Roger Espinoza

Roger Espinoza
Personal information
Full name	Roger Espinoza Ramírez
Date of birth	October 25, 1986 (age 25)
Place of birth	Puerto Cortés, Honduras
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Playing position	Midfielder, Defender
Club information
Current club	Sporting Kansas City
Number	15
Youth career
2004–2005	Yavapai Roughriders
2006–2007	Ohio State Buckeyes
Senior career*
National team‡
	* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of October 22, 2011.; † Appearances (Goals).; ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of July 23, 2009

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Roger Espinoza (born October 25, 1986 in Puerto Cortés) is a Honduran footballer who currently plays for Sporting Kansas City in Major League Soccer.

[edit] Career

Espinoza moved from his native Honduras to Denver, Colorado when he was 12 years old. He attended Denver South High School before transferring to Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora, Colorado, and played two years of college soccer at Yavapai College before transferring to Ohio State University for his junior season. He participated in the 2007 Division I Men's College Cup Finals losing against Wake Forest 2-1. In 2006, he spent one season with the Arizona Sahuaros of the National Premier Soccer League during the collegiate off-season.

Espinoza was drafted 11th overall in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft by Kansas City Wizards. He made his MLS debut on April 9, 2008 against the New England Revolution. He scored his first professional goal on July 17, 2008 against Columbus Crew.

It was announced on November 18, 2010 that Espinoza would graduate from the MLS Generation Adidas program at the end of the 2010 season.^[2]

Roger Espinoza was called up to the Honduran national football team by Reinaldo Rueda for the UNCAF Nations Cup 2009 held in Honduras for the first time in his career. He made three appearances during the tournament where he wore number 13. He scored his first goal for the national team in a 1-0 win against El Salvador to give Honduras 3rd place in the competition.

**Roger Espinoza: International goals**
Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	1 February 2009	Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino, Tegucigalpa, Honduras	El Salvador	1 – 0	1 – 0	UNCAF Nations Cup 2009
2	11 July 2009	Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, United States	Grenada	2 – 0	4 - 0	2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup
3	23 January 2010	The Home Depot Center, Carson, United States	United States	3 - 0	3 - 1	Friendly

Espinoza became a US citizen in March 2008.^[3]

^ Formally known as Kansas City Wizards through 2010.
^ http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/generation-adidas-players-graduate-seasons-end Generation adidas players to graduate at season's end
^ 2006 U.S. Open Cup