Sporting KC’s Roger Espinoza reflects on career ahead of retirement

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCTV) - Longtime Sporting KC midfielder Roger Espinoza announced his retirement from the sport of soccer on Wednesday morning.

A day later, the 37-year-old from Honduras reflected on his career with the media following a 16-year playing career. Espinoza credited his parents who immigrated from Honduras when he was young for his long list of accolades.

“We came to America with very little money, but they never shied away from anything,” Espinoza said. “And so for me, it was pretty easy, you know. They had it a lot tougher. All I had to do was play soccer and get paid.”

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Espinoza finishes his Sporting Kansas City career among the best in franchise history in multiple categories:

second in club history with 399 appearances in all competitions
third in starts (330) and minutes (29,162)
fifth in assists (49)
10th in total goal contributions (63)
first in U.S. Open Cup games played (21)
third in playoff appearances (21)

In 2010 and 2014 he suited up for Honduras in the World Cup and he also played for the national team at the 2012 London Olympics.

“There’s nothing he should feel regret on because he had a tremendous career from the start all the way to the finish,” Sporting KC head coach Peter Vermes said. “Just a first-class individual.”