Roger Espinoza is still young, but he’ll be an elder statesman on the Honduran Olympic men’s soccer team.
The chase for soccer gold at the Olympics includes teams made up of players under 23 years of age, but there are a few exceptions. Espinoza, 25, and two others were added to the Honduran mix.
The call-up was yet another feather in the cap of Espinoza, a 2005 graduate of Aurora’s Regis Jesuit High School and current member of Major League Soccer’s Sporting KC. Espinoza already had more than 25 international caps for his native Honduras, including a trip in the 2010 World Cup, but now he gets a chance to compete in the Olympics beginning July 26 in England.
“The Olympics are generally for younger players, so it definitely wasn’t something I was expecting,” Espinoza said of his call-up from national team coach Luis Suarez, who added him along with two others players to fill out the three overage exemptions allowed to each Olympic team.
“It’s a very special experience where the whole country is behind you. It’s something everybody watches and has pride in,” he added.
Espinoza is relishing another chance to represent Honduras, where he was born in the coastal town of Puerto Cortes and spent the first 12 years of his life before his parents brought him and his five siblings to the United States.
The family landed in Colorado and put down roots. Espinoza played soccer from the time he arrived, and his talent began to really shine when he attended Denver South High School, where he led the state in scoring in 2003. He transferred to Regis Jesuit for his senior year before moving on to stellar college stops at Yavapai (N.M.) Junior College and Ohio State University.
Espinoza was drafted by Sporting KC in 2008 and has made a name for himself in 110 matches in MLS — making the MLS All-Star Game this season — while advancing in the Honduran national pool. He was named to the country’s contingent that played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, where Honduras went 0-2-1 and failed to advance from its group.
Honduras doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to Olympic play, going winless in its only two previous appearances in 1982 and 2010.
But given the young talent on the team, Espinoza is optimistic, even though Honduras is in rugged Group D with gold medal favorite Spain plus Morocco and Japan.
“This is one of the most talented teams Honduras has ever had at the Olympic level,” said Espinoza, who got a eye on his future teammates in the 3-2 victory over El Salvador in the CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament semifinals in Kansas City in March.
“I’m very happy to be part of this and be able to contribute,” he added. “Hopefully I can bring experience and help them succeed over there.”
The biggest rub for Espinoza is that his Sporting KC team was jockeying for first place in the MLS’ Eastern Conference when he left July 15 to join the Honduran team for a team camp in France and warm-up friendly with Egypt. As of July 25, Sporting KC (11-6-4) sat just a point behind the New York Red Bulls in the Eastern Conference standings.
“I have other goals in life and one of them is to win the MLS Cup,” said Espinoza, who was named to the MLS All-Star Game on July 25, but couldn’t play due to his Olympic appearance.
Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes, who has appeared in the Olympics himself with the U.S. team, was happy for Espinoza and granted him the time away from the team to play in the Olympics.
“He’s in great form right now,” Vermes said of Espinoza prior the team’s July 14 game against Columbus.
First up for Honduras in the Olympics is Morocco on July 26 at 6 a.m. MT, followed by Spain on July 29 and Japan on Aug. 1.
If they are in the top two teams in the pool, Espinoza and Honduras would appear in the quarterfinals on Aug. 4, with the possibility of making the semifinals on Aug. 7. The bronze medal game is Aug. 10 and the gold medal game on Aug. 11.
Soccer is spread among six different venues throughout England country: Hampden Park, St. James’ Park, Old Trafford, City of Coventry Stadium, Wembley Stadium and Millenium Stadium.
Reach Sports Editor Courtney Oakes at sports@aurorasentinel.com or 303-750-7555
