Sporting Kansas City midfielder Roger Espinoza played 90 minutes on Wednesday for the Honduras Men’s National Team in a 3-1 loss to Guatemala at Estadio Mateo Flores in Guatemala City. The match was the final tune-up for Los Catrachos before a pair of World Cup qualifiers in March against El Salvador.
Wednesday’s match was Espinoza’s first for Honduras since March 25, 2015, when he played 65 minutes in a CONCACAF Gold Cup Qualification match against French Guyana. It was also his 47th appearance as a member of the national team.
Honduras gained an early advantage on Wednesday when Romell Quioto put the visitors ahead with a goal in the third minute of play. The home side responded, however, with Gerson Tinoco leveling the match in the 18th minute. Jonathan Marquez scored the eventual game-winner for Guatemala in the 42nd minute, while Luis Martinez sealed the match for the home side in the 57th minute.
Honduras is now 5-10-5 under head coach Jorge Luis Pinto and are currently in fourth place in Group A of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. They will travel to El Salvador on March 25 before hosting La Selecta on March 29.
Espinoza will rejoin Sporting Kansas City for the club’s second leg of preseason training in Tucson, Arizona, highlighted by four matches in the Desert Diamond Cup from Feb. 17-27.
