After an 11-year absence from his birth country, Espinal will join up with the U-23s for a training camp

Darwin Espinal may have lived in Honduras during his formative years, but he remembers very little. His most vivid memories are of playing soccer in the street and dirt, where he would end up breaking his toe.

He noted that those pick-up games have had an affect on his mental toughness and where he is today - in his first professional season with the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Now, Espinal will be headed back to Honduras, for the first time in 11 years, to join a training camp with the U-23 national team.

A return to the Central American nation, after a prolonged absence, comes with more than an opportunity to wear the nation’s colors. The 20-year-old forward will get the chance to see his father and other family members who he hasn’t seen since he moved to the United States. The camp, which takes place in Comayagua, is 56 miles northwest of the capital city of Tegucigalpa, which is where Espinal hails from.

“I think it’s incredible,” Espinal told NASL.com. “I’m going back home and I get to see my dad, who I haven’t seen in a long time.

“I haven’t seen my dad in 11 years, and I just saw my sister a few months ago, but it was the first time in 11 years. He’s going to meet me where the camp is.”

In nine appearances for the Rowdies, Espinal has an assist and scored twice – once on his debut and, most recently, in a 2-1 win over FC Edmonton. Espinal has had a meteoric rise, though. He went from a junior college star at Darton State to a regular with the Rowdies and now an Olympic hopeful.

If Honduras is to qualify for the 2016 event in Rio de Janeiro, it will need to navigate this summer’s qualifiers. Espinal couldn’t quite put into words what it would mean if he was there to compete in them.

“I haven’t even thought about it, honestly,” he said. “I watch it on TV, so that’s how crazy this is.”

Espinal, who was a bit surprised he was called up this early in his professional career, has always had visions of representing Honduras on the international stage.

“I’ve always wanted to play for Honduras, not only for myself, but for my family,” he said. “I thought it would make them proud, and obviously I’m from Honduras – that’s where I’m from and I feel it - it’s not like I lost it. It would be for my parents, my family, and the people that I know. It’s not just for me, it’s for everyone.”

Espinal, however, doesn’t want to get too far ahead of himself. He instead wants to focus on building on the work he has put in during the Spring Season with Tampa Bay. The young Honduran isn’t satisfied yet, and in fact he is aiming to add more consistency to his game. He is hoping to become an integral part of the Rowdies’ lineup – and one that his teammates can look to any time he is on the pitch.

“For most people, scoring goals and starting is good,” he said. “But for me, I expect a lot from myself. I think I’m doing decent, but I don’t think I’m doing great. I’m not where I want to be yet. It’s been a good start.”

He continued, “It’s not so much about stats, but more about playing well when the team needs me. That means more to me than scoring goals. That’s what I’m focusing on. I don’t want to be replaceable.”

The Rowdies forward will be in Honduras from June 14-18, and he took some confidence knowing that the national team was tracking his progress, although he noted his confidence comes from getting regular game minutes.

As far as his success so far, Espinal acknowledged the role head coach Thomas Rongen, as well as his teammates, have played.

“A lot of it has to do with them giving me the chance,” he said. ‘Taking a big risk on a 19-year-old (which is how old he was when he signed), his (Coach Rongen) job is on the line – all coaches’ jobs are on the line if the team isn’t performing and that comes down to the players he has. He took a risk on me and I hope I’m paying it off, and hopefully I pay off even more.

“I do owe it to my teammates. Without them, I wouldn’t be here.”

Now, the boy that remembers playing in the dirt in Honduras to sharpen his skills is in a position to wear the nation’s colors on the world’s stage.

“To me, it’s really important,” he said. “I’m going to go to the camp and have fun, do what I have to do – what I love to do – and I think things will work out. It’s going to be special, though.”