Photo by Bill Barrett/ISIphotos.com
By FRANCO PANIZO
Oriol Rosell will soon be playing alongside the likes of Cesc Fabregas and Gerard Pique, and it’s not because he will be transferring away from Sporting Kansas City.
Rosell has been selected to represent Catalonia in an end-of-the-year friendly vs. Cape Verdes Islands on Dec. 30 at Estadio Olimpic Lluis Companys in Barcelona, joining a roster that also includes a number of the world’s top players. Some of the other players picked by Catalonia manager Gerard Lopez include FC Barcelona’s Fabregas, Pique, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.
The 21-year-old Rosell, who was previously a member of Barcelona’s youth academy and just helped Sporting KC win the MLS Cup, is one of two players on the Catalonia roster currently not playing in La Liga.
“It will be an amazing experience to play with these players,” the midfielder said in a statement prepared by Sporting KC. “They have a lot of quality and are some of the best in the world. It’s going to be a big party and a big game and I could not be more excited. I always say I’m from Catalonia and now to be with the first team with those great players will be a very emotional experience for me.”
Catalonia’s national team is the official squad of the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonian. While it is organized by the Catalonia Football Federation, it is not affiliated with FIFA or UEFA.
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