KANSAS CITY, Mo. – He's grateful for the silverware won, the experience gained and the lessons learned during his time in England. But if it's up to Roger Espinoza, his move back to Sporting Kansas City will be the last of his career.
“I'm ready to win an MLS Cup with Kansas City,” the veteran Honduran midfielder said at a news conference on Tuesday, shortly after the club announced that Espinoza had been reacquired on a free transfer after two years with Championship side Wigan Athletic. “This is the only place I've known, the place that drafted me – I think the only team that wanted to draft me. So I'm happy to be here, and this is where I want to be.”
The two-time World Cup veteran, who played his first five professional seasons with Kansas City, left Sporting on a free transfer in January 2013 after helping the club win the 2012 U.S. Open Cup title. Sporting, who went on to win the 2013 MLS Cup, retained his rights because they made a bona fide offer to him before his departure.
“It's an exciting day for us,” manager and technical director Peter Vermes said during the news conference. “I'm not sure if Roger recalls this or not, but I remember when he and I were talking about his opportunity going over to England – that the door would remain open here for him to come back someday, if he ever was in a position and we were as well. The tremendous thing is that we're sitting here before you with an opportunity to do this.”
Espinoza, whose gritty play made him a fan favorite in Kansas City, did recall the conversation with Vermes.
“I do remember telling him that I love Kansas City,” he said. “I wanted to stay here, but I also wanted to try England. I had a dream to play in the Premier League, and thankfully that dream came true. I always knew that I would come back to Kansas City. I just didn't know when it was going to be.”
It turned out to be sooner than he might have expected, as Espinoza's – and Wigan's – time in England's top flight was brief after his trans-Atlantic move.
The Latics won the FA Cup in May 2013, with Espinoza going the full 90 in a 1-0 victory over Manchester City, and qualified for the 2013-14 Europa League. Four days after winning their first major trophy, though, they were relegated to the Championship and have remained there since.
Manager Roberto Martinez moved to Everton before the 2013-14 season, taking with him the system in which Espinoza had thrived. But while Wigan was to go through two more managerial changes after that, causing his playing time to suffer, Espinoza was glad for his English sojourn.
“Obviously, it changed me,” he said. “I learned what the Premier League is about, and I got the opportunity to play there for six months. And while I was there, I had the opportunity to win the FA Cup – a game that changed my career. You play in that type of game, with that type of atmosphere, with all the people there and all the media, it changes you as a player. It gives you more responsibility on the field.
“And with all that experience, now I can come and help here.”
- Get the latest Sporting news at SportingKC.com
And now, Espinoza can do it without wondering, “What if?”
“It was never a money thing or anything because, obviously, I'm back here,” he said. “The thing was that I wanted to play in the Premier League, and the opportunity was there for a great team with a great manager, Roberto Martinez. Me not going over there, I think, would have created a little chaos in my mind about, 'Should I have gone there? Should I have not? What would have happened?' And I did go, and now I know what it was all about, and it was time for me to come back home.”
That's a testament to Sporting's culture, Vermes said.
“I know that this club's special,” he said. “This is a special environment. I think players, when you're here your whole life, it's hard to understand and know how to compare that. When you go to other places – not to say those other places are bad; it's just a different experience – but this is a great club, a great organization. I think for players, when they have the experience of being somewhere else and having a chance to come here, they really see the value of being a part of this organization.”
Steve Brisendine covers Sporting Kansas City for MLSsoccer.com.
