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MLS Sporting Kansas City

Marinos Tzionis to Join Cyprus National Team

March 14, 2023 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release


Sporting Kansas City forward Marinos Tzionis has been named to the Cyprus Men's National Team for the start of UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying in Europe.

Tzionis and Cyprus will open their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign on March 25, visiting Scotland in a 9 a.m. CT contest at Hampden Park in Glasgow. The Cypriots will then travel to face Armenia on March 28 in a 10 a.m. CT friendly at Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium in Yerevan.

Tzionis will join Cyprus following Sporting's regular season match at FC Dallas on Saturday, slated for 7:30 p.m. CT free on Apple TV.

Cyprus Schedule: March International Window

Saturday, March 25 | at Scotland | 9 a.m. CT | Hampden Park

Tuesday, March 28 | at Armenia | 10 a.m. CT | Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium

At age 21, Tzionis has already established himself as a mainstay for Cyprus, amassing 20 caps and scoring two goals for his home country while competing in the UEFA Nations League and FIFA World Cup qualifying. He 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.

Entering the March international window, 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 has been placed in Group A alongside Scotland, Georgia, world powerhouse Spain and a Norway side that features Manchester City striker Erling Haaland. All group stage matches will unfold from March to November of this year, while the Euro 2024 qualifying playoffs will be held in March 2024.

Tzionis has made 32 appearances for Sporting in all competitions since arriving in early 2022. He has featured in each of the club's first three matches this season, including a start in a 0-0 road draw against the Colorado Rapids on March 4 and two substitute cameos on the wing. Tzionis notched his first Sporting goal in dramatic fashion on May 10, 2022, nodding home a 98th-minute equalizer against FC Dallas to force extra time in what became a wild 4-2 comeback victory in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Round of 32. Four days later, the Cypriot tallied his first MLS goal in a road defeat against the Portland Timbers.

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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