By Dylan Butler

FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts - Roger Espinoza just needed to look at the Honduras roster to realize the opportunity that was in front of him.

Many of Los Catrachos' top players were left off of Reinaldo Rueda's roster for the CONCACAF Gold Cup, providing some of the country's younger players a chance to prove themselves in an international tournament.

The Kansas City Wizards midfielder took that chance like he did every other one he's had in his life, with both hands.

"It's not just this game, playing in Kansas City, playing when I was young, I always wanted to show the best in every game," the soft-spoken 22-year-old said. "I was going to play really hard in order to show the coach we're playing here for a spot."

Espinoza was named the man of the match after scoring his second international goal in a 4-0 win against Grenada on Saturday, a victory that secured Honduras' passage into the knockout stage.

Espinoza, though, remained humbled despite the added attention. In fact, there was no elaborate celebration after he headed the ball into the open net in the 25th minute, no confident boasting after the game, arguably his best in a Honduras uniform.

"It's a great honor, and the important thing is that we won," he said. "I feel very satisfied with this game, but I have to keep working hard. Still, we haven't really arrived at anything yet - there is a lot of hard work ahead."

Espinoza has been capped before, in fact his first international goal against El Salvador in the UNCAF Nations Cup helped book Honduras' ticket to the Gold Cup. And while he hasn't started in a World Cup qualifier, Espinoza said the experience of being in camp with the national team and sitting on the bench during those games was beneficial.

"You go to Honduras and you play in front of 45,000 people in the stadium packed, yelling your name and that's incredible," he said. "That motivates you to play better."

And Rueda, who started Espinoza in all three Group B matches, said he's noticed Espinoza's improvement.

"For all of Honduras, it is very satisfying to see Roger's play," he said through a translator. "Fortunately, he has shown us a clear progression from the time we first brought him in, through the World Cup qualifiers and in this Gold Cup. I think his involvement will continue to be a positive thing for both sides - not just for him, but for the national team."

Before Espinoza scored against Grenada, he said he saw Wizards' teammate Davy Arnaud strike in the United States' 2-2 draw with Haiti. And that came after Kansas City played the New England Revolution to a goalless draw in the first game of a tripleheader Saturday.

"We were just walking into the locker room and I saw his goal and I was very happy for him," Espinoza said. "It's good to see guys on my team doing good and it just benefits our team when we get back."

For now, though, Espinoza's focus is on the present and Honduras' quarterfinal clash with Group A winner Canada at Lincoln Financial Field and in the future, with sights set on a first-ever Gold Cup title.

More solid performances in the knockout stages will no doubt also help Espinoza in the future.

"That's our goal from the time we got to the tournament," Espinoza said. "We still have a lot to go."