Sporting KC close to agreement with former midfielder Roger Espinoza

Roger Espinoza is on the verge of a return to Kansas City.

Sooner rather than later.

Sporting Kansas City is nearing an agreement with Espinoza on a free transfer that could be made official in early January, sources told The Star.

The Wigan Observer reported Tuesday that Wigan Athletic will allow Espinoza to leave the English club and return to the United States.

“It’s been a great two years here, but I took the decision not too long ago,” Espinoza told the website. “You could see it kind of coming. It’s time for me to look somewhere else.”

He is looking toward a familiar destination. Espinoza called Kansas City home for five seasons — which included 113 appearances in MLS play — before leaving for Wigan after the 2012 season.

If he reaches an agreement with Sporting KC, he will join his old club for its preseason training camp in Tucson, Ariz., which begins Jan. 23.

Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes has expressed interest in a reunion with Espinoza since last summer, and he said he has maintained contact with his former midfielder. But he simultaneously said Sporting KC would not be interested in paying a transfer fee for Espinoza, whose deal with Wigan was scheduled to expire next summer.

But Wigan’s agreement to release Espinoza from that agreement will seemingly speed up the process — and immediately bolster the Sporting KC midfield.

Espinoza is a box-to-box midfielder who showcased the ability to control the tempo of a game during his time in Kansas City. He scored two goals for Sporting KC, which drafted him 11th overall in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft.

He has also made 42 appearances with the Honduran national team and represented his country in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

This story was originally published December 30, 2014 at 12:33 PM with the headline "Sporting KC close to agreement with former midfielder Roger Espinoza."