Sporting Kansas City midfielder Roger Espinoza suffered a left sesamoid fracture in the team’s 1-1 draw on Saturday and is expected to miss at least 10 weeks while recovering from the injury, the club announced today. The injury occurred in the 86th minute on a tackle by Houston Dynamo midfielder Nathan Sturgis, who was subsequently ejected from the match for serious foul play.
“It’s obviously disappointing news but I’m going to continue to work with our athletic training staff to come back healthy for the club’s playoff run,” Espinoza said. “All I can do now is focus on my rehab and be the best teammate that I can be.”
Espinoza has started 20 matches for Sporting Kansas City across all competitions in 2015 after returning to the club following a two-year stint with Wigan Athletic in England. A Honduran international, Espinoza has 46 career caps for Los Catrachos including appearances at the 2010/2014 FIFA World Cups and 2012 Summer Olympics.
Espinoza was drafted by Kansas City in the first round of the 2008 MLS SuperDraft as a Generation adidas signing out of The Ohio State University after leading the Buckeyes to the 2007 NCAA Division I Championship match and scoring in the final. He was named Kansas City's Rookie of the Year in 2008 to begin a five-year run that culminated with MLS All-Star honors and a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup championship in 2012.
He joined Wigan Athletic in January 2013, making his English Premier League debut that same month before scoring his first goal for the Latics in an EPL match against Swansea. Four days later, Espinoza started and played the full 90 minutes in Wigan's historic 1-0 victory in the 2012/13 FA Cup final over Manchester City at Wembley Stadium.
After making 57 appearances for Wigan, Espinoza returned to Sporting Kansas City prior to the 2015 season. The 28-year-old has made 150 appearances for the club across all competition with three goals and 17 assists.
