Sam Kovzan – SportingKC.com
Longtime Sporting Kansas City midfielder Roger Espinoza announced his retirement from professional soccer today after a phenomenal 16-year playing career highlighted by 14 seasons in Kansas City.
A former MLS All-Star, FIFA World Cup veteran and Olympian, Espinoza helped Sporting to three Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup titles and 10 appearances in the MLS Cup Playoffs as one of the most accomplished players in club history and one of the longest-serving midfielders in Major League Soccer.
Espinoza will be formally recognized on Saturday at Children’s Mercy Park during a pre-match ceremony ahead of Sporting Kansas City’s battle against Austin FC at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets for the match are available at SeatGeek.com with a fireworks show immediately following the game.
Espinoza, a fan-favorite at Children’s Mercy Park and a beloved member of the Kansas City community, spent two separate stints at Sporting from 2008-2012 and 2015-2023. He ranks second in club history with 399 appearances in all competitions while placing third in starts (330) and minutes (29,162), fifth in assists (49) and 10th in total goal contributions (63). Espinoza, who scored 14 goals in a Kansas City uniform, is Sporting’s all-time leader with 21 games played in the U.S. Open Cup—a prestigious domestic tournament he helped the team win in 2012, 2015 and 2017—and sits third on club charts with 21 playoff appearances.
Known for fierce competitiveness, tireless work rate and strong leadership on and off the field, Espinoza finished his Kansas City tenure with 338 regular season matches played, third most all-time among one-club MLS players behind Diego Chara of the Portland Timbers and heralded Sporting teammate Graham Zusi. Over the course of 14 MLS seasons, he consistently ranked among league leaders in duels won and tackles won while helping Sporting to 150 MLS victories, second most in team history. Deployed primarily as a central midfielder, Espinoza was also used as a left back, left winger and defensive midfielder throughout his career.
Born in Puerto Cortes, Honduras, and raised in Denver, Colorado, Espinoza began his professional journey by joining Kansas City as the 11th overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft. He received club rookie of the year honors after his first season and became a regular starter by 2010, the same year he participated in his first World Cup with the Honduras Men’s National Team. In 2011, Espinoza helped Sporting usher in a new era at Children’s Mercy Park, starting in 28 of 29 appearances as the club finished atop the Eastern Conference regular season standings.
Espinoza reached new heights in 2012, spearheading the midfield of a Sporting side that again finished first in the East and won its first Open Cup title in eight years. He was named an MLS All-Star for his performances, starting in 30 of 31 appearances across all competitions as Sporting finished within three points of the Supporters’ Shield title.
Following the 2012 campaign, Espinoza moved abroad for a two-year stint with English side Wigan Athletic. He scored three goals in 57 appearances for Wigan while gaining experience in the English Premier League, English Championship and UEFA Europa League, playing in multiple midfield positions as well as left back. In his crowning moment with Wigan, Espinoza guided the Latics to a famous 1-0 upset win over European powerhouse Manchester City in the 2013 FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium in London.
After his successful spell in England, Espinoza returned to Kansas City in early 2015 and added to his trophy cabinet that fall as the team won another Open Cup championship. He missed the latter stages of 2015 with a leg injury before bouncing back with six goal contributions in 34 starts the following season and five goal contributions in 36 starts in 2017, the same year Sporting won its third Open Cup title of the decade.
Espinoza enjoyed a career year in 2018, hitting single-season highs in appearances (39), starts (38), minutes (3,387), goals (three) and assists (nine) in all competitions. Sporting finished atop the Western Conference table that fall with an 18-8-8 record and came within one game of reaching MLS Cup. Espinoza logged 22 more appearances in 2019, including all six matches in the club’s run to the 2019 Concacaf Champions League semifinals.
Espinoza equaled a career-high with three MLS goals in 2020 as Sporting claimed first place in the conference for the fourth time in 10 years. Over the next two seasons from 2021-2022, he started in 50 of 67 total appearances with two goals and six assists. Espinoza also won Sporting’s 2022 Goal of the Year for a stunning 44-yard effort to spark a 2-1 road win at CF Montreal.
The 2023 campaign saw Espinoza finish his last season with two assists in 31 appearances. The veteran helped Sporting overcome a slow start and become the first team in MLS history to reach the playoffs after opening the year winless in 10 matches. Espinoza also appeared in both matches of Sporting’s two-game sweep of rivals St. Louis City SC in Round One of the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. He played his 399th and final match for Sporting on Nov. 26, 2023, against Houston Dynamo FC in the Western Conference Semifinals.
On the international stage, Espinoza played 52 times for Honduras from 2009-2017. He represented Honduras at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, making five starts across the two tournaments. Espinoza also starred for Los Catrachos at the 2012 Summer Olympics in England—leading Honduras to the quarterfinals of the competition and scoring against Brazil at Wembley—and competed at the 2009 and 2011 editions of the Concacaf Gold Cup.
Prior to turning professional, Espinoza spent two years at Yavapai College in Arizona, where he was a Junior College National Player of the Year finalist in 2006. He transferred to Ohio State University for his junior season in 2007 and propelled the Buckeyes to the College Cup, scoring in the national championship game against champions Wake Forest.
Off the field, Espinoza has engaged fans at public events across the Kansas City region and participated in numerous endeavors tied to The Victory Project, the club’s philanthropic foundation dedicated to helping children affected by cancer and all of life’s challenges. He became a volunteer partner with humanitarian nonprofit Unbound in 2015, conducting soccer clinics in underserved parts of Honduras, and in 2020 rallied support for Hurricane Eta relief by raising awareness and money alongside fellow Hondurans who play in MLS. In 2021, Espinoza married fellow soccer player Lo’eau LaBonta, who plays as a midfielder for the Kansas City Current in the National Women’s Soccer League.
