Sporting Kansas City midfielder Gadi Kinda has been selected to the Israel Men’s National Team for two upcoming matches in 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying.
Kinda and Israel are scheduled to visit Scotland at 11 a.m. CT on Oct. 9 before hosting Moldova at 1:45 p.m. CT on Oct. 12 in UEFA Group F of World Cup qualifying. Both matches will stream live on ESPN Plus.
The 27-year-old midfielder will depart for Europe following Sporting Kansas City’s home match against Houston Dynamo FC on Sunday at Children’s Mercy Park (tickets).
Israel MNT World Cup Qualifying Schedule
- Saturday, Oct. 9 at Scotland | 11 a.m. CT | Hampden Park | Glasgow, Scotland
- Tuesday, Oct. 12 vs. Moldova | 1:45 p.m. CT | Turner Stadium | Be'er Sheva, Israel
Kinda will return to the Israel squad after joining the team for the FIFA window early last month. He was an unused substitute in World Cup qualifying wins against the Faroe Islands and Austria and came off the bench in a loss at Group F leaders Denmark on Sept. 7 for his third career cap at the international level. Kinda previously punctuated his Israel debut with a sensational long-range goal in a 3-1 friendly win at Montenegro on June 5 and made his first start four days later in a friendly defeat at European powerhouse Portugal.
Led by head coach Willibald Ruttensteiner, Israel currently occupies third place in Group F, eight points behind runaway leaders Denmark and one point behind second-place Scotland. Four group stage matches remain between now and mid-November, with the first-place finisher qualifying for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar and the second-place team advancing to a World Cup playoff contested by other second-place finishers in UEFA in March 2022. Israel are seeking their second-ever World Cup appearance after competing in the tournament for the first time in 1970.
Kinda has recorded 10 goals and seven assists in 43 appearances for Sporting since joining the club ahead of the 2020 campaign. He has started 18 of 20 MLS matches this season, tallying four goals and three assists for a Sporting Kansas City side that sits in second place in the Western Conference with a 14-6-7 record. Sporting are a perfect 7-0-0 when Kinda scores or assists this year.
Kinda had six goals and four assists during his debut MLS campaign in 2020, landing club Newcomer of the Year honors. He placed sixth among MLS newcomers last year with 10 combined goals and assists while also creating 26 scoring chances, second-most on the team.
Born in Ethiopia and raised in Israel, Kinda spent the first nine seasons of his professional career competing in Israel’s top two divisions, including an eight-year spell at hometown club Ashdod. He joined Sporting in January 2020 from Israeli Premier League side Beitar Jerusalem.
Kinda and Sporting will continue their race for first place on Sunday when Houston visits Children's Mercy Park. The contest will kick off at 3 p.m. CT sharp and tickets remain available at SeatGeek.com. The match, which kicks off a critical five-game slate for Sporting in October, has been picked up for a national television audience on UniMas and TUDN in addition to local coverage on Bally Sports Kansas City Plus, Bally Sports Midwest Plus, ESPN 94.5 FM and La Grande 1340 AM.
