Sporting KC Signs Winger Marinos Tzionis
January 24, 2022 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release
Sporting Kansas City announced today that the club has acquired 20-year-old winger Marinos Tzionis in a transfer from Omonia Nicosia in Cyprus.
Tzionis has signed a three-year MLS contract through 2024 with an option for 2025 and will occupy an international spot on Sporting's roster pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and P1 visa.
Tzionis, an emerging talent who was born and raised in Nicosia, Cyprus, has already earned 13 caps for the Cyprus Men's National Team and scored 15 goals in 88 appearances for hometown club Omonia Nicosia since turning professional as a 15-year-old in 2017. The left winger has also featured in 18 matches across Europe's three most prestigious club tournaments: the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.
Tzionis developed in Omonia Nicosia's academy, signed for the first team in 2017 and landed his senior debut for the club in May 2018. Over the next two seasons, he scored three goals across 18 matches in the Cypriot First Division and struck twice in the Cypriot Cup.
In a breakout 2020-21 campaign, Tzionis guided Omonia to the club's first league title in 11 years by tallying seven goals in 43 games across all competitions. He appeared in 32 of the club's 36 league matches, landed his UEFA Champions League debut in the qualifying rounds and started all six of Omonia's games in the UEFA Europa League group stage. Tzionis flourished as the season continued to unfold, bagging six goals from December onward as Omonia won the league by a five-point margin with a 23-3-10 record.
Prior to his arrival at Sporting, Tzionis tallied three goals and two assists in 24 competitive matches for Omonia during the 2021-22 season. He opened his Europa League scoring account with the lone goal in qualifying win over Flora last August and started two of three matches in the inaugural Europa Conference League last fall.
Tzionis represented Cyprus at the U-17 and U-19 youth levels -- featuring in qualifying competitions for the 2018 Under-17 European Championship and the 2019 Under-19 European Championship -- before breaking into the senior national team in September 2020. Over the next two months, he earned five starts and six total appearances for Cyprus in the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League. The 2021 calendar year saw Tzionis start four of six matches for the Cypriots in FIFA 2022 World Cup qualifying.
Tzionis becomes the sixth newcomer to sign for Sporting this offseason, following fellow Europeans Logan Ndenbe and Robert Voloder as well as free agent trio Kortne Ford, Uri Rosell and Ben Sweat. For a full list of Sporting's roster moves, visit SportingKC.com/news/tracker.
Sporting will kick off the 2022 MLS campaign on Feb. 27, visiting Atlanta United FC in a 2 p.m. CT showdown on FS1, before hosting rivals Houston Dynamo FC in their highly anticipated Children's Mercy Park home opener on March 5 at 2:30 p.m. CT. Sporting KC season tickets and several 2022 ticket packages and promotions and are available by calling 888-4KC-GOAL or visiting SportingKC.com.
Transaction: Sporting Kansas City (MLS) acquires winger Marinos Tzionis in a transfer from Omonia Nicosia (Cyprus).
VITALS
Marinos Tzionis
Position: Forward
Born: 7/16/2001 (20 years old)
Height: 5-7
Weight: 145 lbs.
Hometown: Nicosia, Cyprus
Birthplace: Nicosia, Cyprus
Citizenship: Cyprus
Previous Club: Omonia Nicosia (Cypriot First Division)
Instagram: @tzionis_marinos
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