Roger Espinoza Remains With Sporting Kansas City As Summer Transfer Window Closes

That sound you hear is most likely Sporting Kansas City fans exhaling a sigh of relief as the European summer transfer window officially shut at 5pm today, and Roger Espinoza was still a member of Sporting KC.

Numerous rumors had the 25 year old Honduran making a switch to English Premier League side, Wigan Athletic, but when all was said and done, Sporting were able to keep hold of one of their most valuable players.

It's great news to say the least, as an Espinoza transfer probably meant that Sporting wouldn't be contending for more silverware in 2012. With Espinoza still on the roster, and with Jacob Peterson, and Bobby Convey expected to return back to action in the very near future, Sporting KC should be in relatively good shape to vie for a first place finish in the Eastern Conference.

So, what does this mean in regards to Roger Espinoza's future with the club after 2012? Espinoza's contract runs out at the end of this season, and my best guess is that we'll probably see him move on to a bigger league on a free after he helps Sporting win the MLS Cup (Okay, maybe lifting the cup is a slight bit of wishful thinking on my part, but it's still a decent possibility).

Another option would be for Sporting to attempt to make Espinoza a designated player, ensuring that the club could pay him wages comparable to what he would most likely make over in Europe. Of course, any designated player deal would have to be approved by Major League Soccer, and that's where things might get tricky.

I'm sure I'll cover that whole situation in greater detail another time very soon, but for now I'm just going to enjoy the fact that Roger Espinoza will still be bossing the midfield come tomorrow night.