Two Sporting KC Players Set for International Duty

September 16, 2022 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Sporting Kansas City News Release

Sporting Kansas City winger Marinos Tzionis and defender Logan Ndenbe have been selected to represent their respective countries during the FIFA international window next week.

Tzionis will join the Cyprus Men’s National Team for the resumption of the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League, while Ndenbe will link up with the Belgium U-21s for friendlies against rivals Netherlands and France. Both players will travel to Europe after Sporting’s home match against Minnesota United FC at 7:30 p.m. CT Saturday (tickets) and will return ahead of the club’s following game against Seattle Sounders FC on Oct. 2 at Children’s Mercy Park.

Tzionis and Cyprus will host nearby rivals Greece on Sept. 24 and travel to face Kosovo on Sept. 27 in the team’s final two group stage matches in UEFA Nations League C. As the winners of Group C2, Greece has already sealed promotion to UEFA Nations League B for the 2024-25 edition of the tournament, while Cyprus must climb out of last place in the four-team group to avoid a relegation play-out series in March 2023.

Cyprus Schedule: 2022-23 UEFA Nations League C

Saturday, Sept. 24 vs. Greece | 1:45 p.m. CT | AEK Arena in Larnaca, Cyprus

Tuesday, Sept. 27 at Kosovo | 1:45 p.m. CT | Fadil Vokrri Stadium in Pristina, Kosovo

An integral member of the Cyprus national team, Tzionis appeared in his country’s first four UEFA Nations League fixtures earlier this summer, including a pair of well-earned draws against Northern Ireland on June 5 and 12. The 21-year-old has collected 18 caps at the senior international level, with five of those appearances coming in 2022 as a member of Sporting.

Tzionis opened his Cyprus scoring account with a stunning strike to spark a 2-0 victory over Estonia on March 29 in the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League play-outs, booking the Cypriots a spot in League C for the 2022-23 competition. He then tallied an assist in a 2-2 road stalemate at Northern Ireland on June 12, which kept both sides level with two points apiece and occupying third and fourth place in Group C2.

Acquired by Sporting in a transfer from Cypriot club Omonia Nicosia in February, Tzionis has tallied two goals in 28 appearances across all competitions during his debut campaign in Kansas City. He opened his account with a pivotal 98th-minute equalizer in what became a 4-2 extra-time win over FC Dallas in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32 at Children’s Mercy Park, glancing…