Major League Soccer announced today the MLS Team of the Matchday presented by Audi for Matchday 20 of the regular season with Sporting Kansas City goalkeeper John Pulskamp and midfielder Manu Garcia honored as two of the top 20 players in the league after the team's dramatic 2-1 come-from-behind win over Charlotte FC on Wednesday.
Pulskamp, the only player to start every match for SKC in 2025, recorded four saves in the victory including a superb stop on Kerwin Vargas in the 87th minute to set the stage for Sporting's stoppage time rally. Garcia then stole the show with assists on Mason Toye's game-tying goal in the 94th minute and Dejan Joveljic's game-winning goal in the 96th minute. The Spanish playmaker, who led all players in SKCvCLT with 59 passes and 72 ball actions, now has eight assists on the season -- third most in MLS -- with assists in each of the team's last three matches.
"Credit to John Pulskamp. It goes relatively unnoticed because of the two great goals at the end, but he really kept us in the game," Sporting KC interim head coach Kerry Zavagnin said in the postgame press conference."(Manu) is a special number 10. I think it speaks a lot to his mentality and his courage for fighting through getting hit time and time again. To playmake from that position also shows his versatility."
Sporting KC will next host Real Salt Lake at 7:30 p.m. CT on Saturday at Children's Mercy Park in a rematch of MLS Cup 2013. Tickets are available via SeatGeek and the Western Conference match-up will be available to watch on Apple TV with an MLS Season Pass subscription in addition to airing locally on Sports Radio 810 WHB. Pub partners in the Sporting Pub Network will also show all of the action, including a 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 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
