Major League Soccer announced today the MLS Team of the Matchday presented by Audi for Matchday 31 of the regular season with Sporting Kansas City forwards Dejan Joveljic and Daniel Salloi honored as two of the top 20 players in the league following the team's 4-2 victory over Colorado.
Wearing the captain's armband and playing in his 250th MLS match, Salloi scored the game-tying goal on Saturday in the 73rd minute with a sensational strike -- nominated for MLS Goal of the Matchday -- to spark the second-half rally. The goal moved Salloi, a Sporting KC Academy product, into a share of second place on the club's all-time scoring charts alongside Dom Dwyer and Johnny Russell.
Joveljic bookended the scoring on Saturday with a pair of headers, opening the scoring in the fourth minute with the 100th goal of his professional club career and capping off the comeback in the 81st minute for his third multi-goal game of the season. The Designated Player's 16 goals this year are third most in MLS and third most in a single season in club history.
"I think when we brought him into the club, we had an idea from the outside what he was capable of," Sporting KC interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin said postgame. "What we expected is what he's delivering. Goal scorers like Dejan, they don't need clear-cut chances and that's what makes them special. I think he's been a consistent player in front of goal for us over the course of the year."
Sporting Kansas City will next host Austin FC at 6 p.m. CT on Sunday at Children's Mercy Park in the club's annual Kick Childhood Cancer theme night. Tickets are available via SeatGeek, including the Coca-Cola Family & Friends 4-Pack featuring four Price Chopper South Stand seats, four 20-ounce Coca-Cola products and four hot dogs for only $100.
The Western Conference match-up will be available to watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. Pub partners in the Sporting Pub Network will also show all of the action, including a SKCvATX watch party at No Other Pub in the Kansas City Power & Light district featuring $4 domestic drafts, $5 wells and 50% off nachos for fans in SKC gear starting at 4 p.m.​​​​​​ on Sunday.
