinal round in four of the past five Gold Cup tournaments. Led by head coach Jorge Luis Pinto, the Honduran roster may feature Sporting KC midfielder Roger Espinoza.

French Guiana: Aiming for its first Gold Cup berth, French Guiana was the top scoring team at the 2014 Caribbean Cup where it earned a 1-1 draw against Cuba and a 4-1 victory over Curacao to advance to this month’s playoff series.

Haiti: Making its sixth Gold Cup appearance, Les Grenadiers is No. 78 in the FIFA rankings and could have a third straight group stage meeting with Honduras on the horizon. Haiti’s roster may feature midfielder Soni Mustivar, who joined Sporting KC last month after playing professionally in France and Romania.

United States: The U.S. Men’s National Team – ranked No. 31 by FIFA – is a five-time Gold Cup champion and reached the knockout round at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the country’s 10th appearance at a FIFA World Cup. Led by Jurgen Klinsmann, the U.S. roster may feature Sporting KC defender Matt Besler and midfielder Graham Zusi.

Panama: Third-place finishers at the 2011 Gold Cup and runners-up in 2013, Los Canaleros is ranked No. 61 by FIFA. Panama featured two of the top players at the 2013 Gold Cup in LA Galaxy goalkeeper Jaime Penedo (Golden Glove winner) and Colorado Rapids forward Gabriel Torres (Golden Boot winner).

– Information from Sporting KC

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