MLS Sporting Kansas City

Marinos Tzionis Joins Cyprus National Team

June 12, 2023 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release


Sporting Kansas City forward Marinos Tzionis has joined the Cyprus Men's National Team for the continuation of UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying in Europe.

Tzionis and Cyprus will resume their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with two matches during the June FIFA window, hosting Georgia on Saturday before visiting Manchester City striker Erling Haaland and Norway on June 20.

Tzionis is scheduled to return to Kansas City ahead of Sporting's regular season home match against Chicago Fire FC on June 24.

Cyprus Match Schedule: UEFA Euro 2024 Qualifying

Saturday, June 17 | vs. Georgia | 1:45 p.m. CT | AEK Arena in Larnaca, Cyprus

Tuesday, June 20 | at Norway | 1:45 p.m. CT | Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo, Norway

Tzionis has established himself as a mainstay for the Cyprus national team, amassing 22 caps and scoring two goals for his home country while competing in the UEFA Nations League and FIFA World Cup qualifying. The 21-year-old earned his senior debut in 2020 and opened his Cypriot scoring account in March 2022, bagging the opener in a 2-0 Nations League win over Estonia. Tzionis added another goal in the competition as the difference maker in a 1-0 upset victory over regional rivals Greece last September.

Cyprus is aiming to qualify for the UEFA European Championship for the first time in its history. Euro 2024 will involve 24 teams, including the top two finishers across 10 qualifying groups, hosts Germany and another three nations that will advance through a playoff round. Cyprus is in Group A alongside Scotland, Georgia, world powerhouse Spain and a Norway side that features Haaland, who broke the English Premier League scoring record with 36 league goals this season. Cyprus, which lost its Euro qualifying opener at Scotland in March, will conclude group stage play in November of this year. The Euro 2024 qualifying playoff round will be held in March 2024.

Tzionis has logged 44 appearances for Sporting in all competitions since transferring to the club in early 2022. The 21-year-old has recorded three goals, including two in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, and tallied his first MLS assist in Sporting's 4-1 victory over the Portland Timbers on May 28. He has started in each of the club's last four matches, helping Manager Peter Vermes' side to three wins and a draw while vaulting above the playoff line for the first time this season.

Tzionis previously represented Cyprus at the U-17 and U-19 youth levels-featuring in qualifying competitions for the European U-17 Championship in 2018 and the European U-19 Championship in 2019-before breaking into the senior national team in September 2020. In the two months that followed, he made five starts and six total appearances in the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League as the Cypriots finished with a 1-4-1 record. Tzionis started four of six appearances in FIFA 2022 World Cup qualifying over the course of 2021, then scored twice in the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League last year.

Tzionis joined Sporting after a strong stint at hometown club Omonia Nicosia, where he scored 15 goals in 88 appearances from 2018 until his departure for Kansas City. During his time with Omonia, he won a Cypriot First Division title and featured in 18 matches across Europe's three most prestigious club tournaments: the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.

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