Roger Espinoza facts for kids
Espinoza with Sporting Kansas City in 2018
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| Personal information | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Roger Aníbal Espinoza Ramírez | |||||||||
| Date of birth | 25 October 1986 | |||||||||
| Place of birth | Puerto Cortés, Honduras | |||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | |||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder, defender | |||||||||
| College career | ||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||
| 2005–2006 | Yavapai Roughriders | |||||||||
| 2007 | Ohio State Buckeyes | |||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||
| 2006 | Arizona Sahuaros | 7 | (1) | |||||||
| 2008–2012 | Sporting Kansas City | 113 | (2) | |||||||
| 2013–2014 | Wigan Athletic | 42 | (2) | |||||||
| 2015–2023 | Sporting Kansas City | 210 | (10) | |||||||
| 2019 | → Swope Park Rangers (loan) | 1 | (0) | |||||||
| 2024 | Des Moines Menace | 0 | (0) | |||||||
| Total | 373 | (15) | ||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||
| 2012 | Honduras Olympic | 4 | (1) | |||||||
| 2009–2017 | Honduras | 52 | (4) | |||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||
| 2021–2024 | Sporting Kansas City (youth) | |||||||||
| 2025– | Sporting Kansas City (assistant) | |||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:17, 26 April 2023 (UTC) | ||||||||||
Roger Aníbal Espinoza Ramírez (born October 25, 1986) is a former professional footballer from Honduras. He played as a midfielder or defender. Roger Espinoza is now a youth coach for the Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City. He also played for the Honduras national football team. Espinoza represented his country in two World Cups and the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Contents
Roger Espinoza's Early Life and College Soccer
Moving to the United States
Roger Espinoza was born in Puerto Cortés, Honduras. When he was twelve years old, his family moved to the United States. He grew up in Denver, Colorado. Roger went to Denver South High School. Later, he transferred to Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora, Colorado.
Playing College Soccer
Roger played college soccer for two years at Yavapai College. During this time, he also played one season for the Arizona Sahuaros in 2006. In 2007, he moved to Ohio State for his junior year. That year, Ohio State's team made it to the national championship game. Roger scored a goal in that game, but his team lost 2-1 to Wake Forest. For his great play at Ohio State, he was named first-team All-Big Ten.
Professional Club Career
Starting with Sporting Kansas City
Roger Espinoza decided to skip his final year of college. He signed a special contract with Major League Soccer (MLS). In 2008, the Kansas City Wizards (now Sporting Kansas City) chose him as the 11th pick in the draft. In his first year, he played in 22 games and helped his team with 3 assists. He played as both a leftback and a defensive midfielder. Over five years, he played in 113 regular season games. He also helped Sporting Kansas City win the 2012 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.
Playing in England with Wigan Athletic
After the 2012 MLS season, Espinoza joined Wigan Athletic in England. This team played in the Premier League, which is a top football league. He made his first appearance for Wigan on January 19, 2013. He scored his first goal for the club on May 7.
On May 11, 2013, Roger Espinoza and Wigan won the FA Cup. This was a huge win because they beat Manchester City 1-0. Just three days later, Wigan was moved down from the Premier League after losing to Arsenal. He scored another goal for Wigan in the FA Cup on January 4, 2014. He also scored a league goal and made an assist on November 1, 2014. However, he played less in the 2014–15 season. He and Wigan decided to part ways in December 2014.
Returning to Kansas City
Roger Espinoza came back to Sporting Kansas City for the 2015 season. In his second game back, he scored a goal against FC Dallas. His first season back was cut short due to an injury. However, Sporting Kansas City still won the 2015 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Roger played a big part when Sporting KC won the 2017 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup again. They beat the New York Red Bulls 2-1. In the 2018 MLS season, Espinoza had a career-high nine assists.
In August 2021, Roger also started working as an assistant coach for the Sporting KC Academy. He helped coach the U-13 team. On January 13, 2022, Sporting Kansas City signed Espinoza for the 2022 Major League Soccer season. He played his final season with the club in 2023. He briefly joined Des Moines Menace for their 2024 cup games. Roger announced his retirement from playing football in June 2024.
International Career for Honduras
Playing for His Country
Roger Espinoza was first called to play for the Honduras national football team in 2009. This was for the UNCAF Nations Cup 2009 held in Honduras. He played in three games during that tournament. He scored his first goal for Honduras in a 1-0 win against El Salvador. This win helped Honduras get 3rd place.
Roger also played for Honduras in the 2012 London Olympics. He scored a goal against Brazil in the quarter-final game. He was sent off the field in the last minute of that game. The crowd in Newcastle gave him a standing ovation for his great performance.
Espinoza represented Honduras in two World Cups. He played in the 2010 and 2014 tournaments. On August 16, 2019, Roger Espinoza announced that he was retiring from the Honduras national team.
Personal Life
Roger Espinoza became a citizen of the United States in March 2008. He is married to Kansas City Current player Lo'eau LaBonta.
Career Statistics
Club Performance
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sporting Kansas City | 2008 | Major League Soccer | 22 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 26 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 0 | |||
| 2010 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 25 | 0 | ||||
| 2011 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 28 | 1 | |||
| 2012 | 26 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 31 | 0 | |||
| Total | 113 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 129 | 2 | ||
| Wigan Athletic FC | 2012–13 | Premier League | 12 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | |
| 2013–14 | Championship | 18 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 1 | |
| 2014–15 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | |||
| Total | 42 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 58 | 3 | ||
| Sporting Kansas City | 2015 | Major League Soccer | 17 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 20 | 1 | |
| 2016 | 30 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 1 | ||
| 2017 | 30 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 36 | 1 | |||
| 2018 | 32 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 39 | 3 | |||
| 2019 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 1 | |||
| 2020 | 16 | 2 | — | 4 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 20 | 3 | ||||
| 2021 | 32 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 0 | |||
| 2022 | 30 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 33 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 203 | 10 | 16 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 238 | 12 | ||
| Swope Park Rangers (loan) | 2019 | USL Championship | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Career Total | 359 | 14 | 32 | 1 | 21 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 426 | 17 | ||
International Goals for Honduras
- Scores and results list Honduras's goal tally first.
| N. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 1 February 2009 | Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino, Tegucigalpa, Honduras |  El Salvador |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2009 UNCAF Nations Cup |
| 2. | 11 July 2009 | Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, United States |  Grenada |
2–0 | 4–0 | 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 3. | 23 January 2010 | StubHub Center, Carson, United States |  United States |
3–0 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 4. | 1 June 2014 | BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, United States |  Israel |
1–1 | 2–4 | Friendly |
Awards and Achievements
Sporting Kansas City Honors
- Lamar Hunt US Open Cup: 2012, 2015, 2017
Wigan Athletic Honors
- FA Cup: 2012–13
See also
In Spanish: Roger Espinoza para niños
